PreViews
The Dome of the Rock
Said Nuseibeh and Oleg Grabar
(New York: Rizzoli, 1996) 180 pp., 200 ill. (150 in color), $60
Islamic authorities rarely allow photographers to take pictures inside the Dome of the Rock, the shrine on the highest point of the Temple Mount that covers the rock from which Mohammed is reputed to have risen up to visit heaven. So when Nuseibeh was given permission to photograph it, he made the most of it, documenting almost every feature of this important site—its marble plaques and precious stones, its gold and multicolored mosaics, its marble columns, the earliest existing script of the Koran worked into its interior mosaics and exterior surrounding tile, and of course, the famous rock itself. Historical travelers’ tales, maps, drawings, translations of the early Koran script and discussions of the Dome’s architecture and cultural and historical significance complete this volume’s elegant tribute to one of the world’s most famous sacred places.
The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt
Ian Shaw and Paul Nicholson, in association with the British Museum
(New York: Abrams, 1995) 320 pp., 400 ill. (200 in color), $45
Do you want to know why the ancient Egyptians worked so hard to preserve their dead, how they brewed beer or why Tutankhamun changed his name? If you’re full of questions, this book is full of answers. Over 600 entries—illustrated with photographs taken from the British Museum’s famed Egyptian collection, drawings and plans—detail the events and personalities of 4,000 years of Egyptian history. Bibliographies follow each entry.
The World of the Bible
Roberta L. Harris
(New York: Thames and Hudson Inc., 1995) 192 pp., 294 illustrations (58 in color), $29.95
Glimpse the history of archaeology in biblical lands in this introductory survey of Middle Eastern history. Photographs of many important archaeological discoveries, maps, site drawings and timelines provide a context for the biblical narrative. Boxes highlight important figures, finds and events. A gazetteer suggests sites and museums to visit.
Theatres in Roman Palestine and Provincia Arabia
Arthur Segal
(Leiden, the Netherlands: E.J. Brill, 1995) 220 pp., 155 ill., $71.50
From the second to the fourth centuries A.D., Jews viewed the theater as idolatrous and Christians considered it to be immoral and tried to ban it through legislation. Nevertheless, many theaters were built in Roman Palestine and Arabia during this period. Segal examines 30 of them, providing historical background, architectural analysis, excavation photographs and plans, and detailed descriptions and scholarship on each.