Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land - Softcover

Spanning ten millennia from earliest civilisation to the Arab conquest this book is the definitive one-volume reference to the ancient lands of the Bible, fusing scientific discovery and literary and religious tradition to produce a deeper understanding of the history of human culture. Here the settings of the world's three major religions are examined, incorporating the most up-to-date archaeological information with the biblical record of the Holy Land, the Encyclopaedia visits the ancient Near East site-by-site, with comprehensive descriptions of hundreds of discoveries as well as providing historical commentary and relevant biblical citations. General articles on subjects such as burial, warfare, cult objects and clothing provide further insight into the material culture and social systems of the biblical period. More than 20 distinguished archaeologists have contributed articles in their areas of expertise complete with details from their own excavations.

Avraham Negev is Professor of Classical Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University. Dr. Negev has directed numerous archaeological digs, including expeditions to Oboda, Caesarea, the Roman theater of Beth-Shean, Memphis, Elusa, and Susiya. A prolific writer, he is the author of scholarly and popular books and articles published in Hebrew and English, including Cities of the Desert, Caesarea, Archaeology in the Land of the Bible, Masters of the Desert, An Introduction to the Archaeology of Palestine, and New Avenues in Nabatean Archaeology.Shimon Gibson is a field archaeologist working in Israel and Palestine. During the past 20 years, Dr. Gibson has conducted numerous excavations and field surveys including work at Sataf, Dor, Tel el-Ful, and Modi'in. He is currently in charge of excavations on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Editor since 1987 of the Bulletin of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society, he is the author of more than one hundred articles and two monographs on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.