Books in Brief

Excavations in Palestine

Roger Moorey (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1983) 128 pp., $6.95 paperback

Jericho

John R. Bartlett (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1983) 228 pp., $6.95 paperback

Qumran

Philip R. Davies (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1983) 128 pp., $6.95 paperback

Cities of the Biblical World is a relatively new series of soft-cover books, each devoted to a particular topic or site related to Biblical archaeology. The three books mentioned above are already available, and a fourth one, Ugarit (Ras Shamra) by Adrian H. W. Curtis, is in preparation.

The first book in the series, Excavations in Palestine, is an excellent introductory book written specifically for the novice. In the first chapter, “Introducing Archaeology,” Moorey outlines the evolution of modern archaeology and explains the rudiments of the field, such as stratigraphy, typology, and relative and absolute chronology. He also explains the nature of ethnography and its use in archaeology. The chapter ends with an introduction to and explanation of the so-called “new archaeology.”