DESSEL:I'"EAR(l1OFTIlEGOODHOOK 81
theIronAgeII B-C(thedivid<.'<!monarchy).'111ereare~llsomoredelailed
chaplerscovering~Gener.lIASPCCbofIheIsmelite~lalerialCulture~and
hlsrael'sNeighborsandtheAssyrianandBabylonianDominaljons.-
Bec-,wscofIlSexphcltemphasIsonarchaeologicaldata,thevolumeis
replelewithillustrative1ll~llerial.alldearlypaginaledin~Icomprehensive
listofmapsandillustrations,ProvidingaccesstoIheiIluslmli\"ematerialis
anessentialpanofanygoodhandbook.Ifthereadercannoteasilylocate
charts,maps,tables,andfigures,itdctmclSimme:<lsurJ.blyfromthevolume.
Thereareeightl",bles(mainlycompar.ltiveslratigraphych<lns), eleven
maps(with a mapofeach period indicating the majorsiles),andan
incredihle 256 illustrationsthatincludeblackandwhitephotographs,line
drawings,andarchitecturalplansandreconstructions.Thisemphasison
graphicsaddsimmeasurahlytothevolume.Eachchaplerhassomecita-
tions,butlInfollllnatelythereisnoextensivehibliography.Thereisalsoan
appendix enumer.ltingreccnt discoveriesand studics,butthisis rather
brief<lOd,bynow,somewhatdated.
Recentlya follow-upvolumehasappeared,ArchaeologyoJlheLaudoj
tbeBible, Volume 1/: 1beAss)'n'rl1l, l3ab)'lollian, mul Persia/1 Periods
(732-332I3Cm,by EphmimSlern.tOThissecondvolume, whidlbegins
wilhIheAssyrianconqueslofIhenorthernstaleofIsraelandconcludes
wilhthePersianperiod.i" modeledonMazar'sbutunfortunalC:lyisnor
ne-.lrlyassuccessful,Stem'svolumei1'omore",referencevolume,cnmprising
undigesledr.lWdalawithlillIeinthewayofsynthesis.,-Itisalsop<Xlrly
edite.."d,wilhinnumerableerrors,:lndb nOlsuggesteda:,,I handbookfor
undergraduatecourses.Thisisa~hame,sincethePcrsi:1llperiodis sorely
neglcctL-'dintheliterature.andIhereis~ItremendousneedforjustIhislype
ofbook.Perhapsasecondeditionwillundergosignificantrevisions,
7beArchaeologyojAncienllsrael,editedbyAmnonBen·Tor,appe-J.red
first in Ilebrew, thenshonlythereafterin English.lij [n manyrespects,
('cnluryu.c~,m;llcri;tl(uhurcwilhoUlnc(e~~;trilycmhcddin/o: 11 wilhinIhebiblicalslOricsof
J);lvidorSolomon(nOl<::Ihmfew,if;my,ardl;II:.'oloAistSwoulddiri:.'(·lIyrebleany:lrchai:.'O-
IQRiCJId;l1'1 10 therciJo:nofSaul),OnIhis.sechr;lc!Finkelstein;IlldNeilASilberman,7J)C
BibleIlwon}J{y!Arcimeol08Ys,\ell'\lsiml0/Ancien/Israel{lmlflx'OriRinqfliSSacrtYlTe.\1
(j\"C\York Fr<.""ePres.,20(2);;md~"terGr;d'llx-,..-d.,OmAIllS/or)'o/IsmdIk\'frilfclI'
OSOl~up 2 IS;Sheffield:SheffieldACldcmil·1'0..........1997).Itowen.'r.o..·J.::trdk~ofthehistori-
cdlconno..'CIionsMnarmakes,thcactualprc-...:nlalionofthc:l1l':hao..'Ol0lo:ic.1IIn."Iler.a1hedates
toap;lr1lcularIImcprtjodis 00 the\hole\Cl')~>(xxl
-46EphrdlmStem,Arcbill'01(JR,Yoftlx'uuuloftlx-Bible,\"oI1lII/£'II7'1x'ASSlTIllII.8a~)'"
101/1(11/,and/'enilllll/'(.oriods03J-3.U/Jet:)(AIlRLj\"e\YorkDouhk-day.20(1).
1'"'xocj.PIX-..se..wit.'\',off-~phr.lim","em.ArcbaeolOR,l'ojtheuII/(1({fheBi'.Jll'.10/II11/e
11 77x'MIT1tll/.&Ibykmum.lIntll-nl(mPt:mx/s(7J~ 332 BCI:.).BAR2M 6 (2002):58-59.
1M:x.:eAmnonBen-TOI'",Artbtll"(l/{,'R,)"({Am:iel/lfsmel.;'(i;'(1bcoriglllalIldxcw\'er.>ion
W:lSeOllllo..-dMlltokl-<lrllhe"olO!o'llbrhell:rt'1S-)ismeliJI·tclmflllbll-,lIlkm'()(ict:thell'ieof