Between Text and Artifact: Integrating Archaeology in Biblical Studies Teaching (Archaeology and Biblical Studies)

86 BElWEENTEXTANDARTIFACT'

Alongsidethe"newcanon"areseveral veryimportantmultivolume
encyclopediasthatarefundamentalreferenceworks.Theseincludethe
four-volumeNewEncyclopediaofArchaeologicalExcavationsintheHoly
Land(NMI::HL),editedbyEphraimStern;thefive-volumeOxfordEncy-
clopediaofArchaeologyi,ltheNeart.:as!(DEANE),editedbyEricMeyers;
andthefour-volumeCivilizationsoftheAncie,UNearEast(CANE),edited
byJackSasson.^58 Eachis absolutelyessentialasa startingpointforunder-
graduateresearch.
NEAEHLis acompletelyrevisedandupdatededitionoftheworkthat
firstappearedinEnglishin1978.Itisanindispensableencyclopediaofall
theexcavatedsitesinmodernIsrael.^59 Each entryincludesinformation
aboutthesite'sidentification,itshistoryandexploration,excavations,stra-
tumsynopses,anda bibliographyofthemainpublications.Itisalsofilled
withatremendousamountofillust....<ltivematerials.
UnlikeNEAEHL, OEANEhasawidergeographicscope,theentireNear
East,andincludesmanythematicentries.Theentriestendtobeshorter,
withlessinthewayofgraphicsorbibliography,buttheoverallscopeis
muchgrander.The inclusionofa widerangeofthematicentries(e.g.,
"buildingmaterialsandtechniques")makesthesevolumesinvaluable.
CANEisorganizedinamuchdifferentfashion.Itiscomprisedoffour
volumesdividedintoeleventhematicsections.Themesarewideranging
andincludesuchlOpicsaslheenvironment,historyandculture,lechnol-
ogyandartisticproduction,andlanguage,writing,andliterature,toname
buta few.Withineachsectionarenumerousessaysthatcovermostareas
oftheNearEastfromEgypttoIranandfrom prehistotythroughthePer-
sianperiod.Theessaysarewrittenbyexpertsandprovideanexcellent
introductiontoparticulartopics.Essaystendtobelongerandmorewide
rangingthanintheOEANEandincludea bibliography.Thereislessinthe
wayofillustrativematerials,butthisdoesnO(diminishtheoverallhigh
qualityoftheessaysandthustheutilityofCANE.

THENEXTGENERATION:ASLlMMEI(,TRIMMEI(HANDBOOK

Beginningin the1990s,theavailablenumberofhandbooksgreatly

increased,thoughinterestingly,theyappeartobelesscomprehensiveor

saEphraimStern,cd.,'!beNewf.'ncydopt-diaojArchaeologicalExcavationsIntheHoiy

limd(4vols.;Jerusalem:IsraelExplorationSocietyandCarta;NewYork:Simon&SChusler,

lYYj);EneMeyers,ed.,'IbeUXforat:tlcycfopedlaofArcbaeologyiIItbeNearEast(5vols.;

NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,1997);andJackMSasson,ed.,CivllizallollsojtbeAtlcle1lt

NC(lrEast(4vals.;NewYork:SCribner's,1995).

(^5911) includessileswithintheprojededPaleslinianAUlhority.