Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land. (Briefly Noted).

Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land. Edited by Avraham Negev and Shimon Gibson (Continuum, $39.95). A first edition of this encyclopedia was published in 1972 under the direction of N., but the present, greatly expanded edition enlists more than one hundred international scholars who produced more than eight hundred entries, ranging from Abarim (the peak of Mt. Nebo) to Zuzim and Emmim, two peoples mentioned in Genesis 14. All the major excavated sites are discussed, and there are articles on general subjects such as mosaics, seals, flint tools, pottery, and archaeological methods. The articles are up-to-date, including the Chalcolithic objects found in 1995 at the village of Peqi'in (whose location is not given), the "House of David" inscription from Dan, and the Miqne inscription (biblical Ekron), dating to 604 B.C.E., which mentions Ikausu son of Padi, both of whom are referred to as kings of Ekron in Assyrian records. There are almost three hundred illustrations and a fine glossary that explains technical archaeological terms. The editor provides an e-mail address to which one can send corrections. Among those is the mention of "Iron" fortifications of Jerusalem, where the writer surely intended "Iron Age" fortifications.