Jerusalem:: An Archaeological Biography

Shanks, president of the Biblical Archaeology Sociey and editor of Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls (Random, 1993), has produced a sumptuous commemorative volume to mark the ""3,000th anniversary of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."" He lavishly uses well-chosen, high-quality color photos, drawings, and plans. Two pages of simplified time lines put the major events of the book in clear chronological perspective. The 14 chapters range from ""Jerusalem before the Israelites"" and ""How David Conquered Jerusalem"" to ""Herodian Jerusalem"" and ""Modern and Crusader Jerusalem."" Shanks writes in an informal style and keeps the archaeology relatively simple. Although he incorporates the latest research, he does not introduce anything new. His work is an informative coffee-table book for the educated public; students in the field will find it an interesting, albeit expensive, picture book and summary of the highlights of Jerusalem's archaeology.-Eugene O. Bowser, Univ. of Northern Colorado, Greeley