This comprehensive five-volume work analyzes the archaeological and linguistic data that pertain to the broad cultural milieu of the ancient Near East. Ranging from prehistoric times up to the early centuries of the rise of Islam. The work covers the civilizations of Syria-Palestine, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Iran, Arabia, Cyprus, Egypt, and the coastal regions of North and East Africa. It includes alphabetically arranged entries on sites, languages, material culture, archaeological methods, organizations and institutions, and major excavators and scholars of the field. Volume five includes a chronology, 12 maps, a synoptic outline of contents, and an index.

Covering work done through 1991 on sites within the Holy Land (Israel, Sinai, and Jordan) from the dawn of human creativity through the Ottoman period. It includes, under the name commonly used in scholarly circles, articles on over 350 sites, each describing the history, excavations, and discoveries at that location. Vol. 4 has chronological charts, indexes of persons, places, and biblical references.

Part of the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible series, this encyclopedia represents a new way of conceiving of the relationship between archaeology and biblical studies that allows the results of a wide cross-section of excavations and regional studies to contribute to the interpretation of the biblical text through an elucidation of the lifeways of the ancient world. By going beyond mere chronology and focusing on the social organization of biblical society, the Encyclopedia is an important methodological breakthrough for the study of the Bible and archaeology. - Publisher description