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Article: The History of Ancient Palestine from the Palaeolithic Period to Alexander's Conquest.
- Article from:
- The Journal of the American Oriental Society
- Article date:
- July 1, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 American Oriental Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A history of ancient Palestine with 906 pages of text is certainly an event for Oriental and Biblical Scholars alike. The wealth of detailed information collected by the author (who did not live to see the completion of his work) is astonishing, and this is an obvious asset for scholar and student. In one sense, however, length is a liability, as the author risks describing trees and bushes, forgetting the forest. This seems to be hinted at by Diana Edelman, the editor (who, by the way, did an amazingly good job), when she says: "the sheer amount of detailed information that Professor Ahlstrom has synthesized ..." (p. 12). The impression conveyed by the book is therefore ...