For many years, the accessible source for ancient texts related to the Bible was Ancient Near Eastern Texts (ANET), edited by J. B. Pritchard.  A few years ago Context of Scripture (COS), edited by Hallo and Younger, was completed, giving a more extensive and up-to-date source for these texts.  ANET still has its place though because

1) all sources more than a decade old provide references only to ANET and

2) ANET has some materials not included in COS. 


COS has been available in Logos format for a few years ($300 here), and now ANET has been announced as a pre-publication special, which means 1) it will only be produced if enough orders are placed and 2) you can get it for less money if you order now ($60 instead of $80).

The publisher of this biography has posted the following on the ANE-2 list.

I’m pleased to announce publication of the first full length biography of archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon by Miriam Davis, a historian at Delta State University. Miriam had full access to the Kenyon family’s materials and interviewed dozens of archaeologists on 4 continents for her work. The book is published in a series sponsored by the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, which provided the peer review. It’s also been reviewed by Bill Dever and Tom Holland, among others (see their comments on our website). The official blurb:
Dame Kathleen Kenyon
Digging Up the Holy Land
by Miriam C. Davis
978-1-59874-325-8 cloth
978-1-59874-326-5 paper
March 2008 272 pages, photos Dame Kathleen Kenyon has always been a larger-than-life figure, likely the most influential woman archaeologist of the 20th century. In the first full-length biography of Kenyon, Miriam Davis recounts not only her many achievements in the field but also her personal side, known to very few of her contemporaries. Her public side is a catalog of major successes: discovering the oldest city at Jericho with its amazing collection of plastered skulls; untangling the archaeological complexities of ancient Jerusalem and identifying the original City of David; participating in the discipline’s most famous all-woman excavation at Great Zimbabwe. Her development (with Sir Mortimer Wheeler) of stratigraphic trenching methods has been universally emulated by archaeologists for over half a century. Her private life–her childhood as daughter of the director of the British Museum, her accidental choice of a career in archaeology, her working at bombed sites in London during the blitz, and her solitary retirement to Wales–are generally unknown. Davis provides a balanced and illuminating picture of both the public Dame Kenyon and the private person. The book will be available in paperback next week in the US and in April in the UK, EUrope, and the Middle East. for more information or to order:
http://www.lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=129 Mitch Allen, Publisher
Left Coast Press, inc.

Amazon has the paperback for $25, minus 5% if you buy it before it is released.  A couple of other biographies of “biblical archaeologists” that I have read and enjoyed include: A Prophet from Amongst You: The Life of Yigael Yadin (Silberman) and William Foxwell Albright: A 20th Century Genius (Running and Freedman).  Good surveys of the history of “biblical archaeology” include A Century of Biblical Archaeology (Moorey) and Shifting Sands: The Rise and Fall of Biblical Archaeology (Davis).

One of the best Bible software programs for the PC is BibleWorks 7.  If you’re only interested in reading the Bible and doing simple searches, this program is more than you need.  But those who know, or plan to learn, the original languages will find a wealth of capabilities available at lightning speed.  The powerful “Copy Center” makes it fast and easy to copy and paste multiple translations – any number, any versions – in a single click.  This would have saved me a lot of time on a recent study.  The right-click context menus are also easy to use.  If you’re still learning Greek and Hebrew (or haven’t started yet), the built-in flashcard module has plenty of options which makes it easy to quiz yourself.  At $350, the program is not inexpensive, but browsing through the list of works included in the copyright list will make you wonder how the software can cost so little.

Version 7 added a map module, and BibleWorks sent me a review copy of the program to evaluate this new feature.  I love the integration of the map module; simply right-click on a site name and choose “Lookup in BibleWorks Maps” to get a list of relevant maps to open.  Teachers will find this a handy way to access a map while in the middle of a course without having to use other software.  The module includes a variety of terrains that you can load, including Landsat data, and some are more aesthetically pleasing than others.  Unfortunately, the map data has significant shortcomings; it reminds me more of a beta program.  BibleWorks has a major revision of the map module underway which I expect will solve many of the labeling problems.  One problem that exists with both the map module and the program in general is that while the documentation is extensive, the features are not always intuitive.  This means the happiest user will be the one who reads first and plays second.  If you never read any of the documentation, you’ll probably miss many of the features and spend too much time in frustration.  Would I recommend the program?  Absolutely.  Would I recommend its purchase primarily for the map module?  Not yet.  With their policy of free upgrades within a version, any existing user will be able to download all of the updates as they are released.

Screenshot of Galilee area, with overlays turned on for 4 gospels