Archaeology Magazine - June 1956 - 72

"This volume is one that no
scholar and no library . . . can
possiblydo without."
- N.Y. TimesBookReview
E. L. Sukenik(editor):
THE
DEAD SEA SCROLLS
OF THE
HEBREW UNIVERSITY
with 58 facsimileplates
and 58 plates of transcriptions

it would buy." But time and again she
disregards her own words of caution,
and it is fairly safe to assume that the
average reader, too, will forget the
warning and remember only the dramatic but highly misleading evaluations.
Margaret Thompson
American Numismatic Society

duced on the chalk paper dust cover
than on the mat surface of Plate IV.
The plates contrive to give a uniformly
yellowish-orangecast to the paintings,
which is not present in the originals.
Again, the colors seem to lose the intensify of the prototype, so that the
lapis blues in the Bodhisattvain Cave I
appear as sooty blue-violets, and the
cinnabar red of the architectural detail
in Plate V appears as a neutralized
orange. In Plate XXII the blues,so well
brought out in the Yazdani plate, have
totally vanished and the whole detail
appears as a rather dull travesty of the
original.
Although the details reproducedgive
some idea of the strength and beauty of
drawing and modeling in individual
sections, the reproductions are so restricted to details that we get little idea
of the vast scaleand complexityof composition that make for the impressive
grandeur of this series of wall paintings. It is to be wondered just whom
this book is designedfor. The plates are
too few and haphazardly chosen to be
of any use to the specialist.The objections I have raised to the concentration
on individual details militate against
the usefulness of the volume for both
teachers and students. The publication
has all the unfortunate earmarks of the
"Christmas book" which, once perused
by the recipient, is scanned no more.
Perhaps the kindest criticism one can
make is that this book, through its
popular format and price, may fulfil the
function of introducing a wider public
to the beautiesof Indian art.
Benjamin Rowland, Jr.
Harvard University

INDIA.
fromAjantaCaves.Preface
Paintings
by J. Nehru. Introduction by M.
Singh. 13 pages, 32 color plates. New
York Graphic Society, Greenwich,
$11.00 including postage
Connecticut 1954 (UNESCO World
Art Series,I) $15.00
ALBERT
PHIEBIG
BOOKS
J.
This impressive publication is the
BOX352, WHITEPLAINS,
N. Y.
first in a series inaugurated by
UNESCO to "bring within the reach
of artists, teachers ... the finestquality colour reproductions of masterpieces of art." This folio-size volume
map- furnish useful aids for the ama- is devoted to color reproductionsof the
teur collector and interested layman.
famous wall paintings of the caveThe book is intended not as a schol- temples at Ajanta, dated from the first
arly treatise but as a means of ac- to the seventh century. The collection
quainting the general public with includestwelve plates from Cave I, one
ancient coins. It is, therefore, unfortu- each from Caves II and IX, nineteen
nate that the illustrationsare frequently from Cave XVII and one from Cave
inferior. In many cases the fault lies XIX. There is an introductory note by
with the coin. Mrs. Banks would have Nehru and a four-page introduction by
servedher readers better had she drawn Madanjeet Singh which gives a rather
more heavily on museum collections vague and sentimental account of the
for coins in fine condition.
paintings and their significance. The
Apart from the quality of the il- plates present a limited anthology of
lustrations, there are errors and mis- the vast number of paintings published
conceptions which detract in some in the massive folios sponsored by the
degree from the value of the book. The Government of Hyderabad under the
labarum is not the Christian symbol; directionof G. Yazdani. It is regrettable
it is the imperial standard on which the to have to report that the color reproChristian monogram often appeared. ductions in this UNESCO venture are
The coin of Seleucus I described on not good. Although the plates of the
page 53 with reference to the plate is Yazdani volumesare by no meanspara- A HISTORY
OF TECHNOLOGY,
edited by
not the variety illustrated. The expla- gons of excellence,when we compare
nation of the frequent similarity in size details from the Hyderabad folios and Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard and
jof didrachm and tetradrachm issues the present publication, the differences A. R. Hall. Vol. I: From Early Times
to Fall of Ancient Empires. Iv, 827
(pages 32 f.) is a singular one, which are so great that we appear to be dealmakes no mention of the obvious dis- ing with different works of art. The pages, frontispiece, 570 figures, 36
tinction in thickness and weight be- general views of such well known plates, 8 maps. Clarendon Press, Oxtween coins of the two denominations. figures as the Bodhisattva of the Blue ford 1954 $23.50
This volume, and at least one other
More serious by far are the repeated Lotus in Cave I are less successfulthan
of
the forthcomingvolumes of this set,
to
evaluate
ancient
in
coins
like
details
the
of
Plates
attempts
ceiling panels
would appear to be most invaluable
terms of dollars and cents, an evalu- XII and XIII.
ation which is apparently based on
Although the selectionof details for reference works to any archaeologist.
relative silver contents. At one point reproduction is admirable, the diver- Volume II will take up technological
Mrs. Banks does warn: "All such at- gence of the colors from the originalsis developmentsduring the Classical petempted evaluations as these are bound both misleadingto the student and un- riod "with their sequelaein the Middle
to be misleading,however, for actually fair to the great beauty of the paintings. Ages," an editorial attitude that will
the moneyof another era can be valued Oddly enough, the detail of the Prince doubtlessprovokespecialistsin mediaefor u§ only in tçrms of the commodities from Cave I is more successfullyrepro- val technology. Volume III will deal
152

Archaeology Magazine - June 1956

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - June 1956