Archaeology Magazine - June 1956 - 74

with the sixteenth and seventeenthcenturies, and Volume IV the eighteenth
century to 1789; Volume V will bring
the history almost to the end of the
nineteenthcentury.
The editorial supervisionof Volume
I is deservingof special commendation.
The twenty-eight contributors of the
thirty-two chapters are eminent experts
in their fields and their contributions
have been prepared in a style that is
almost uniformly readable and intelligible.
The introductory section, "Basic Social Factors," contains chapters on
skill as a human possession,early forms
of society,discovery,invention and diffusion, speechand language, and primitive time-reckoning.There are chapters
on primitive techniques,and the materials and implements used in working
stone, bone and wood, in the production of pottery, textiles, basketry and
mats, in the production of metal tools
and weapons, fine metalwork, ivorywork and woodwork, in building
with wattle, wood and turf, and with
brick and stone, in mining and quarrying, in extracting, smelting and alloying, in fire-making,heating and lighting, in palaeolithic painting, engraving
and plastic arts, in the chemical, culinary and cosmetic arts, and in foraging, hunting and fishing. There are
other chapters on rotary motion, domestication of animals, cultivation of

154

plants, differentiation of non-metallic
tools, water supply, irrigation and agriculture, land transport without wheels,
wheeled vehicles, boats and ships, recording and writing, measures and
weights, and ajicient mathematics and
astronomy.
Even though the high cost of this
volume will sharply limit its sale, the
publication could not have been undertaken without a substantial subvention
from the Imperial Chemical Industries
Limited. The excellent text figures, all
original drawings or newly drawn from
earlier illustrations,are alone worth the
cost of the volume.
William H. Stahl
New York University

considering the relevance of the evidence from rabbinic writings and the
works of such authors as Philo and
Josephus. He elaborates further the
importanceof the symbolsas revealing
a popular4Judaism which could not
even be surmised from the literature.
In Part VI he takes up the chief
symbols which appear on remains of
Jewish buildings, tombs, inscriptions,
lamps, etc., treating in successivechapters the Menorah, Torah Shrine, Lulab
and Ethrog, Shofar and IncenseShovel.
Each of these is presented with an
abundance of illustrations, most of
which had appeared in Volume III, but
this volume adds 117 illustrations to
the rich collectionof the earlier volume.
The use of the symbolspoints in every
he believes,to a hope of iminstance,
IN THEGRECO-ROMAN
JEWISHSYMBOLS
For example, the Menorah
mortality.
PERIOD,
by Erwin R. Goodenough.Vol- represents the image of God, the light
ume 4: xiii, 235 pages, 117 figures. of the
world, its seven lamps recalling
Pantheon Books,New York 1954 (Bol- the seven
planets. The Torah Shrine is
lingen Series, XXXVII) $7.50
the symbol of the Shekinah, the living
The first three volumes of Professor presenceof God. The Lulab is the palm
Goodenough's massive work (to con- branch representing victory over the
sist of at least seven volumes) were grave. The Shofar symbolizesthe mercy
devoted primarily to the archaeological of God and the resurrectionwhich the
remains of Judaism in the Greco-Ro- people who blow the Shofar may conman period. This fourth volume con- fidently expect.
tains Parts V and VI, entitled, respecThe author makes an impressivecase
tively, "The Problem of Method" and for his point of view, but the reader is
"Symbols from Jewish Cult." In the left with the feeling that the users of
former of these he discussesa method- these symbols would have been astonology for appraising the remains, again ished to learn that they bore so profound a significance.Certainly, to the
simple Roman Jews who buried their
dead in the catacombsthese had become
conventional motifs that were commonly engraved or painted on the
tombs and used as themes to adorn the
tomb chambers and arcosolia. What
meaning these symbols conveyed to
their original users we cannot know
in the absence of written evidence.
Goodenough'swork representsa heroic
attempt to uncover the original meaning, but whether he has been successful nobody can say. The reader of this
work will, however, most certainly be
rewarded by the richness of the
materials which the author has assembled, the abundance of citations and
quotations, especially from the Talmudic writers and from Philo, and by
the interesting line of argument.
708 LEXINGTON
AVENUE
OFF
57TH
Street-NEW
This volume, like its predecessors,is
YORK
CITY
22
a magnificent example of book production.
Harry J. Leon
The Universityof Texas

Archaeology Magazine - June 1956

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