The Encyclopedia of Material Culture in the Biblical World (EBW) builds on the German
Standardwerk Biblisches Reallexikon (BRL) edited by Kurt Galling 1937 second edition 1977
(2BRL). It is a reference book for biblical scholars historians and archaeologists. The EBW
focusses on the material culture from the Neolithic Age to the Hellenistic period giving
attention to the material from the Bronze and Iron Ages including the Persian period. The
geographic regions covered by the entries include primarily the records of Palestine (= the
Southern Levant) limited by (excl.) the southern fringe of Lebanon and Hermon (North) the Wadi
al-AriS the Sinai peninsula and North-Arabia (South) the Mediterranean Sea (West) and the
Transjordanian desert (East). If appropriate to the entry the neighboring evidence from Syria
Lebanon Egypt and Mesopotamia is included. The Encyclopedia presents and documents the
material culture based on the archaeological epigraphical and iconographical data in
historical order and documents the state of current research. The entries do not only list or
mention the most important material data but try to synthesize and interpret it within the
horizon of a history of Southern Levantine culture economy technical development art and
religion. The EBW consists of around 120 articles and an introductory part pertaining to the
chronology of the EBW archaeology and cultural History epigraphy and iconography written by
specialists from 15 different countries.
