Ebla: A Revelation in Archaeology

by Michael Weitzman

Vintage book

Genres: Nonfiction, History

244 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Cooper Renner · Rating 3 out of 5]

As is common for “popular” nonfiction, much of the book provides context and “background” for the purported central issue of the book. So we don’t get 200 pages about Ebla, but a lot about the general situation in the near east 4000-5000 years ago and a long chapter on cuneiform. Not bad, but not exactly what one wants in a book entitled Ebla. Still, at the time of publication, there was still very much to be learned from ongoing excavation and translation of tablets, so a general thumbs up.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book on the bargain rack…a popular work of non-fiction about the discovery of Ebla, a site dating back 4,500 years ago. I was intrigued, and found the book worth the read. Ebla appears to have a been a very important site, located in today’s western Syria. The discovery included over 20,000 clay tablets in the mid-1960’s, and reference commercial ties across Egypt and Mesopotamia. As with any major archaeological find in this area, many want to make a number of biblical claims. This book does a good job of steering clear of that, and focusing on the facts as they were understood at the time of writing. This is an interesting work for students of ancient middle eastern civilization.



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