Jordan is part both of the Fertile Crescent and the Holy Land. Its archaeological remains extend in time from prehistory to the British Empire. The country is, of course, renowned for the magnificent ruins at Petra - a World Heritage Site - and the superb remains of the Roman city of Jerash. But beyond these high profile places is a rich and varied cultural heritage. Sites are everywhere in this great outdoor museum: one tally has calculated over 25,000 sites visible above ground alone, making Jordan one of the great treasure houses of the world. Even at ground level these sites are striking and memorable, but the best view, as is so often the case, is seen from the air. The book contains over 200 high quality colour photographs, taken from the air, illustrating the breathtaking range of sites. Chapters deal with periods through history from prehistoric times through the Nabateans, Greeks and Romans, the early Islamic period, the Crusaders and Saracens, to the Ottoman and British Empires. The photographs are accompanied by descriptions of the sites pictured.

This is the first report to be published on the Biblical kingdom of Eden, the Iron Age site of Tawilan. Particular attention is paid to the cuneiform tablet and gold jewellery hoard, the first to be discovered in Jordan. The stratigraphy, ceramics and other finds are also comprehensively analysed by Piotr Bienkowski and other specialists, and an overview of the development and nature of the site is provided.

Kathleen Kenyon died in 1978 without having published final reports on her excavations in Jerusalem. These are being now published in five volumes. This volume concentrates on finds outside the walls of the Iron Age city, and particularly on the enigmatic, pottery-rich depositis in Caves I and II to the south east of the city. Eshel's analysis of the pottery leads him to suggest a 7th-century BC date. Although fragmentary figurines and other `cult' objects were found, the general character of the pottery is utilitarian and Eshel suggests that the caves probably were either merchant or adminisatration store-rooms.

The final report of excavations undertaken by the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem. The fort dates from the late fifth to early seventh centuries and was the first such fort to have been fully investigated. It was a small but strategically placed military installation which provided evidence for the late antique military system and the daily life of traders and travellers. The preservation conditions in the dry sand resulted in some remarkable finds and interesting zooarchaeological records.