Eric H. Cline's "Biblical Archaeology" is fact-packed
Author Eric H. Cline's 2009 book delivers exactly what is promised, a VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION to biblical archaeology. Even so, there is considerable information about the progressive stages in the development of archaeological methodology over the past 200 years, and descriptions of the significant finds and the people who made them. The charge by one reviewer, that this book is biased against the biblical account, is spurious. I found the book to be scrupulously neutral, and for the record, Cline appears to assume the existence of an historical Jesus, "As for the actual ministry established by Jesus and his followers, some of the most interesting archaeological evidence was uncovered in November 2005..." (p. 112). If there is any bias, it is in favor of archaeology that has no agenda beyond historical accuracy. Cline details several recent examples of fraud and forgery, and the methods by which these were exposed, which devotees of the History Channel may find disquieting. The book has an index, a reference section for each chapter, and a "further reading" list.
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