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Jerusalem: History of a Global City
An expansive history of Jerusalem as a cultural crossroads, and a fresh look at the urban development of one of the world's most mythologized cities.
Jerusalem is often seen as an eternal battlefield in the "clash of civilizations" and in endless, inevitable wars of religion. But if we abandon this limiting image when reviewing the entirety of its concrete urban history—from its beginnings to today—we discover a global city at the world's crossroads. Jerusalem is the common cradle of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, whose long and intertwined pasts include as much exchange and reciprocal influence as conflict and confrontation. This synthetic account is the first to make available to the general public Jerusalem's whole history, informed by the latest archaeological finds, unexplored archives, and ongoing research and offering a completely renewed understanding of the city's past and geography. This book is an indispensable guide to understanding why the world converges on Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is often seen as an eternal battlefield in the "clash of civilizations" and in endless, inevitable wars of religion. But if we abandon this limiting image when reviewing the entirety of its concrete urban history—from its beginnings to today—we discover a global city at the world's crossroads. Jerusalem is the common cradle of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, whose long and intertwined pasts include as much exchange and reciprocal influence as conflict and confrontation. This synthetic account is the first to make available to the general public Jerusalem's whole history, informed by the latest archaeological finds, unexplored archives, and ongoing research and offering a completely renewed understanding of the city's past and geography. This book is an indispensable guide to understanding why the world converges on Jerusalem.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
359 pages, Hardcover
Published March 15, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 27, 2022
A truly marvelous book. Despite having spent a lot of time in the city, over many decades, and being (I thought) well-read about its history, I learned so much about the physical evolution and lived history of Jerusalem and its inhabitants in every era. Exquisitely well researched, unafraid to challenge various orthodoxies - I read the library's copy, but will be buying one to keep on the shelf as reference.
From the little known sequence of foreign empires extending their rule to the city in the first half of the 7th century, to the foundational importance to the modern city of the rapid expansion in the second half of the 14th century (*before* Suleiman), to a fascinating episode of cross-community civic cooperation in 1908, these four French scholars build up a multi-layered account of today's actual city. Despite a somewhat overwrought conclusion, they are strongest when they stick to the physical and demographic realities of each century, beginning with the earliest human habitations some 5,000 years ago.
And somehow, they manage to present this history in a way that is largely independent of any religious, communal, or ideological restrictions. Everyone is of course shaped by their own identity and history, but this work is about as close to neutral as it's possible to get. I would have loved some more maps, and especially some pictures. The translation from the French is smooth and readable. Highly recommended.
From the little known sequence of foreign empires extending their rule to the city in the first half of the 7th century, to the foundational importance to the modern city of the rapid expansion in the second half of the 14th century (*before* Suleiman), to a fascinating episode of cross-community civic cooperation in 1908, these four French scholars build up a multi-layered account of today's actual city. Despite a somewhat overwrought conclusion, they are strongest when they stick to the physical and demographic realities of each century, beginning with the earliest human habitations some 5,000 years ago.
And somehow, they manage to present this history in a way that is largely independent of any religious, communal, or ideological restrictions. Everyone is of course shaped by their own identity and history, but this work is about as close to neutral as it's possible to get. I would have loved some more maps, and especially some pictures. The translation from the French is smooth and readable. Highly recommended.
September 17, 2024
This book is about the history of Jerusalem from 3000 BCE to modern times. It is indeed a history book; it was not written to entertain the reader, so it took some time to get through. But it was so fascinating. While historical it also included some analysis which was what made it so fascinating. I will write more on that later, hopefully.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews