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 History of a Global City
About the Book
Reviews
"A welcome addition to the historiography on the holy city. . . . Jerusalem is an engrossing read, making the sacred city’s multilayered history come alive."
—Religion
"Vivid, clear, and easily understood. . . .This is the book for anyone who loves Jerusalem and has an interest in its history—and does not fear footnotes and references."—Middle East Quarterly
"Jerusalem: History of a Global City is a valuable contribution to the scientific approach to learning about the true history of Jerusalem, the center of all three monotheistic religions. It is an excellent, accessible read for the non-specialist, despite the meticulous details of the chronological history and archeological findings."—Arab Studies Quarterly"This, the umpteenth history of Jerusalem, is also in a sense the very first: never before, in fact, has the city been the object of a full-fledged effort that rigorously examines it from its origins. … A lively, precise, and handy book of great intelligence. … In the end, [it is the physical city itself] that is at the heart of this fine work. … What a great achievement indeed to have made this most labyrinthine of cities so readable."—Le Monde
"Very readable, very well informed, very well documented. … An important counterweight to the simplifications, myths, instrumentalization, … and hysterical readings of the city's status. … Recommended to anyone traveling to Israel-Palestine or who cares about [Jerusalem's] fate for good or for bad reasons."—LibreSens
"What else can be said about the history of Jerusalem? … What could be added to the monumental biography of the city written by the British historian Simon Sebag Montefiore? Many things, [the authors of this book] enthusiastically reply. … On the basis of little- or unexploited sources, … [they endeavor to] shed new light on a past too often reduced to the clash of religions, civilizations, and imperialisms. … Don't be mistaken: in this long history, … battles and conquests are of course central. … But in the shadow of these dramas, it is the daily cohabitation of the three monotheisms in a common melting pot to which the authors devote some of their most surprising pages."—Le Figaro
"Breaking with the discourse, more ideological than historical, of most books devoted to the city, the authors … offer the reader a fascinating survey that skillfully blends the history of everyday life with that of an ever-changing fantasy of the imagined city. … A thrilling book from beginning to end, which illuminates the dramas of the present."—L'Histoire
"Calmly and in accessible language, this book traces the [city's] long and complex history. … This unprecedented initiative of … Vincent Lemire and his colleagues … certainly deserves to be saluted, as it will be of great service to the many pilgrims, tourists, diplomats, and volunteers who visit Jerusalem."—La Croix
"Judaeans, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Franks, Ottomans, English—all have left their mark on the city. The individual chapters review these periods and their contributions, providing a better understanding of the history of each site, shedding light on the relations between the different communities that have lived [in Jerusalem], and giving an idea of the magnitude of the challenge that Palestinians and Israelis must now take on in order to build the future of the Holy City."—Études
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"Breaking with the discourse, more ideological than historical, of most books devoted to the city, the authors … offer the reader a fascinating survey that skillfully blends the history of everyday life with that of an ever-changing fantasy of the imagined city. … A thrilling book from beginning to end, which illuminates the dramas of the present."—L'Histoire
"Calmly and in accessible language, this book traces the [city's] long and complex history. … This unprecedented initiative of … Vincent Lemire and his colleagues … certainly deserves to be saluted, as it will be of great service to the many pilgrims, tourists, diplomats, and volunteers who visit Jerusalem."—La Croix
"Judaeans, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Franks, Ottomans, English—all have left their mark on the city. The individual chapters review these periods and their contributions, providing a better understanding of the history of each site, shedding light on the relations between the different communities that have lived [in Jerusalem], and giving an idea of the magnitude of the challenge that Palestinians and Israelis must now take on in order to build the future of the Holy City."—Études
Table of Contents
List of Maps
Introduction. Spirits of Places, Fractures in Time: Toward a New History of Jerusalem
1. The Birth of a Holy City: 4000 BCE to Second Century CE
2. Roman Pantheon, Christian Reliquary, and Jewish Traditions: Second to Seventh Centuries
3. In the Empire of the Caliphs: Seventh to Eleventh Centuries
4. Jerusalem, Capital of the Frankish Kingdom: 1099–1187
5. From Saladin to Süleyman: The Islamization of the Holy City, 1187–1566
6. The Peace of the Ottomans: Sixteenth to Nineteenth Centuries
7. The Impossible Capital? Jerusalem in the Twentieth Century
Conclusion. The Memory of the Dead, the History of the Living
Chronology
Notes
Bibliography
List of Contributors
Index
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