Temples of Jerusalem

Jerusalem is probably the most politically sensitive site in the world, so much so that even an archaeological excavation can become the focus of a discussion in the UN Security Council.

This was not always the case.

Jerusalem's began as a tiny and remote village on a low hill near the Gihon spring. From there history took over in a unique fashion, changing and molding the city, each time bringing a little closer to the unique status it eventually possessed.  It was a small town  in the Bronze Age, became a regional capital in the time of David, grew with the construction of Temple, originally local and regional, and survived the military challenges of the campaign of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, which greatly boosted its religious glory. It was devastated by the Neo-Babylonian army, but by this time its status as a holy city was well-established and from its ashes, the city was restored during the Return to Zion. The Temple was built anew and expanded during Second Temple Period times. It was the city of Jesus, and early Christianity, becoming holy to both Jew and Christian. It became Muslim and was at the heart of fierce battles between Muslim and Christians at the time of the Crusades, which greatly increased its importance. Finally, its establishment as the capital of the modern State of Israel and the on-going developments ever since brought it again to the center of world attention.
As a city that is sacred to all three monotheistic religions, Jerusalem had received much scholarly attention. Still, a growing rate of research and the hundreds of excavations that were carried out in its over the last two decades have significantly changed our understanding of its history in some periods. As a result of the new discoveries, most of the older books are obsolete, and there is no up-to-date book that tells the history of the city.
We seek to fix this. We bring to the readers an updated summary of the history of the city, incorporating the most recent discoveries and scholarly debates, and we do so in a popular and readable manner. Jerusalem: From its Beginning to the Ottoman Conquest presents the history of the city from its beginning to the end of the Mamluk period, while referring to the most recent findings and through the use of many maps and illustrations.