Under Jerusalem
The Buried History of the World's Most Contested City
Ratings2
Average rating3.5
15
The Buried History of the World's Most Contested City
Ratings2
Average rating3.5
A spellbinding history of the hidden world below the Holy City—a saga of biblical treasures, intrepid explorers, and political upheaval
“A sweeping tale of archaeological exploits and their cultural and political consequences told with a historian’s penchant for detail and a journalist’s flair for narration.”
—Washington Post
In 1863, a French senator arrived in Jerusalem hoping to unearth relics dating to biblical times. Digging deep underground, he discovered an ancient grave that, he claimed, belonged to an Old Testament queen. News of his find ricocheted around the world, evoking awe and envy alike, and inspiring others to explore Jerusalem’s storied past.
In the century and a half since the Frenchman broke ground, Jerusalem has drawn a global cast of fortune seekers and missionaries, archaeologists and zealots, all of them eager to extract the biblical past from beneath the city’s streets and shrines. Their efforts have had profound effects, not only on our understanding of Jerusalem’s history, but on its hotly disputed present. The quest to retrieve ancient Jewish heritage has sparked bloody riots and thwarted international peace agreements. It has served as a cudgel, a way to stake a claim to the most contested city on the planet. Today, the earth below Jerusalem remains a battleground in the struggle to control the city above.
Under Jerusalem takes readers into the tombs, tunnels, and trenches of the Holy City. It brings to life the indelible characters who have investigated this subterranean landscape. With clarity and verve, acclaimed journalist Andrew Lawler reveals how their pursuit has not only defined the conflict over modern Jerusalem, but could provide a map for two peoples and three faiths to peacefully coexist.
Reviews with the most likes.
I absolutely LOVED this book! Archaeology has always fascinated me, and after spending some time on a dig in Israel, I could not pass up this book when it came around.
Jerusalem has always had a varied past, and this book brings about the different religions that make up the center of Jerusalem, and the many controversies that have surrounded some of the digs that have gone on.
Andrew Lawler brings a delicious history of the times, excavations, and unrest that has run through the streets of Jerusalem, and sheds more light on the different areas of controversy.
An absolute must-read for history lovers! You will not be disappointed at all!
It's very difficult to write an unbiased history of Israel. The author tries, at least at the beginning, but tilts more and more against Israel as the book progresses.
Two examples: his first mention of Yassir Arafat on page 149, he says the goal of the PLO was “liberation of the region from Israeli control”. No, the goal of the PLO was the destruction of the state of Israel and the murder of all its Jewish inhabitants.
On page 297, describing a right-wing Israeli's summation of the situation (and while there are plenty of right-wing Israelis, there are apparently no left-or right-wing Arabs), he says “the Israeli government paid a security agent to protect the area's Jewish settlers, and Jewish children were regularly ushered to and from school by armed guards”. Well, gee, maybe the government had to protect Jewish residents (all the Jews in this book are “settlers”) and children from murderous Arab attacks? Were Israeli Jews murdering Arab children?
Too bad. The history is interesting but the bias crippling. Skip this.
