I have to confess to not really feeling the wargaming hobby vibe this summer. Hopefully, this is just due to holidays and a lack of games, and will be cured by a return to Postie's Shed of War next week.
In the meantime, I have been reading this hefty tome that fellow Reject Steve lent me. Given the current events in that part of the world, it seemed an apt moment to learn a little.
I have read previous books written by the author, Simon Sebag Montefiore, and always found them easy to read. This history of Jerusalem was no different.
The book takes Jerusalem from its very earliest biblical times right through to the Six Days War. Probably a reasonable decision from an historian's perspective. Others may consider that potential controversy was dodged by not bringing it more up to date, it was published in 2011.
Considering that the city has been and is a holy site for a number of faiths and denominations, it appears that disappointingly few of the rulers of Jerusalem acted in a manner consistent with their faiths. The city sits on layers of blood, intolerance, slaughter and destruction.
Sebag Montefiore includes much needed maps of the region and of the city at different points in time. Plus, some genealogies of important families and dynasties. The narrative is not dry, but contains very human accounts. The author is detailed without being overwhelming. He has the knack of communicating what is important and knowing what to leave out. He calls on archaeological evidence to help with the history. However, he is open in accepting the ambiguities of the evidence and other possible interpretations.
My favourite part of the book was that which covered the Crusades. Possibly a bias from my point of view, as I used to teach this topic to A level History students (17-18 year olds).
At 628 pages it is an investment in time. However, I would recommend this book if you have an interest in knowing something about the city specifically, and the context in which it is placed.
Whilst reading the sections on the Crusades, I was reminded of an excellent book (in my opinion) on the Crusades by Thomas Asbridge. This marvellously well written history tells the story from both sides and weaves together a thoroughly entertaining and incredibly informative narrative and analysis of events. Quite unusually, I found this a page turner... not something one can often say about volumes of historical writing.
As you have probably guessed, I thoroughly recommend Asbridge.
Fingers crossed, my wargaming mojo gets a kick start next week.
