This completely revised and expanded edition of the indispensable History of the Holy Land, written by leading authorities, now takes the story into the 21st century with a new and comprehensive survey of the State of Israel from its establishment to the present day. The political, economic and social developments are fully reviewed and the history of war and the peace process is summarised. In its entirety the story told here spans all of recorded history. It is a story of momentous events and mighty nations, of the birth of great religions and of foreign conquests, of longing and renewal. The scholars who have produced this work have woven an engrossing, continuous narrative out of the historical materials, presenting a rich array of peoples and cultures, from the ancient Hebrews and their neighbours down to the time of Jesus and the Roman wars and then on through the Arab and Crusader conquests, the Mameluk domination, the long period of Turkish rule, British Mandate, and the rebirth of Israel. An integral part of the story is the magnificent selection of photographs illustrating the land, its sites, its ruins, and its treasures.