ReViews

War in the Holy Land: From Meggido to the West Bank

Andrew Duncan and Michel Opatowski (Gloucestershire, UK: Sutton Publishing, 1998) 256 pp., 125 color and 50 b&w illus., 100 maps, $39.95 (hardback)

Peace is rare in the Holy Land. For 4,000 years, this region has suffered almost constant warfare. Indeed, one may seriously ask if there has ever been a time when the rulers of the Holy Land, whether local or foreign, were not at war. As Andrew Duncan and Michel Opatowski write at the beginning of their new book, “The Israelites were, like their modern Israeli counterparts, virtually continuously at war throughout their period of rule in the Holy Land.” The same holds true for the Crusaders during their rule, the Islamic caliphs, the Romans, the Hellenistic rulers, and so on. Apparently, conquering the Holy Land marks not the end but rather the beginning of problems for successful armies and their leaders.