Sitting on the edge of empires, the Biblical lands were fought over by rival peoples - Canaanites, Philistines, Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans - for more than two thousand years before the birth of Christ. Forming a land bridge between Eurasia and Africa and controlling access to the eastern Mediterranean, the territory that today makes up much of the modern state of Israel has proved a tempting prize for a wide array of would-be conquerors. Battles of the Bible introduces 20 key battles from the Biblical era. Beginning with the Israelites' campaign against Ai (1400 bc), where the prophet Joshua's tactical skill defeated a larger Canaanite force, and finishing with the siege of Masada (73 ad), where the Romans effectively ended Jewish resistance to the Roman occupation, examples from every major campaign are featured. The book includes all the major Hebrew war leaders, such as Saul, who defeated the Philistines at Michmash (1040 bc), the campaigns of David, who captured Jerusalem from the Jubusites and established a unified Hebrew kingdom, and Judah Maccabee's successful campaigns against the Seleucids at Emmaus (165 bc) and Beth-Zur (164 bc).
Invasions by the Assyrians in 701 bc, culminating in the capture of Lachish, the defeat and enslavement of the Israelites by the Babylonians (586 bc), and the successful occupation of the region by the Romans make this a rounded account of 1500 years of conflict. Each battle includes a contextual introduction, a concise description of the action and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially-commissioned, colour map illustrating the dispositions and movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader to grasp- at a glance - the development of each battle.