The story of Jerusalem is in many ways the story of the development of Western civilization?religions were born on its streets, famous conquerors laid siege to it, and great empires clashed over it. Considered the cradle of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?the three major monotheistic religions?and a spiritual capital for more than half of humanity. Tracing its history gives us a unique perspective into the histories of these different religious identities.

Vincent Lemire is a historian who lives in Jerusalem, where he directs the French Research Center. He is the author of several books on Jerusalem, which have been translated in several countries and for which he has received numerous awards, including the Augustin Thierry Prize in 2013 and the Pierre Lafue prize and Sophie Barluet prize in 2017. Christophe Gaultier has been drawing for 20 years. He spent a decade in animation and has worked on such award-winning films as The Triplets of Belleville. He is the coauthor of Beirut 1990—Snapshots of a Civil War (published by Humanoids), and has authored, coauthored, and illustrated many critically acclaimed graphic novels in France.