Jerusalem

Everything you've ever wanted to know about the Jerusalem of 2,000 years ago must surely be covered in Jerusalem: Portrait of the City in the Second Temple Period (538 B.C.E.-70 C.E.), a mammoth textbook by Lee Levine. This comprehensive study opens with the period during and after the Babylonian exile, discussing Nehemiah's reforms and the decision to build a second temple, then traces the history of Jerusalem until the Romans destroyed that second temple in 70 C.E. Levine covers all of the intricacies of the Hellenistic and Roman occupations, the rise of various religious sects such as the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the customs associated with temple worship. Though dry at times, this is a well-organized and exhaustively informative resource.