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Adrian Boas, an archaeologist with four decades' experience in the field, takes a fresh approach to investigating the experiences of crusaders, pilgrims, and settlers in the crusader states during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The book opens up the experience of medieval travel and crusading by drawing on personal reflection and comparison with contemporary events. Topics covered include wonderment at the strangeness of the East, adjusting to life in the Levant, the horrors of warfare, the drama of fortress and battlefield, and the theatrical beauty of religious architecture, together with new perceptions of a selection of characters known and less-known. The book encourages the reader to think more deeply as to the meaning of the topics involved.
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As far as historical fiction goes, The Sulphur Priest is a wonderful mix of lore, mystery, action, revelation, and heart... The plot is very well structured. It’s not always clear whether something is fiction or not, but that’s the beauty of the book. Real and made-up parts are laid out in such a way as to build suspense and lead nicely into various twists. The back and forth in time does fragment the narrative and slightly disrupts immersion. Also, there are a few historical info dumps and seemingly random details. However, these issues are so minor that the strong overall writing style easily counteracts them...

A lot of thought and care has clearly gone into this text and the result brims with a love for history, archaeology, and the mysteries of ancient cultures. Fans of The Alchemist, The Name of the Rose, and maybe a bit of Indiana Jones would find it quite interesting… ” 

                                                                                                                         Electra Nanou, Reedsy Discovery review

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Academic Books

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cover Crusader Archaeology 1st edition
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cover Crusader Archaeology 2nd edition
Crusader Archaeology. The Material Culture of the Latin East
Routledge London/New York 1999

ISBN-0-203-98466-8 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-415-17361-2 (Print Edition)

In 1099 the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem. For several hundred years, large areas in the Eastern Mediterranean were under Latin rule. This unique volume describes the fascinating story of an invading society transplanting itself into completely new surroundings, providing comprehensive coverage of all aspects
of life in the area they occupied.

 
Crusader Archaeology draws together recently excavated material from Israel, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan to examine what life was like for the Crusaders in their new territory, and how they were influenced by the local population. Chapters discuss urban and rural settlements, surveying agriculture, industry, military, church, public and private architecture, arts and crafts, leisure pursuits, death and burial, and building techniques.


This highly illustrated volume creates an intriguing portrait of the period, which will make fascinating reading for all those interested in the Middle Ages, and particularly in the Crusaders.

Crusader Archaeology. The Material Culture of the Latin East (2nd Edition)
Routledge London/New York 2017

ISBN-978-1-138-90025-7 (hbk)​

ISBN - 978-1-315-70737-2 (ebk)

Crusader Archaeology examines what life was like for European settlers in the Latin East and how they were influenced by their new-found neighbours. Incorporating recent excavation results and the latest research, this new edition updates the only detailed study of the material culture of the Frankish settlers in Israel, Cyprus, Syria and Jordan. Adrian Boas provides comprehensive coverage of the key topics connected to crusader archaeology, including an examination of urban and rural settlements, agriculture, industry, the military, the church, public and private architecture, arts and crafts, leisure pursuits, death and burial and building techniques. There are also entirely new chapters on domestic architecture and disease, injury and medical treatment.

 

Drawing on the extensive experience of an established writer in the field, Crusader Archaeology effectively combines a broad body of material to introduce readers to the archaeological research of the region. This well-illustrated volume is a crucial survey for all those interested in the Middle Ages, and in particular the Crusades.

cover Jerusalem in the Time of the Crusades
Jerusalem in the Time of the Crusades
Routledge London/New York 2001

ISBN-o-415-23000-4

Adrian Boas's combined use of historical and archaeological evidence together with first-hand accounts written by visiting pilgrims results in a multi-faceted perspective on Crusader Jerusalem.

Generously illustrated, this book will serve both as a scholarly account of this city's archaeology and history, and a useful guide for the interested reader to a city at the centre of international and religious interest and conflict today.

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مدينة بيت المقدس : زمن الحروب الصليبية

على الرغم من وفرة الكتابة عن تاريخ الحروب الصليبية، فما زال هناك الكثير ليكتب عنه؛ حيث مازال موضوع الحروب الصليبية يمثل مجال خصبًا لبحث التاريخى. وإن ظهرت حركة إحياء جديدة من الجيل الحالى من المؤرخين وعلماء الآثار، إضافة إلى جهود أجيال سبقت لدراسة الحركة الصليبية وإجلاء حقائقها، واستكمال جوانبها، عربية وغير عربية فى عصر المعلومات، وكلها دراسات نحتاجها باعتبارنا قراء متخصصين وغير متخصصين كما تحتاجها مكتباتنا 

cover Archaeology of the Military Orders
Archaeology of the Military Orders
Routledge London/New York 2006
ISBN10-0-415-29980-2 (hbk)
ISBN10-0-415-48723-4 (pbk)
ISBN13-978-0-415-29980-0 (hbk)
ISBN13- 978-0-415-48723-8 (pbk)

Including previously unpublished and little known material, this cutting-edge book presents a detailed discussion of the archaeological evidence of the five military orders in the Latin East: the Hospitallers the Templars the Teutonic Knights the Leper Knights of St Lazarus the Knights of St Thomas. Discussing in detail the distinctive architecture relating to their various undertakings (such as hospitals in Jerusalem and Acre) Adrian Boas places emphasis on the importance of the Military Orders in the development of military architecture in the Middle Ages. The three principal sections of the book consist of chapters relating to the urban quarters of the Orders in Jerusalem, Acre and other cities, their numerous rural possessions, and the tens of castles built or purchased and expanded in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. A highly illustrated and detailed study, this comprehensive volume will be an essential read for any archaeology student or scholar of this period.

cover Domestic Settings
Domestic Settings.  Sources on Domestic Architecture and Day-to-Day Activities in the Crusader States
Brill Leiden and Boston 2010
ISSN-0928-5520

ISBN-978-90-04-18272-1​

Whereas a great deal of research has been carried out on Crusader castles, churches and major buildings in the Latin East, almost no attention has been paid to domestic architecture and the domestic settings in which most of the population of the Crusader states spent most of their time. The present work attempts to address this deficiency by taking an in-depth look at the various domestic buildings that served the urban and rural population and the domestic apartments in castles and monasteries.

The basis for this survey is the wealth of published and unpublished archaeological data that has been uncovered over the past century and the various documentary materials available, much of which has been overlooked in the past.

front cover The Crusader World
back cover The Crusader World
The Crusader World
Routledge London/New York 2016
ISBN-68-3459876038524

The Crusader World is a multidisciplinary survey of the current state of research in the field of crusader studies, an area of study which has become increasingly popular in recent years. In this volume Adrian Boas draws together an impressive range of academics, including work from renowned scholars as well as a number of though-provoking pieces from emerging researchers, in order to provide broad coverage of the major aspects of the period. This authoritative work will play an important role in the future direction of crusading studies.

This volume enriches present knowledge of the crusades, addressing such wide-ranging subjects as: intelligence and espionage, gender issues, religious celebrations in crusader Jerusalem, political struggles in crusader Antioch, the archaeological study of battle sites and fortifications, diseases suffered by the crusaders, crusading in northern Europe and Spain and the impact of Crusader art. The relationship between Crusaders and Muslims, two distinct and in many way opposing cultures, is also examined in depth, including a discussion of how the Franks perceived their enemies.

Arranged into eight thematic sections, The Crusader World considers many central issues as well as a large number of less familiar topics of the crusades, crusader society, history and culture. With over 100 photographs, line drawings and maps, this impressive collection of essays is a key resource for students and scholars alike.

Selected for the Outstanding Academic Title (OAT) Award 2017 by CHOICE magazine. "Crusade studies are increasingly popular, and this multidisciplinary survey of recent and current research is a very authoritative collection of essays by well-known and emerging scholars that will play a significant role in the direction of future crusade research. This impressive tome is divided into eight sections by topic; each part contains several of the 37 chapters, each by a different author and with extensive footnotes and references at the end of the chapters. This very scholarly volume fulfills its goal of being an overview of the dynamic and vibrant scholarship that is determining the central issues that should be and/or are already attracting new interest and research. The essays cover an extensive range of topics, including the role of the papacy and church, the involvement of women, mercenaries, the military-religious orders, pragmatic cross-religious alliances and coexistence, cultural and religious exchanges, religious pilgrimages and missionary activities, the practices of Italian merchants, the role of Byzantium, the Latin kingdoms in the East, and new archaeological evidence. All of these traditional and new avenues of research provide an enhanced view of the world of the crusaders. This volume will serve as the starting point for all future crusade research for years to come. Especially for serious scholars and libraries with major crusade collections.
Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above." - G. G. Guzman, Bradley University, CHOICE

cover Montfort
Montfort. History, Early Research and Recent Studies of the Principal Fortress of the Teutonic Order
Brill Leiden and Boston 2017
ISSN-0928-5520

Edited by Adrian J. Boas, with the assistance of Rabei G. Khamisy

Montfort Castle, located in the western Galilee, was the principal fortress of the Teutonic Order, one of the three great military orders of the Crusader period. It was built in the early thirteenth century and occupied and dismantled by the Mamluk army in 1271. It is among the finest examples of Crusader spur castles. This present volume includes discussions by 23 scholars, experts in their fields, in 28 chapters covering every aspect of past and recent scholarship on the history of the Teutonic Order and the castle, travellers’ descriptions, the architecture, the geographical setting, the material culture of the garrison, and detailed descriptions of the 1926 archaeological expedition to Montfort and the ongoing work of the Montfort Castle Project.

Winner of the 2017 Verbruggen Prize, awarded annually by the De Re Militari society for the best book on medieval military history. The awarding committee stated that the volume offers ‘a through exploration of all the sources, archaeological and literary, relating to an important site. A model for future work.’

Montfort Castle The Great Hall
Montfort Castle. The Western Wing and the Great Hall
Zinman Insttute of Archaeology University of Haifa, 2012
ISBN-978-965-7547-01-4

Preliminary Report of excavations conducted by the University of Haifa and the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East, August-September 2011, including a brief description of the finds of former excavations in the western wing in 1926 and 1994.

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