Photographs © 2006 D J L Gibbins
and Ann Verrinder Gibbins
The
spoils in general were borne in promiscuous heaps; but conspicuous above
all stood out those captured in the Temple at Jerusalem. These consisted
of a golden table, many talents in weight, and a lampstand, likewise made
of gold, but constructed on a different pattern from those which we use in
ordinary life. Affixed to a pedestal was a central shaft, from which there
extended slender branches, arranged trident-fashion, a wrought lamp being
attached to the extremity of each branch; of these there were seven,
indicating the honour paid to that number among the Jews … The triumphal
ceremonies being concluded and the Empire of the Romans established on the
firmest foundations, Vespasian decided to erect a Temple of Peace … into
that shrine were accumulated and stored all objects for the sight of which
men had once wandered over the whole world, eager to see them severally
while they lay in various countries. Here, too, he laid up the vessels of
gold from the Temple of the Jews …
Josephus, Jewish War VII, 148-62 (first century AD)
From the fall of Rome to the last days of the Nazis:
the quest for the world’s greatest lost treasure begins …
THE HOLIEST OF TREASURES. The massive gold menorah – a sacred golden lampstand – symbol of the Jewish faith, torn from its home in Jerusalem’s Holy Temple during the final sack of the city.
A HISTORICAL
SYMBOL. Carried in triumph through Rome, it came to represent the
Empire’s relentless conquest of people and faiths the world over. When
the Roman Empire’s capital moved to Constantinople, the menorah went
with it.
THE FINAL
CRUSADE. But it had vanished when the bloodthirsty Crusaders plundered
the city in 1204.
AND TO THIS
DAY NO ONE KNOWS WHERE IT IS.
Turkey,
present day. When archaeologist Jack Howard begins an exploratory dive
in Istanbul’s harbour, he is hoping to uncover some of the fabled
treasure lost during the Crusades, including the menorah itself. What he
discovers, however, is something quite different. Meanwhile, in a dusty
cathedral library in England, someone unearths a long-forgotten medieval
map. Together both could change the way we see history itself. And
suddenly the clock is ticking: to find the gold, and find those who will
stop at nothing to get it …
The quest for the menorah’s whereabouts – and its
secrets – takes Jack Howard from the fall of the Roman Empire and the
rise of the Vikings in the North, to the days of Nazi power, and uncovers
a trail more thrilling and potentially devastating than anyone could have
imagined. An extraordinary find off Greenland, a discovery that puts
Jack’s diving skills to the ultimate test. A terrifying revelation deep
under the jungle of MesoAmerica. A macabre murder in an ancient abbey, a
bloody ritual thought lost for a thousand years. A secret fellowship sworn
to recover the treasure, whatever the cost.
An exhilarating blend of history, fact and fiction, CRUSADER GOLD is another unputdownable read from the author of the worldwide bestseller Atlantis.
With text from the cover of the Headline edition
To find out how the images to the left relate to the novel and the facts behind the fiction, click here.