From the Garden of Eden to St Peter's Basilica in Rome, from ancient stories chronicling the changing fortunes of various peoples to the present-day findings of archaeologists and scholars, the history of the region known as the Holy Lands, which now covers Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Israel, yields fascinating and often contintious information about the origins of western civilization. As the key point of contact linking Europe, Asia and Africa, the Holy Lands has been a stage for both peaceful exchanges and violent clashes between cultures, as it continues in the 21st century. This atlas presents an account of the social, geographical and political background of the entire region, not only retelling the classic biblical stories but looking at the latest archaeological evidence and providing an up-to-date account of what is known about these stories.