God's Gold

Last spring I watched a show on History Television about the search of the lost Treasures of Jerusalem's Temple, which were taken by Roman soldiers during the First Jewish Revolt. The search for these lost treasures sparked my curiosity, and when I found this book, I just had to read it.

Here's the blurb:

God's Gold thrillingly pursues a priceless hoard of treasure - snatched from the Temple of Jerusalem in AD 70 - across 550 years of history, five faiths and four civilizations to its dramatic final resting place.

Archaeologist Sean Kingsley sets out on a physical quest to trace the treasure's destiny. From the Vatican to the Vandal palace of Carthage, Constantinople's hippodrome and the wilderness of Judaea, his remarkable journey exposes facts more astonishing than fiction.

I tend to avoid reading non-fiction. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the occasional biography or memoir, but they tend to bore me.

When I started reading God's Gold I was allowing a few weeks to read it. But surprisingly I finished the book within a week. I think what helped was the way it was written. I was drawn in right at the beginning. The book was part travel and part history, but it was done in such a way, that I didn't notice the changes. It felt like I was the one who was visiting these exotic and culture rich locales.

Now if what the author thinks is the absolute truth/fact, I do not know. But it was definitely a worth while read. I got a chance to "visit" countries that I've always dreamt of visiting, and along the way learned a lot. It was quite an experience.

God's Gold: The Quest for the Lost Temple Treasure of Jerusalem by Sean Kingsley (4/5) Non-fiction; Travel; History; Published: John Murray (2006); 100 + Reading Challenge (69); Fall Into Reading 2008 (2); Library book;