PLAMYRE. Vérités et légendes

Tied to recent tragic events in the news, much false information is circulating about Palmyra. Truth, grounded in field work, is restored and elucidated by these experts, in a dynamic and instructive approach.

For the last year, the cruelty and destructive madness of the Islamic State have put Palmyra in the headlines, when before it was simply a tourist destination or a site for archaeological research. In the murderous grasp of ISIS, the pearl of the desert has become the open wound of all humanity. It is more than ever vital to know exactly what Palmyra represents, what it was, what it has endured and is still enduring. But the television and press coverage of these events has included testimonials and pronouncements that were hasty, imprecise and even downright false. Even recent books have contributed to the regrettable confusion.
The two top specialists on ancient Syria therefore decided to correct the multiple and often serious mistakes they had been coming across for months. Listing the errors, they respond by restoring the scientific truth in sixty entries grouped into ten chapters. The reader can find the answer to any question that arises, but also read the book continuously, as a complete history of Palmyra from its origins until today.

ANNIE SARTRE, emeritus professor of ancient history at the University of Artois, and MAURICE
SARTRE, professor emeritus of ancient history at the University of Tours, are the joint authors of Palmyre. La cité des caravanes (Palmyra. The city of caravans) (Gallimard, 2008) and Zénobie, de Palmyre à Rome (Zenobia, from Palmyra to Rome) (Perrin, 2014). Annie and Maurice Sartre have lived in Syria, in the 1970's and between 2009 and 2011.