The Sacred Land

The Sacred Land is the third book in the Hellenic Traders series by H N Turteltaub. Like the others in the series it is a work of historical fiction concerning the adventures of a pair of Greek traders from Rhodes.

Plot

In the book, Sostratos, the more scholarly of the pair, visits Jerusalem, where he tries to learn more about the odd monotheists who live there. Menedemos, meanwhile, fulfills his usual role of paying more attention to profits than prophets and pays a great deal of attention to women (occasionally those married to other men).

Setting

The setting is the coast of Asia Minor, Cyprus, and Jerusalem and the surrounding area in the period of time about thirty years after the death of Alexander the Great. As in the other books in the series, persons and places are frequently given their Greek names rather than the English ones (Sokrates, Platon, etc.).