Crusader Gold (novel)
Encyclopedia
Crusader Gold is an archaeological adventure novel by David Gibbins
. First published in 2006, it is the second book in Gibbins' Jack Howard series. It has been published in more than 20 languages and was a New York Times bestseller.
from the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem is locked away in Rome, the novel picks up in present day Turkey with marine archaeologist Jack Howard on a hunt for ancient treasures in the harbour of Istanbul, formerly Constantinople
. One item not among the treasures thrown into the harbour when the Crusader
s pillaged the city is the menorah, and Jack soon learns from colleagues Jeremy and Maria that it may have been stolen from Constantinople by Norse warrior Harald Hardrada during his service to the emperor of Constantinople and taken by him on his explorations of the New World
.
Jack goes to the monastery at Iona
in Scotland to see a priest who tells him that the Nazi Ahnenerbe were on the trail of the menorah in the 1930s. The priest is found gruesomely murdered, showing that there are present-day Nazis who are shadowing them. In Greenland Jack and his friend Costas dive inside an iceberg, where they find a perfectly preseved Viking ship burial containing one of Hardrada's warriors. They go to L'Anse aux Meadows
, the Viking site in Greenland, where further clues lead them to the Yucatan in Mexico, where Hardrada and his men had a final standoff with the Maya
. After a perilous dive into a cenote
, Jack discovers the truth of Hardrada's last stand and the fate of the menorah, and he has his own final standoff with the latter-day Nazi and his henchmen who have been following him.
The book ends with a chapter-length Author's Note in which Gibbins details the historical and archaeological facts behind the fiction in the novel.
David Gibbins
David Gibbins is a Canadian-born underwater archaeologist and a bestselling novelist.-Biography:He was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, to English parents who were both academic scientists. He travelled around the world with them by sea as a boy, including four years living in New Zealand,...
. First published in 2006, it is the second book in Gibbins' Jack Howard series. It has been published in more than 20 languages and was a New York Times bestseller.
Plot summary
Following a prologue set in AD 71 when the golden menorahMenorah
The menorah is described in the Bible as the seven-branched ancient lampstand made of gold and used in the portable sanctuary set up by Moses in the wilderness and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. Fresh olive oil of the purest quality was burned daily to light its lamps...
from the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem is locked away in Rome, the novel picks up in present day Turkey with marine archaeologist Jack Howard on a hunt for ancient treasures in the harbour of Istanbul, formerly Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. One item not among the treasures thrown into the harbour when the Crusader
Crusader
- Military :* Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades* Crusader states, states set up by the Europeans in the Middle East during The Crusades* Crusader tank, a British cruiser tank of World War II* HMS Crusader, three British naval ships...
s pillaged the city is the menorah, and Jack soon learns from colleagues Jeremy and Maria that it may have been stolen from Constantinople by Norse warrior Harald Hardrada during his service to the emperor of Constantinople and taken by him on his explorations of the New World
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Jack goes to the monastery at Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
in Scotland to see a priest who tells him that the Nazi Ahnenerbe were on the trail of the menorah in the 1930s. The priest is found gruesomely murdered, showing that there are present-day Nazis who are shadowing them. In Greenland Jack and his friend Costas dive inside an iceberg, where they find a perfectly preseved Viking ship burial containing one of Hardrada's warriors. They go to L'Anse aux Meadows
L'Anse aux Meadows
L'Anse aux Meadows is an archaeological site on the northernmost tip of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Discovered in 1960, it is the only known site of a Norse or Viking village in Canada, and in North America outside of Greenland...
, the Viking site in Greenland, where further clues lead them to the Yucatan in Mexico, where Hardrada and his men had a final standoff with the Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
. After a perilous dive into a cenote
Cenote
A cenote is a deep natural pit, or sinkhole, characteristic of Mexico and Central America, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath...
, Jack discovers the truth of Hardrada's last stand and the fate of the menorah, and he has his own final standoff with the latter-day Nazi and his henchmen who have been following him.
The book ends with a chapter-length Author's Note in which Gibbins details the historical and archaeological facts behind the fiction in the novel.