What lies behind one of the world's oldest mysteries - the whereabouts of the Lost Tribes of Israel? The surrounding myths have been used to explain the origin of myriad peoples in every part of the globe from ancient times until the present. Christians and Jews alike have attached great importance to the legendary fate of these tribes, which has had a remarkable impact on their ideologies throughout history. Each tribe of Israel claimed descent from one of the twelve sons of Jacob and the land of Israel was eventually divided up between them. Following a schism which formed after the death of Solomon, ten of the tribes set up an independent northern kingdom, whilst those of Judah and Levi set up a separate southern kingdom. In 721BC the ten northern tribes were ethnically cleansed by the Assyrians and the Bible states they were placed: 'in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan and in the city of Medes.' The Bible also foretold that one day they would be reunited with the southern tribes in the final redemption of the people of Israel. Their subsequent history became a tapestry of legend and hearsay. The belief persisted that they had been 'lost' in some remote part of the world and there were countless suggestions and claims as to where.

Tudor Parfitt travels the globe from Africa to America, Britain to Japan, to show what a significant bearing this myth has had on the peoples of the world and, in doing so, he seeks to solve the mystery of what became of the lost tribes. Tudor Parfitt is Reader in Modern Jewish Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and Director of its Centre for Jewish Studies. His previous books include OPERATION MOSES, THE THIRTEENTH GATE and JOURNEY.