First published in German in 1874, Emil Schürer's Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes im Zeitalter Jesu Christi includes a section summarizing a history of the Ituraeans. Schürer documented all the then-known primary textual sources, inscriptions, coins and Roman military inscriptions relating to the Ituraean principality. An English translation, now substantially revised and updated, and reflecting the opinions and ideas of those who worked on the revision, remains an important resource. Treatment of the sources is well balanced and objective, and does not rest on unreasonable assumptions. This general historical outline with detailed references is a fundamental tool in any initial research for the historical Ituraean.

Within a few years of Schürer's first English publication between 1885 and 1891, George Adam Smith published The Historical Geography of the Holy Land. As a clergyman he was particularly interested in geography and its relationship to the history of Israel/Palestine and the early church. Having made two trips to the Middle East, the first in the spring of 1880 and the second in 1891 when he travelled further into Syria, it was his first-hand experience of a new and varied landscape that inspired him to seek a greater understanding of the biblical and extra-biblical texts. Although this experience tends to colour his writing, it still affords a particular insight into the region, its geography, environment, climate and inhabitants. Though the writing is often subjective and occasionally outdated, references to early writers, surveyors and explorers of the region furnish a unique resource.