Topography of the Ancient Near East<\/h3>\n
You may also want to note the\u00a0Negev\u00a0(“dry land”) to the south of the Central Highlands.<\/p>\n Moving eastward from the Mediterranean Sea, you would come ashore on the\u00a0Coastal Plain<\/i>. Moving farther East the ground begins to rise into a mountainous region called the\u00a0Central Highlands<\/i>\u00a0or the\u00a0Central Hill Country<\/i>. Still further East the land drops sharply into the\u00a0Jordan Rift<\/i>, a deep valley at the bottom of which runs the\u00a0Jordan River. The\u00a0Sea of Galilee\u00a0is near the northern end of this valley, and the\u00a0Dead Sea\u00a0is at the southern end. Continuing eastward, the land rises on the eastern side of the Jordan into a region called the\u00a0Transjordanian Highlands<\/i>. This region is sometimes called simply\u00a0Transjordan<\/i>, meaning “across the Jordan (River).” The regions of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Gilead, and Bashan (not labelled on the map here) are all located in the Transjordanian Highlands.<\/p>\n You will also need to identify these cities on a map of the larger region (See the maps\u00a0below):<\/p>\n You should also have a rough idea of the routes of\u00a0two important highways<\/b>: the\u00a0Via Maris<\/i>\u00a0(way of the sea) and the\u00a0King’s Highway<\/i>\u00a0(North\/South through the Transjordan). These highways are not pictured on the maps presented here. The\u00a0Via Maris<\/i>\u00a0ran\u00a0 from Egypt in the South to Damascus in the far North. For most of this distance it followed the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. As one traveled north the highway moved inland passing through Hazor, then turned East to cross the Jordan River and continue northeast to Damascus. The\u00a0Kings Highway<\/i>\u00a0ran north and south through the Transjordan.<\/p>\n The biblical documents discuss events from\u00a0an extremely wide range of historical periods. Throughout this course you will learn information about various parts of\u00a0that history. Here I present only some basic information about the origins of the ancient nation of Israel and the major international powers that influenced its development.<\/p>\n The name “Israel” comes from one of the ancestors of the people known by that name. According to Genesis Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, had his name changed to ‘Israel’ by God. His descendants eventually became known as the people of Israel (i.e. the descendants of Israel).<\/p>\n The book of Genesis presents\u00a0Abraham, the grandfather of Jacob (later called Israel), \u00a0leaving his homeland in Ur, a city in southern Mesopotamia, and traveling\u00a0to Haran in the northernmost extension of the fertile crescent. He later leaves\u00a0Haran and travels\u00a0south to the land of Canaan.<\/p>\n Abraham and his descendants are presented as nomadic people. The people of Canaan\u00a0called such nomadic groups\u00a0‘Apiru<\/i>\u00a0(Habiru<\/i>). In the language of Abraham’s descendants, this word became\u00a0‘ibri<\/i>, which we translate into English as ‘Hebrew<\/b>‘. Not all of the people called\u00a0‘Apiru<\/i>\u00a0by the Canaanites, though, were what the Bible calls Hebrews.<\/p>\n The account in the Torah continues by saying that the descendants of Jacob (Israel) were eventually enslaved by the\u00a0Egyptians<\/b>. After several hundred years in captivity, they were delivered under the leadership of\u00a0Moses<\/b>. They returned to a nomadic lifestyle for about one generation, then came to occupy the land of Canaan, renaming it “Israel<\/b>“. They came to be\u00a0known as “Israelites<\/b>“. The change of name of the land from\u00a0Canaan<\/i>\u00a0to\u00a0Israel<\/i>\u00a0coincides with the change in the name of the people from\u00a0Hebrews<\/i>\u00a0to\u00a0Israelites<\/i>.<\/p>\n The term\u00a0Israel<\/i>\u00a0is ambiguous. It is sometimes used to refer to the people (the nation), sometimes to the place where those people lived (the land of Israel) and later to the northern part of that land, where 10 of the original 12 tribes lived after the nation split in\u00a0922 BCE<\/b>. After that split, the area occupied by the two southern tribes was called ‘Judah<\/b>‘ (after the tribe of Judah), and the people who lived there are often\u00a0called\u00a0Judeans<\/b>.<\/p>\n In\u00a0721<\/b>\/722 BCE<\/b>\u00a0the northern kingdom (still called ‘Israel’) was defeated by the Assyrians. The leading citizens were carried off into captivity, and the northern kingdom (Israel) was never reestablished. After this time the term Israel is sometimes used to refer to the occupants of the southern kingdom (Judah), further confusing the terminology.<\/p>\n In\u00a0587 BCE<\/b>\u00a0the Babylonians conquered the southern kingdom, Judea, and took its leading citizens off into captivity. A little over one generation later, when the Persians conquered the Babylonians, the people of Judea were allowed to return home. Over time they came to be called ‘Jews<\/b>‘, a shortened form of ‘Judeans’.<\/p>\n When the Romans conquered the region shortly before the time of Jesus, they took the name, ‘Philistia<\/b>‘ (which had earlier applied only to the southwestern coastal plain occupied by the Philistines), and applied it to the entire region , including the land occupied by the Jews and their neighbors. It is from this word, ‘Philistia<\/b>,’ that we get our modern English name ‘Palestine<\/b>.’<\/p>\n You should be able to identify the following centers of power on a map.<\/p>\n Egypt was a power long before the rise of Israel and remained a significant force until the time of the rise of Christianity (although it was under Greek rule for the later part of this period).<\/p>\n According to Genesis, Abraham’s grandson, Jacob and his family pushed by famine in Canaan, went to Egypt to find food. Their descendants were eventually enslaved by the larger Egyptian society according to the book of Exodus.<\/p>\n Some have proposed that the earliest Hebrews arrived in Egypt\u00a0during the reign of the\u00a0Hyksos<\/b>, a semitic group that had infiltrated Egyptian society in the 17th century BCE and ruled until 1560 BCE, but the evidence\u00a0is inconclusive. If the Hebrew people were in Egypt at the time of the Hyksos,\u00a0 they would have been there at the time of\u00a0Amenhotep IV\u2014<\/b>who changed his name to\u00a0Akhenaton<\/b>\u00a0(Akhen-Aton, “It is well with Aton”). Akhenaton demanded that only\u00a0Aton<\/b>, the sun god be worshipped. He appears not to have claimed that Aton was the only god in existence, but that only he should be worshiped in Egypt. Evidence of monotheism<\/em>, the view that there is only one God, comes much later.<\/p>\n The narrative at the beginning of\u00a0Exodus presents\u00a0the hebrew people as escaping slavery in Egypt.\u00a0Some have argued that this could have taken place\u00a0under\u00a0Ramses II<\/b>\u00a0(1290-1224 BCE<\/b>), during the height of the Egyptian Empire, but again, the evidence for this is not conclusive. Ramses II tended to record even his defeats as victories, so if the Hebrews were in Egypt and escaped at this time, it would make sense that the event is not mentioned in the Egyptian records.<\/p>\n Whatever we think about the historicity of these early narratives, it is likely\u00a0that the Israelites (as the Hebrews were called after they established themselves in Canaan) had already settled in Canaan by\u00a01220 BCE<\/b>. Egyptian records tell of\u00a0Merneptah<\/b>\u00a0(the son of Ramses II) defeating the Israelites in Canaan around\u00a0that time.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Hittites, located in\u00a0Anatolia\u00a0(later called Asia Minor) northwest of the Fertile Crescent, fought with the Egyptians at about this time, creating a balance of power that would allow an opportunity for changes of control in\u00a0Canaan\u00a0(located within the rectangle in the map above). This is likely to be the period at which the Hebrew people took control there.<\/p>\n Three different empires based in\u00a0Mesopotamia<\/b>, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers would later dominate Israel.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Assyrians<\/b>, located in central Mesopotamia, eventually conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel (721-722 BCE<\/b>) and took its upper class people away into captivity. They resettled some of their own people among the remaining Israelites. While the Assyrians never completely destroyed the Southern Kingdom (Judah), they did defeat most of its cities and put constant pressure on Judah in the forms of taxes and threats.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Babylonians<\/b>, located in southern Mesopotamia, conquered the Southern Kingdom (Judah) and took some of its leading citizens into exile in\u00a0597 BCE<\/b>, making Judah a vassal state. In\u00a0589-587 BCE<\/b>\u00a0Judah rebelled. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and took the remaining upper class citizens into captivity.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Persians<\/b>, later conquered the Babylonians and allowed the Jews to return home (+\/-\u00a0538-539 BCE<\/b>). Judah remained a vassal state in the Persian Empire until Alexander the Great defeated the Persians in 333 BCE.<\/p>\n In\u00a0333\u00a0<\/b>BCE\u00a0Alexander the Great<\/b>\u00a0wrested Judah from Persian control and took it into his growing Empire. The\u00a0Greeks<\/b>\u00a0dominated the territory of the old state of Israel from\u00a0333 BCE<\/b>\u00a0till the late\u00a0160’s<\/b>\u00a0when Israel won its independence. Greek thought and customs still continued to have an influence in the region long after this time.<\/p>\n The Romans took control of Israel in\u00a063 BCE<\/b>\u00a0in the middle of a dispute between two rival Jewish leaders. They\u00a0ruled the area through client kings and direct governors until well after the lifetime of Jesus.<\/p>\n You should learn\u00a0the dates for the following periods and be able to give a brief explanation of the name of each. Why is the first period called the “patriarchal” period, for example?<\/p>\n The history of ancient Israel was varied and often violent, with frequent brief periods of peace punctuated by wars beyond the control of the small nation surrounded by world powers. As we read the documents that stem from various points in the\u00a0history of this small region, it will be necessary to expand on the limited\u00a0introduction you have read here.<\/p>\n Understanding the geographical references in a particular biblical text can sometimes\u00a0illuminate our\u00a0understanding of the point the author is making. Having a clear understanding of the historical circumstances under which a text was written as well as the history about which it speaks can also make a significant\u00a0difference in how we\u00a0understand the author’s comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Introduction Understanding the geographical references in a particular biblical text can sometimes make a significant difference in understanding the point the author is making. Similarly, having an understanding of the historical circumstances under which a text was written as well as the history about which it speaks can make a dramatic difference in how you … Continue reading Israel and the Geography and History of the Ancient Near East<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-112","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P9FE3j-1O","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bibleatchurch.com\/biblehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bibleatchurch.com\/biblehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bibleatchurch.com\/biblehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bibleatchurch.com\/biblehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bibleatchurch.com\/biblehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bibleatchurch.com\/biblehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/112\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bibleatchurch.com\/biblehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"TopographyOfAncientIsrael\"](\"https:\/\/www.bibleatchurch.com\/biblehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/TopographyOfAncientIsrael.png\")
<\/a>Here is\u00a0a list of\u00a0significant geographical features of the Ancient Near East in the immediate area of\u00a0Israel. You will understand other parts of this book more easily if you take the time to locate\u00a0them now.<\/p>\n\n
Cities to Locate<\/h3>\n
<\/a>You should be able to identify the following cities on a map of Israel:<\/p>\n\n
\n
History<\/h2>\n
The origins of Israel:
\nThe Hebrews\/Israelites\/Jews and
\nThe land of Canaan\/Israel\/Palestine<\/h3>\nMajor Powers in the Ancient Near East<\/b>\u00a0and their Influence on Israel<\/h3>\n
Egypt<\/b><\/h4>\n
The Hittite Empire<\/h4>\n
<\/p>\nThree Mesopotamian Empires:
\nAssyria, Babylonia, Persia<\/b><\/h4>\nThe Greeks (Macedonians)<\/h4>\n
The Romans<\/h4>\n
Major Periods in the History of Ancient Israel<\/h3>\n
\n\n
\n \n Name of
\nPeriod<\/h4>\n<\/td>\n\n Approximate Dates<\/h4>\n<\/td>\n
\n \u00a0Description<\/h4>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n Patriarchal Period<\/b>\u00a0or\u00a0Ancestral Period<\/b><\/td>\n perhaps as early as c. 1850-1700 BCE but possibly later<\/td>\n \n This period begins with the travels of Abraham and ends with the Hebrew people in slavery in Egypt.<\/dl>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n Mosaic Period<\/b><\/td>\n perhaps c. 1250-1200 BCE<\/td>\n This period begins with the rise of Moses in Egypt, includes the departure of the Hebrew people from Egypt, and ends with the death of Moses on the border of Canaan.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Period of the Judges<\/b><\/td>\n perhaps c. 1200-1020 BCE<\/td>\n The period of the judges begins with the conquest\/infiltration of the land of Canaan and ends with the naming of Saul as Israel’s first king.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n The United Kingdom<\/b><\/td>\n c. 1020-922 BCE<\/td>\n The United Kingdom lasted for a very short time. All Israel was united under Saul, then David, then Solomon. At the death of Solomon the nation divided over the choice of Solomon’s successor.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n The Divided Kingdom<\/b><\/td>\n c. 922-721 BCE<\/td>\n On the death of Solomon the nation of Israel split. The northern ten tribes kept the name “Israel” and the southern tribes adopted the name “Judah”. These two new nations coexisted until 721 BCE when the Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n The Judean Period<\/b><\/td>\n c. 721-587<\/td>\n After the destruction of the northern kingdom, Judah existed without its northern neighbor until it was conquered by the Babylonians in 597 BCE and destroyed in 587.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n The Babylonian Exile<\/b><\/td>\n c. 587-538 BCE<\/td>\n Both in 597 and 587 BCE the Babylonians took Judean captives into exile in Babylon. They remained there until freed by Cyrus of Persia in 538 BCE. Some stayed in Babylon even after Cyrus freed them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n The Persian Period<\/b><\/td>\n c. 538-333 BCE<\/td>\n From 538 to 333 BCE Judah remained under Persian control. The former nation was now a province of the Persian Empire.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n The Hellenistic Period<\/b><\/td>\n c. 333-63 BCE<\/td>\n In 333 BCE Alexander the Great wrested Judah from Persian control and began an aggressive policy of\u00a0hellenization<\/i>\u00a0(imposition of\u00a0hellenistic<\/i>culture). [The people that English speakers call Greeks called themselves the\u00a0Hellens<\/i>.] From this time forward until the mid 160’s BCE Judah was ruled directly by foreign (usually Syrian) Greek rulers. In the 160’s Israel (originally only Judah but later the old northern kingdom as well) won its independence. The Greek influence remained strong, though, even in this period of independence.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n The Roman Period<\/b><\/td>\n 63 BCE-135 CE<\/td>\n In 63 BCE the Romans responded to a plea for assistance in a dynastic struggle in Israel and took control of the region. They continued the policies of hellenization begun by Alexander.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Concluding Summary<\/h3>\n