Profiles Index

Wilderness: Profile of the Wilderness, Frequently Described in the Bible
The general term 'wilderness' may sound like it refers only to desolate or desert areas, but in the context of Palestine it has wider connotations. Wilderness isn’t just a type of place, it’s also a concept when it comes to biblical texts. The Hebrew word used for wilderness, midbar, doesn’t just mean 'a desolate and deserted place,' it also means 'that which is beyond.' Typically, it means 'beyond' organized settlements, the control of the government, and traditional civilized norms.

Jordan River: Profile of the Jordan River - History, Geography, Religion
The name 'Jordan' comes from the Hebrew word 'descender' because of the way it descends from its sources. The Jordan is the world's lowest river, flowing well below sea level for most of its course: although it starts at more than 1,000 feet above sea level, it ends at 1,300 feet below after traveling 104 miles (straight line -- the winding course is closer to 200 miles).

Jaffa (Joppa): Profile of the City of Jaffa (Joppa)
Joppa is Hebrew for 'beauty' and was generally known as Jaffa in ancient times. It is the oldest and perhaps the most famous seaport on Israel's coast. It served the needs of Jerusalem and much of the inner Judean hill country. The earliest occupation of Jaffa has been dated to around 1900 BCE and the earliest reference occurs in a list of cities conquered by Pharaoh Thutmose III (1468 BCE).

Tiberias: Profile of the City of Tiberias - History, Geography, Religion
The city of Tiberias was constructed around 20 CE by Herod Antipas and dedicated to Caesar Tiberius. It replaced Sepphoris as the capital of Galilee, which Herod ruled. Tiberias became the first Jewish 'polis,' the Greek term for 'city' which meant that it was sovereign in both external and internal matters.

Kidron Valley (Qidron Valley): Profile of the Kidron Valley Outside Jerusalem
The Kidron Valley is one of the major geographical features around Jerusalem. At one time the spring of Gihon followed through the Kidron, creating the valley, but the spring was diverted by Hezekiah's tunnel and the waters are now brought up to the Pool of Siloam within the city.

Fertile Crescent: Profile of Fertile Crescent Region
The Fertile Crescent begins in what is now southern Iraq where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers empty into the Persian Gulf. It extends north along with the rivers, turns westward in what was ancient Assyria, and then turns back south in what is modern Syria. The Fertile Crescent then extends down into southern Palestine; sometimes the Nile River region is included in the Fertile Crescent despite the fact that it and southern Palestine are separated by the distinctly un-fertile Sinai peninsula.

Sea of Galilee: Profile of the Sea of Galilee - History, Geography, Religion
The Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake 150 feet deep and 700 feet below sea level. Technically it is a lake, but the Hebrew yam can mean either a freshwater lake or a proper sea. Surrounding cities include Bethsaida, Capernaum, Tiberias, and Hippos. The Hebrew name is Kinneret, from the Hebrew word for harp (kinnor), a reference its harp shape.

Jericho: Profile of Jericho - Did the Hebrews Destroy its Walls?
The city of Jericho, now identified with Tel es-Sultan, is thought by some archaeologists to be as much as 11,000 years old, making it one of the oldest sites of human settlement in the world. The earliest evidence of human occupation is a Mesolithic shrine and there is evidence one city build overtop of another for several millennia.

Galilee: Profile of the Region of Galilee - History, Geography, Religion
Galilee (Hebrew galil, meaning either 'circle' or 'district') was one of the major regions of ancient Palestine, larger even than Judea and Samaria. The earliest reference to Galilee comes from Pharaoh Tuthmose III, who captured several Canaanite cities there in 1468 BCE. Galilee is also mentioned several times in the Old Testament (Joshua, Chronicles, Kings).

Dead Sea: Profile of the Dead Sea - History, Geography, Religion
The Dead Sea is a lake which the Jordan River empties into and in ancient times it was known by many names: Salt Sea, Eastern Sea, and Sea of Sodom for example. Most of the names reference the fact that its salt and mineral content is over 30% (compare with the oceans having a salt content of 6%). This is because water only leaves by evaporation (about 1 inch a day) and there is no life in the Dead Sea except for simple organisms.

Profile of Capernaum - Did Jesus Teach Here? History, Geography, Religion
The name 'Capernaum' is Hebrew for 'village of Nahum' and is the name for a small village on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Today it has been identified with the modern site of Tel Hum which has been excavated off-and-on for over a hundred years. Human habitation can be traced back to around the 2nd century BCE and it was abandoned during the 7th century CE.

Caesarea (Maritima): Profile of the City of Caesarea (Maritima)
Originally a fortified Phoenician port named Strabo's (or Straton's) Tower, Caesarea became part of the Roman province of Syria under Pompey and would serve as the seat of Roman government in Palestine for over 600 years. Herod the Great was responsible for expanding the city in 10 BCE and naming it Caesarea Maritima after Caesar Augustus (Octavian). The name Caesaria Maritima (Ceasaria on the Sea) was used to distinguish it from Caesaria Philippi, another of Herod's cities.

Bethsaida: Profile of Bethsaida by the Sea of Galilee
Bethsaida was a small fishing village on the Sea of Galilee that was made a "city" by tetrarch Philip and renamed Bethsaida-Julias after the daughter of Caesar Augustus some time before 2 BCE. Philip himself spent a lot of time here and died in Bethsaida in 34 CE.

Megiddo: History, Geography, Religion of Megiddo - Will Armageddon Occur Here?
Megiddo is an ancient city which is today associated with the Tell el-Mutesellim. Occupation of the site can be traced to the early 4th millennium BCE. It is most famous for its association with Armageddon, a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew for 'Mount Megiddo.' No such mountain exists, but the book of Revelations describes the site as that of the apocalypse.

Arch of Titus: Profile of the Arch of Titus in Rome
The Victory Arch of Titus commemorates Titus' victorious conquest of Judaea, leading the sacking of Jerusalem and ending the Jewish wars. The arch was constructed after Titus's death in 81 CE, after his becoming a god. It was probably built by this brother and successor, emperor Domitian, but some believe that it was actually built by emperor Trajan because of similarities to the Arch of Trajan located at Benevento.

Jerusalem: Profile of the City of Jerusalem - History, Geography, Religion
Jerusalem is a key religious city for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The earliest habitation that has been identified is a walled settlement on the eastern hill that had a populace of around 2,000 people during the 2nd millennium BCE in an area known today as the 'City of David.' Some evidence of settlement can be traced back to 3200 BCE, but the earliest literary references appear in Egyptian texts from the 19th and 20th centuries BCE as 'Rushalimum.'

Citadel & Tower of David: Profile of the Citadel & Tower of David in Jerusalem
Often called 'David's Citadel' and 'David's Tower,' these names are erroneous because David didn't have anything to do with them. The cylindrical tower was built during the 16th century and the square tower (citadel) dates back to Herod. Today the site is a museum that teaches about the history of Jerusalem's Old City.

Mount of Olives: Profile of the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem
The Mount of Olives (also: Mt. Olivet) is part of a limestone ridge protecting Jerusalem that splits north of the city and unites again to the south. The area around the Mount of Olives is pretty desolate today; in ancient times, though, it was heavily wooded with olive trees - thus the name 'Mount of Olives.' Olives were an important industry for the area because of their oil. Although people certainly ate olives, most of the crops were pressed for their oil for use in cooking as well as lamps.

Tombs of Jerusalem: Profile of the Tombs of Jerusalem
Jerusalem is surrounded by tombs and graves - mostly Jewish but also many Muslim tombs as well. It has been said that Jerusalem's population of the dead is a large as that of the living. Burials within Jerusalem were forbidden under Jewish custom, so the hills around the city were filled by burial plots. It was believed that in the final days the dead would rise again and immediately gaze upon the Holy City, now sanctified by God.

Golden Gate of Jerusalem: Profile of the Golden Gate of Jerusalem
The wall surrounding Jerusalem's Old City has 11 gates, seven of which are open: Jaffa, Zion, Dung, St. Stephen's (Lions'), Herod's, Damascus (Shechem) and New. The most famous of all Jerusalem's gates may be the Golden Gate, which is sealed.

Gadara: Profile of Gadara - Where Did Jesus Cast Out Demons?
Gadara is the site where Jesus exorcised demons from a man and sent them into a herd of swine which then proceeded to jump into the sea. The exact name of the place is a matter of dispute among the gospel authors. Mark says it happened Gerasa, Matthew says it happened Gadara, and Luke says it happened in Gergesa.

Qumran (Khirbet Qumran): Profile of Qumran, Origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Khirbet Qumran is thought to have been an Essene colony. Archaeological excavations have found evidence of human habitation going back to at least the 2nd and possibly even the 9th century BCE when it may have been a fortress. Studies indicate the presence of kitchens, storerooms, and more which would have been built by John Hyrcanus (135-140 BCE).

Bethlehem: Profile of the City of Bethlehem in Palestine
The earliest human habitation in Bethlehem (today: Bayt Lahm, Arabic for 'house of meat') dates back to the Paleolithic era, but the earliest reference to Bethlehem appears in Egyptian diplomatic correspondence from the 14th century BCE. Jewish tradition has it that Ruth, great-grandmother of David, moved to Bethlehem. The village became his family home and this may be part of the reason why the prophet Micah says that a new king (Messiah) would one day come from Bethlehem.

Zion: Profile of Zion, Physical and Metaphorical City of David in Judaism
The word Zion has no precise meaning in Hebrew but was often used to refer to something like a 'citadel' or 'fortress.' Some argue that it comes from the Hebrew ziya, which means 'waterless, parched.' Eventually, though, it ended up referring to the city of Jerusalem in some fashion - physically or metaphorically.

Samaria: Profile of the Region of Samaria in Palestine
Samaria (Hebrew: somron) was a region of Palestine comprising the northern kingdom of Israel created when north and south split after the death of Solomon (c. 930 BCE) The region was named after its capital city, Samaria. Assyria captured Samaria in 721 BCE and it was at this time that the general usage of 'Samaria' for the region appears to have started. Human habitation in the city of Samaria can be traced back to at least 3,000 BCE.

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