What is Palestine?:
Palestine is one of the traditional names for the “Lands of the Bible.” Other names include: Holy Land, the Promised Land, Israel, and Canaan. The name Palestine stems from the Philistines, enemies of the Israelites in ancient times, and was originally used just for the southern coastal area where they settled. Greek historian Herodotus was the first to use the Greek Philistia in a wider sense and it was reintroduced by the Roman emperor Hadrian to rid the region of its Jewish associations.
Palestine is one of the traditional names for the “Lands of the Bible.” Other names include: Holy Land, the Promised Land, Israel, and Canaan. The name Palestine stems from the Philistines, enemies of the Israelites in ancient times, and was originally used just for the southern coastal area where they settled. Greek historian Herodotus was the first to use the Greek Philistia in a wider sense and it was reintroduced by the Roman emperor Hadrian to rid the region of its Jewish associations.
Where is Palestine?:
Setting aside modern political disputes between Palestinians and Israelis, the name “Palestine” has traditionally been used for the region between the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. As the western tip of the Fertile Crescent, though, it has often included the fertile, inhabited land east of the Jordan River as well.
Setting aside modern political disputes between Palestinians and Israelis, the name “Palestine” has traditionally been used for the region between the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. As the western tip of the Fertile Crescent, though, it has often included the fertile, inhabited land east of the Jordan River as well.
Why is Palestine important?:
The region of Palestine has always been relatively poor in natural resources, but it’s been a strategic location on the crossroads of the ancient world. Humans history here goes back 500,000 years or more. It has been a crossroads for religion, culture, commerce, and politics. Armies and caravans have passed over its roads and lands for millennia, often meeting there and doing battle. Palestine has been ruled by Egyptians, Hebrews, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, and more.
The region of Palestine has always been relatively poor in natural resources, but it’s been a strategic location on the crossroads of the ancient world. Humans history here goes back 500,000 years or more. It has been a crossroads for religion, culture, commerce, and politics. Armies and caravans have passed over its roads and lands for millennia, often meeting there and doing battle. Palestine has been ruled by Egyptians, Hebrews, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, and more.
It is important to understand, but difficult to convey, just how close everything in this region can be. People are familiar with the names of places like Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Megiddo, and Galilee, but fewer realize just how short the distances between these places can be. Often just a few kilometers separates one from the other, a journey that would have been relatively easy to make on foot for travelers of the ancient world.
