A History of Palestine

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📜 Religious Pragmatism in Persian Palestine

The Achaemenid Empire (think Darius I and Xerxes) was known for its pragmatic and tolerant stance toward the diverse cultures under its rule. In Palestine, this approach included supporting the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple, a central theme in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

But there’s more to the story! While the Bible casts Persian kings as divinely guided instruments of Yahweh, their policies extended far beyond Yehud. From Babylonia to Egypt, Persian rulers integrated local religious traditions into their imperial framework to ensure loyalty.

Interestingly, archaeological evidence suggests that religious pluralism persisted in Yehud, even as biblical texts began emphasizing exclusivity and monotheism. This contrast reveals the intricate relationship between Persian policy and evolving religious ideologies.

Want to dive deeper into this fascinating chapter of history? 🧐

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Antiquity consists of a number of sub-periods, but for the history of Palestine it makes sense to differ between three periods, what can be called Early Antiquity, Middle Antiquity, and Late Antiquity.

Early Antiquity begins with the conquest of Alexander the Great in the first part of the 4th century BCE. This period is defined by the Hellenist kingdoms, particularly the Ptolemaic and the Seleucid kingdoms. This period lasted until the Roman conquest of the Near East in the 1st century BCE.

Middle Antiquity began with the Roman entry into the Near Eastern realm (near east seen from a Mediterranean centrist perspective of course) and was defined by Roman Imperial rule and widespread Hellenistic and Roman religious influence on local pagan religions (and the other way around in many cases).

This period lasted until the Christianization of the Roman empire in the 4th century CE.

Late Antiquity began in the 4th century CE, starting with Constantine I and his conversion to Christianity, starting the favoritism of Christianity and was cemented with Theodosius I, the last Roman emperor to rule the whole Roman empire. After Theodosius I the split between the western and the eastern Roman empire became a reality, and Palestine would be ruled by the Christian Byzantine empire until the beginning of the 7th century CE.

Late Antiquity ended with the Islamic conquest of Palestine in the 630s CE. Some argue that the Umayyad Caliphate was the last antiquity rulers of the Near East, seeing them as the end of Antiquity, rather than the Islamic conquest itself ending the historical period.

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The symbol

A Palestinian elderly man with a kaffiyeh walking down a street in the Old City of Jerusalem.

I'm not a fan of any nationalist narrative, but this image has always somehow symbolized the Palestinian struggle to me, with the man almost being defiant with the kaffiyeh blowing proudly behind him, walking a path of despair and hope. Even though things don't look good, he still stand tall and proud, insisting on being who he is.

Whether one sympathizes with the Palestinians or not, it should be possible to acknowledge their insistence on their right to define themselves and their demand of equal acknowledgement among the nations.

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Sobata (Hebrew: Shivta, Arabic: Subeita)

A Byzantine city found in the Negev.

In the photo we see the remnants of the open spaced mosque and the southern church in the background.

The city has been declared a UNESCO heritage site since 2005.

The earliest buildings point to an origin in the Roman era, but the city reached its largest during the Byzantine era. As is evident from the mosque, the city stayed inhabited during the first centuries of the Islamic era.

#shivta #subeita #byzantine #church #mosque #islamicarchitechture #microfourthirds #Panasonicg9 #Ruins #AncientHistory #Architecture #Ancient #History #Travel

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I can strongly recommend this episode on The Ancients, about the Biblical Kingdoms of Israel, where the host talks with the archaeologist Felicity Cobbing about what we would like to know about the ancient Israeli kingdoms and what archaeology has helped us to actually know.

The Biblical Kingdom of Israel | The Ancients

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Why Palestine?

In the last post I shared an article about why we need a History of Palestine. In this I'm explaining why we chose "Palestine" and not, for example, "Israel" or "Judea". "Why Palestine?"

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People might wonder why we need another History of Palestine. I have tried to explain the motivation and reason behind A History of Palestine in this article:

https://ahistoryofpalestine.substack.com/p/why-a-history-of-palestine

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A History of Palestine

We present and discuss the history of the historical Palestine, an area in the Levant which has seen countless conflicts, birthed religions, and continues to be central in global politics even today.

Follow for updates about historical facts and studies which will help you understand this contested area better.