Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE HISTORY OF THE HOLY LAND
S
ince prehistoric times the fertile plains and scattered oases
between the Nile and the rivers of Mesopotamia have been colo-
nized by countless different peoples. The ebb and flow of nations
continues to this day; as independent countries, both Israel and
Jordan are barely half a century old, with the Jewish state composed
of a great many nationalities, all united by their shared faith.
Much of our knowledge of the
early prehistory of the Holy
Land comes from the site of
Jericho, just north of the
Dead Sea. Excavations
have uncovered a series
of settlements dating back
to about 10,000 BC, when
Stone Age hunters first
abandoned their nomadic
way of life. In settling,
these people took the all-
important step which led to
c u l tivating crops and
domesticating animals - a
process known as the “Neolithic
revolution”. During the following
3,000 years small farming villages
sprang up all over the region.
In the 3rd millennium BC the
coastal plains witnessed the rise of a
fairly uniform culture, known as the
Canaanite civilization. There may
never have been a single Canaanite
nation; rather the Canaanites were
probably organized in a series of city-
states. A Canaanite army was defeated
at Megiddo by the pharaoh Thutmose
(1468 BC) and all the city-states were
then subject to Egypt. The Canaanites
nevertheless survived for two
millennia - during which time they
developed the world's first alphabet -
until their culture was brought
to an end by the rise of two
new peoples. The first were
invaders who came from
the sea around 1200 BC;
these were the Philistines,
after whom the area was
called Palestine (“land of
the Philistines”). The
second were the Hebrew
tribes, who, between
about 1200 and 1000 BC,
coalesced into a political
entity known as Israel.
There are several theories
as to how the Hebrews came to
control Palestine: through hard-won
battles, or possibly by peaceful
infiltration. There are no historical
sources to verify events, but the Old
Testament tells how these tribes
formed a confederation that even-
tually led to the birth of a united
kingdom whose first sovereign was
Saul. His successors, David (whose
rule is traditionally given as from
around 1010 to 970 BC) and Solomon
(c.970-930 BC), laid the foundations
for the Jewish nation. It was David,
according to the Bible, who captured
Jerusalem and made it the Israelite
capital, and Solomon who built the
Jews' First Temple there.
Philistine sarcophagus
lid, 12th century BC
TIMELINE
10,000-8000 BC
First
permanent settlements
in the region
7000 BC
Walled
settlement exists
at Jericho
c.1200 BC
Arrival of the
Philistines and
Hebrew tribes
Copper crown
from Ein Gedi,
c.4000 BC
9000 BC
7000 BC
5000 BC
3000 BC
1000 BC
Skull with
cowrie shell
eyes from
Jericho,
c.7000 BC
3200 BC
Emergence of
Canaanite civilization
c.1010-970 BC
Reign of David
c.7000-4000 BC
Growth of
agricultural communities
c.970-930 BC
Reign of Solomon
Medieval European map, showing the holy city of Jerusalem as the centre of the world
