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Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
The kingdom of Israel emerged as a sovereign entity around the year 1000 BCE, about 3ooo years ago. In its early history, great kings like Solomon and David (the same ones mentioned in the Christian Bible) ruled the area. In 931 BCE, the area split into two kingdoms: Judah in the south and Israel in the north.
Over the next 1000 years or so, various powerful empires conquered and ruled this area, like the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Byzantines.
Before the Romans conquered Israel in 63 BCE, it had already established itself as the dominant military and political power in the Mediterranean. Already have undergone two centuries of military expansion, the Roman Republic (as it was at the time) was continuously seeking new lands and new people to conquer. In 63 BCE, as a consequence of another war Rome was fighting with a different enemy, Jerusalem was sacked and the area was renamed the province of Syria. For years after, this area was a vassal kingdom to Rome. This means that, although Israel could claim they were independent, the government officials were appointed and technically controlled by those in power in Rome.
In 37 BCE, Herod was appointed King of Judea by the Romans, and given significantly more autonomy that previous rulers of the region. In 4 BCE (10 years after the death of Herod), Rome took a more total control of the region. In 30 CE Jesus was crucified, leading to the emergence of Christianity in the region and making Jerusalem a sacred site to those of both Jewish faith and Christian faith.During this time, the people living in the area were resentful of Roman control in the area and started several insurrections and uprisings. In 66 CE, the First Jewish-Roman War was started, which ended with the Siege of Jerusalem and the total destruction of Jerusalem and the holy temple in 70 CE.
Despite a brief period of sovereignty in 132 CE, Israel remained under the control of Rome. A brief revolt in 132 CE resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of Jewish people.
In 614 CE, the Persians briefly took control of the region, followed by the Byzantine Empire in 629 CE. In 638 CE, Muslim forces captured Jerusalem and remained in control for the next 400 years. Three of the world's largest religions now considered Jerusalem their holiest of cities. This created a center of contention amongst Jews, Christians, and Muslims. In 1071 the first Crusade (a series of wars initiated by European Christians to try to retake control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims) began, and continued for the next hundred years. In 1517, the Ottoman Empire takes control of Israel, and remains in control until the 1900s and the beginning of World War I.Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
The modern country of Israel did not exist until 1948. The region has always been a center of turmoil, primarily as a result of the importance of this location to three of the world’s major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Most of what is known about Israel’s earliest history comes from the Christian Bible and archaeological excavations. This area was originally referred to as Canaan. Around 1000 BCE, King David ruled the area. His son, King Solomon, is credited with building the first holy temple in ancient Jerusalem. Around 722 BCE, the Assyrians invaded and caused major destruction to the area called Israel. In 568 BCE, the area was conquered again, this time by the Babylonians, who destroyed King Solomon’s temple and replaced it with their own in 516 BCE. Over the next several hundred years, this area was conquered and ruled by various groups, including the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Seljuk Turks, Fatimids, several groups of Crusaders, Egyptians, Islamists, and others. From 1517 to 1917 the area was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, until World War I ended the Ottoman Empire for good. The area still experiences considerable violence and turmoil due to a long history of violence between groups occupying the same land and continued arguments whether Israel should be recognized as an independent country at all.