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.