A Brief History of Palestine

Forged in Continuous Conflict

Palestine has been controlled by numerous different peoples, including the Ancient Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines, Tjekker, Ancient Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Ancient Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, early Muslims (Umayads, Abbasids, Seljuqs, Fatimids), Crusaders, later Muslims (Ayyubids, Mameluks, Ottomans), the British, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (1948–1967, on the "West Bank") and Egyptian Republic (in Gaza), and modern Israelis and Palestinians.

Our simple task: Understand the past 11 millennia

• How did modern Israel arise?

• What is its history?• Ancient History• Modern History

• Who were the Israelites?• Where did they come from?

• Who were their neighbors?

• Sources• Biblical• Archeological

Our simple task: Understand the past 11 millennia

• What was life like under alien occupation?

• Who were their adversaries/occupiers?• Ancient• Medieval (Crusaders, Muslims)• Modern

• Modern era• What forces shaped the creation of modern Israel?• Who created modern Israel?• What forces are in conflict in Israel/Palestine in the present time?

Prognathodon - Forejaw tooth

Earliest Known Inhabitant

The First Palestinians• 250,000 – 150,000 B.C. prehistoric humans

moved into the land that would become Palestine (Qesem Cave)

• 9000 B.C. – hunter gatherers built the first city, Jericho, and erected a 10 foot wall around it. Oldest continuously occupied city.

• 5000 B.C. first wave of Semites enters area from Arabian Peninsula.

• 2500 B.C. Semitic Amorite Canaanites migrated to Syria, and other Canaanite tribes to the coast.

• 2000 B.C. Jubus (Jerusalem) founded by Jubusites, a Canaanite tribe. But recent excavations show the city was built on a much earlier city, founded around 3000 B.C.

Why all this migration?

What’s going on in the neighborhood?

6500 B.C. early settling of Mesopotamia3500 B.C. city of Ur founded, Potter’s wheel invented3100 B.C. invention of Bronze, invention of cuneiform writing, developed a counting system based on 60 rather than 103000 B.C. Animal-harnessed Plows2800 B.C. City-states prospered2450 B.C. Sargon the Great conquers Akkad2100 B.C. Epic of GilgameshFlood story with ark and animals (Tablet 11)

What’s going on in the neighborhood?

3500 B.C. Egyptians invent the sail3100 B.C Memphis founded3000 B.C. Egyptians invent the calendar2800 B.C. Egyptians begin mining in Sinai2700 B.C. Egyptians invent writing on papyrus, develop poetry and music2550 B.C. Architect Hemon builds the Great Pyramid for Khufu/Cheops at Giza

What’s going on in the neighborhood?

2100 B.C. Babylon exists as a city2000 B.C. Amorites (Semitic tribe) from Syria conquer Akkad, and Elamites burn Ur to the ground.

1813 B.C. – 1781 B.C. Northern Mesopotamia controlled by Amorites1792 B.C. -1750 B.C. Hammurabi unites Mesopotamia into Kingdom of Babylon, establishes first known code of laws.

Abraham’s Journey Westward

• 1800 BC – 1700 BC Period of the Patriarchs. Abram, Terah (his father), Sarai (his wife) and Lot (his nephew), left Ur and settling in Harran (Gen 12)

• They lived in Harran until Terah’s death, then they continued their path and reached Sechem in Canaan, a political and religious center

• It was a site of the cult of the Canaanite god Ba’al Berit (Lord of the Covenant)

• Isaac and Ishmael born in Canaan (Gen 16-18)• Next stop was Bethel (“House” or “Temple” of God

El). Abraham adopts El, and understands him to be El Yahweh

• Then they reached the oaks of Mamre near Hebron• They became shepherds and continuously moved

between Canaan and the Nile, following and searching for new pastures.

Egyptian vs. Hittites