Judaea

  • Judaea was a Roman Province located in approximately the same area as modern Israel.

1. History

  • Pre-Roman history:
    • Judaea was the Roman and Greek name for the Land of the Kings of Judah as described in The Bible. The Kingdom of Judah had its Capital at Jerusalem.
    • Between c. 720-587 BCE, the area came under the influence of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
    • Between 587-332 BCE, Judaea was ruled by the Babylonian Empire, after King Nebuchadnezzar II besieged Jerusalem, destroyed the First Temple, captured King Jeconiah and took the population into the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BCE).
    • In 332 BCE Judaea was conquered by the Greek Army under Alexander the Great. After this, Hellenism became a strong influence, although the Persian Empire made several unsuccessful attempts to bring it back into its orbit.
  • Acquisition by Rome:
  • Timeline of this Province:
  • Under The Republic:
    • In 40 BCE, the Roman General Quintus Labienus, acting under Brutus, was given a Parthian Army, took over Syria and invaded Judaea, deposing the Roman Client King, Hyrcanus II. He installed a Persian Client King, Antigonus, in his place who ruled until 37 BCE.
    • In 40 BCE The Roman Senate nominated Herod the Great as ‘King of the Jews’, and he entered Jerusalem at the head of a Roman Army in 37-36 BCE.
  • After Augustus reconstituted the Republic into an Empire (27 BCE):
    • Herod ruled Judaea until his death in 4 CE. In order to legitimise the Herodian Dynasty, he married the Hasmonian Princess, Mariamne.
    • Herod built the Second Temple of Jerusalem, the Naval port of Caesarea Maritima, a Summer Palace at Jericho, the Fortress of Masada and the Herodium, another Fortress Palace near Bethlehem.
    • In 6 CE Judaea became a Roman Province, after a brief Rule by Herod’s son. The Capital was moved to Caesarea Maritima. The Province of Judaea included Samaria and Idumea, but excluded the Golan, the Decapolis, Galilee and Peraea.
    • Galilee and Peraea were ruled by the son of Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, from his capital, Tiberius, between 6-39 CE.
    • The Decapolis was a grouping of autonomous Cities, each allowed to operate under self-Rule and mint its own coins, but observing the Roman Imperial Cult. However, after Trajan‘s conquest of Arabia in 106 CE, the Decapolis was dissolved and they were merged into either Judaea, Syria or Arabia Petraea
    • 44 CE After the death of the client King Herod Agrippa I, Claudius re-annexed Judaea.
  • The Three Roman-Jewish Wars:
    • First Jewish-Roman War (66-70 CE)
    • Kitos War (115-117 CE)
      • also known as the Second Roman-Jewish War. In 116 CE, Rebellions occurred in Judaea, Egypt, Cyprus and Cyrenaica with the possibility of the Eastern Empire breaking away.
      • As a result, in 117 CE Trajan sent General Lucius Quietus to suppress the Rebellions in Mesopotamia and Judaea. His surname was corrupted to Kitos.
    • Bar Kokhba's Revolt (132-135 CE)
      • 50 towns, 985 villages destroyed, 580,000 Jews killed according to Dio Cassius.
      • After 134 CE Hadrian renamed the Province of Judaea as ‘Syria Palaestina’.
      • In 135 CE Hadrian deported large numbers of the Jewish population from Judaea and dispersed them throughout the Roman Empire. Hadrian forbad the Jews to enter Jerusalem, prohibited the Torah Law and the Hebrew Calendar. In an attempt to erase the History of Judaea, Hadrian renamed Judaea as Syria Palestinae and Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina which remained in force until 395 CE.
  • After Diocletian’s Reforms (297 CE):
    • The Province became part of the Diocese of Oriens.
  • After the Death of Theodosius and the division of the Empire into East and West (395 CE):
    • It Became part of the Eastern Roman Empire until it was finally lost to the Arab conquests in 638 CE.
  • Famous Persons from this Province:
  • Chief Archeological Finds:
  • Historic Battle Sites:
  • Main Historical Sources for this Province:

2. Geography

  • Capital City:
    • Jerusalem (until 70 CE)
    • Caesarea Maritima (After 70 CE)
      • Also known as Caesarea Palestinae (Ruins).
      • After 70 CE, this became the Capital with the Prefect being based here along with the Legionary Headquarters.
  • Chief Cities:
  • Location Today:
    • Israel.
  • Neighbouring Roman Provinces:
    • Syria (North), Arabia Petraea (East and South the border was a horizontal line from the southern Dead Sea to the coast).
  • Climate and Temperature Today:
    • Mediterranean Climate in the west.
    • Desert Climate in the east.
    • Semi-Arid inbetween.
  • Main Geographical features:
    • The Great Rift, running from Syria to Mozambique, along the Jordan Valley.
    • The Sea of Galilee (the second lowest lake in the world), the Judean Desert, forming part of the Negev Desert. The fertile Coastal plain.
    • The Dead Sea (the lowest lake on Earth).
  • Main Rivers:
    • River Jordan
  • Mountain Ranges:
    • Judaean Hills
      • along the Jordan Valley, the highest point is Mount Hermon at 7,297 ft (2,224m) in the Golan Heights.
    • Carmel Mountain Range
  • Islands:
    • None

3. Political Organisation

4. Military Organisation

  • Navy:
    • Legio X Fretensis
      • operated naval units on the River Jordan and the Sea of Galilee, and later from Aqaba (Aila), Jordan), when it moved there in c.295 CE.
  • Defensive Works:
  • Main Threats: Rebellion

5. Economy

  • Chief Exports:
    • Dates: these were exported until 70 CE.
    • Wine, Olive Oil.
    • Balm of Gilead
  • Agriculture and Fishing:
    • Judaea was famous for the dense Judaean Date Palm Forests reaching 80 ft (24m) high, from the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan River down to the Dead Sea.
    • Wheat, Vines, Olives, Fishing, Dairy Herds.
  • Manufacturing:
  • Mines:
  • Mints:

6. Transport

7. Relationship with Rome

  • Rome had great difficulty ruling this Province until 135 CE..
  • Finally, after Bar Kokhba's Revolt was crushed in 135 CE, the population was reduced by War and Exile, and never able to rebel against Rome again.
  • The Province remained peaceful even under the later Byzantine Rule.

8. History of Christianity in this Province

  • Jesus (1-30 CE)
    • The Founder of Christianity, was born, worked and preached here until he was finally crucified by the Romans.
  • St.Paul’s

9. Roman Authors describing this Province

  • New Testament of The Bible
    • The New Testament describes the life and times of Jesus.
  • Dio Cassius  (c. 155-235 CE), also known as Cassius Dio,
    • ‘Historia Romana’ (793 BCE to 229 CE) written in 80 volumes.
  • Josephus
    • Titus Flavius Josephus (37-c.100 CE) was a Jewish Roman Historian who was captured and made a Roman citizen after the First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 CE).
    • Works
      • Antiquities of the Jews.
      • The War of the Jews.
      • Flavius Josephus against Apion.
      • Josephus’ Discourse to the Greeks concerning Hades.

 

Judaea

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