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AUTHOR Walker, BarbaraTITLE An Historical Look at Israel. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars

Abroad, 1998 (Israel and Jordan).SPONS AGENCY Center for International Education (ED), Washington, DC.PUB DATE 1998-00-00NOTE 53p.

PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Teacher (052)EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Area Studies; Christianity; *Cultural Pluralism; Curriculum

Development; Curriculum Enrichment; Foreign Countries;Global Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Islam;Judaism; *Middle Eastern History; Middle Schools; *ReligiousCultural Groups; *Social Studies; Student EducationalObjectives

IDENTIFIERS Fulbright Hays Seminars Abroad Program; *Israel (Jerusalem)

ABSTRACTThis presentation is designed to be part of a unit of study

on the Middle East for sixth-grade students. The presentation is combinedwith independent and group research covering the people, geography, history,and economies of the countries of the Middle East. The presentation explainsthat Israel is a unique country in the Middle Eastern region because of thepresence of three major religions: Judaism, Muslim, and Christian, andbecause of its high population of non-Arabs. The lesson focuses mainly on thecity of Jerusalem because it has historically been the major city of the HolyLand. Although there are many historical sites throughout Israel, Jerusalemoffers a more complete coverage of the major historical periods from about3000 BCE to the present time. The presentation points out that Israel is atiny piece of land with over 100 different ethnic groups living together.(BT)

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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AN HISTORICAL LOOK AT ISRAEL

Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad ProgramIsrael/JordanSummer 1998

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

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Points of view or opinions stated in thisdocument do not necessarily representofficial OERI position or policy.

Submitted by

Barbara Walker

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The following PowePoint presentation is designed to be part of a studyof the Middle East with sixth grade students. It will be combined withindependent and group research covering the people, geography, history, andeconomies of the countries of the Middle East.

Israel is a unique middle eastern country because of its importance tothree major religions: Jewish, Muslim, and Christian. It is also uniquebecause of its high population of non-Arabs.

This presentation focuses mainly on Jerusalem because it hashistorically been the major city of the Holy Land. Although there are manyhistorical sites throughout Israel, Jerusalem offers a more complete coverageof the major historical periods from about 3000 BCE to the present time.

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To the east, beyond the Mediterranean Sea, past Africa liesIsrael -- a land that is both antique and modem. It isantique because it is here where the sunrise of civilizationbegan, where King David built his kingdom, and Jesuscarried out his mission. The history of this land (known asthe Holy Land) goes back 5000 years. Yet it is newbecause the state of Israel is only 50 years old.

The length of Israel is 248 miles. Its width varies from 8miles at the Gulf of Eilat on the Red Sea to 68 miles acrossits middle. Half of Israel is desert.

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From the desert sands

(where determined farmers of the kibbutz revolutionized thelandscape of large areas of the Negev Desert, bringing in waterwhere it did not exist and thus permitting the existence of modernagriculture.)

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Let's begin our historical journey of Israel in Jerusalem,the capital of Israel.

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The present "Old City" forms a very small part of allJerusalem today. The Old City is walled and isapproximately one square kilometer in area. it ishistorically important to the Jews, the Muslims, andChristians.

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This time bar shows the different time periods of Israeland Jerusalem, its capital.

This time bar goes from the earliest known time of theCanaanite Period beginning about 3150 BCE to the Stateof Israel which began in 1948.

Although not a lot is known of the Canaanite Period, theearliest mention of Jerusalem is on Egyptian figurines fromthe 19th century BCE. In the 14th century BCE letters sentto and from the royal palace in Egypt describe theprominence of Jerusalem and its king in central Canaan.

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THE MONARCHY - FIRST TEMPLE PERIOD(1 00

During the Israelite Period (1000 - 586 BCE) the city ofJerusalem might have looked like this.

During this almost 500-year period, King David conqueredthe city and Jerusalem acquired the national status as thecapital of the Jewish people.

David's son, King Solomon, built the first Temple (POINTTO THE AREA WHERE THIS WAS BUILT.)

Later King Hezekiah greatly expanded the city'sboundaries to the west. He constructed a water supplysystem to bring water from the Gihon Spring outside thewalls to the Siloam Pool inside. During this IsraelitePeriod the city was attacked and destroyed many times.

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Between 536-353 BCE Jerusalem was part of the PersianEmpire. When King Cyrus of Persia conquered this landfrom Babylonia, he allowed the exiles to return toJerusalem. Under the leadership of Nehemiah, the SecondTemple was built on the site of the First Temple. The citywalls were rebuilt and the city was fortified.

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But as you can see, Jerusalem was actually reduced in sizeduring the Persian Period.

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333-37 BCE is known as the Hellenistic Period and theHasmonean Age.

In 333 BCE Alexander the Great conquered the PersianEmpire. The Hellenistic culture, a blending of Greek andearly eastern cultures, grew dominant.

During this time there was strong disagreement betweenthe Hellenistic Jews (those who adopted customs andattitudes of the Hellenistic culture) and the traditionalistJews.

Around 100 BCE Simeon the Maccabee defeated theHellenistic Jews. Between 100-63 BCE Jerusalemexpanded westward. Large scale buildings arose and thecity was surrounded by a strong wall (later known as theFirst Wall.)

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In 63 BCE Jerusalem was conquered by Roman forces.King Herod reigned from 37-4 BCE and Jerusalem grew.

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Herod's monumental building projects included the SecondWall, the Temple Mount, and the Citadel.

Numerous palaces, as well as public buildings, such asmarkets, a theater, and a hippodrome, enhanced the city.

In 70 CE Jerusalem fell to the Roman legions under thecommand of Titus. Jerusalem's buildings were put to thetorch and its inhabitants exiled.

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In 135 CE Roman Emperor Hadrian declared a new city onthe site of Jerusalem, called Colonia Aelia Capitolina.During this late Roman Period, Jews were not permitted toenter and Christianity was a forbidden religion.

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During the Byzantine Period (324-638 BCE) Christianitybecame the official religion. Churches were built on sitesidentified as sacred to Christianity. The city grew in sizeand population.

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In 614 the country once again fell to the Persians. Manychurches were destroyed and damaged. In 692 theEmperor Heraclius restored Byzantine rule. But in 638Jerusalem surrendered again, this time to the MuslimArabs.

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The Arab conquest of Jerusalem was bloodless. Traditionhas it that the Patriarch Sophronios surrendered the city toOmar, the commander of the Arab forces. In return thepatriarch was granted a writ of privileges which guaranteedthe right of Christians to maintain their holy places andpursue their customs unhindered. At the end of the 7thcentury Jerusalem was recognized as the third holiest cityin Islam, after Mecca and Medina, and as a destination forpilgrimage. The Temple Mount was identified by Muslimsas the place Muhammad reached in his Night Voyage andfrom which he ascended to heaven.

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After a five-week siege, Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders on15 July 1099. Muslims and Jews were massacred byCrusaders as they restored Jerusalem to Christian hands.Christian traditions were renewed, churches andmonasteries were rebuilt.

The Muslims regained control of Jerusalem in 1187 whenJerusalem fell to Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria. Jewsreturned to Jerusalem.

During the Second Crusade in 1229 European Christiansreturned to Jerusalem. According to a treaty betweenEmperor Frederick II and the Sultan of Egypt, part of thecity remained in Muslim hands while part of the city wasgiven to the Christians.

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Jerusalem at the time of the Crusaders fit inside the citywalls. Jerusalem remained this size from the Crusaderperiod through the Ottoman period which ended in 1917.

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In 1260 Palestine was conquered by the Mameluke rulersof Egypt. Mamelukes were soldiers brought from Egypt asproperty of the ruler from the Central Asian steppes.

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The Mameluke forces were defeated by the Ottoman Turksin 1517. Palestine came under the rule of Sultan Suleimanthe Magnificent and Jerusalem flourished. AfterSuleiman's death, Jerusalem became a small, unimportanttown.

Over the next 300 years, trade and commerce were frozenand Jerusalem's population barely increased.

By the end of the Mameluke period the Jewishcommunities had grown.

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Model of Jerusalum inthe mid-19th century

Model of Jerusalem in the mid 19th century

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On 9 December 1917, as World War I neared its end,Jerusalem surrendered to the British forces. This markedthe end of Ottoman rule in the city which had lasted 400years and the beginning of thirty years of British rule.

New Jerusalem expanded during this period. Arab andJewish neighborhoods were built. Modernizationintensified during this period.

The overriding issue of this period was the future ofPalestine and Jerusalem. Tensions between Arabs andJews erupted into riots in 1920 and 1929. These werefollowed by the Arab Revolt of 1936-39.

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The State of Israel came into being on May 14, 1948 andJerusalem was established as its capital. From the veryfirst day of Israel's independent existence, the Arab worldshunned the idea of a Jewish nation in the Middle East.The War of Independence which followed was the first ofaseries of armed conflicts involving Israel and the ArabWorld. The end of this war in 1949 left Jerusalem dividedwith a border running through the city and cuttingneighborhoods, streets, and houses.

In June 1967 the barricade which separated the two parts ofthe city was removed. Jerusalem became a single city withJews, Christians, and Muslims living side by side.

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Our historical journey moves away from Jerusalem. Asyou can see by looking at this map of the National Parks inIsrael, our journey through the history of Israel could belengthy.

We will not visit all of these historical sites, but will lookat only five of them.

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Jericho, just north of the Dead Sea, is estimated to be tenthousand years old. It may be the oldest city in the world.

The excavations in Jericho have unearthed the remains ofwhat is believed to be the oldest manmade building found.These ruins were probably built around 2200-2000 BCE.(about 7000 years old)

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Bet She'an is located in the lush area of the Jordan Valleysouth of the Sea of Galilee.

The city was built on a rise between two streams whichprovided the rich soil and fresh water needed forsettlement. What is seen here is a view of Tel Bet-She'anfrom the south.

A tell is a man-made mountain. In a place where there hasbeen water and fertile soil, a new town would be built ontop of a ruined one. When this town was destroyed anotherwas built on top of it. This went on for thousands of yearsuntil a great mound was built. By cutting down through atell we can find out about the culture of each period by theutensils, tools, and other artifacts that the people livingthen left behind.

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ter pPains of Si lvbeeet - Byzantine

The remains of some twenty layers of settlement have beenfound at Tell Bet She'an. It is believed that humanhabitation in this area goes as far back as the Neolithicperiod, 7000 years ago. Early excavations were carried outin the 1920's and 1930's. Most of the excavation hasoccurred since the late 1980's. What has been dug is thecentral part of the city, the residential areas have not yetbeen excavated.

This theater was built during the Roman period and wasused, with repairs until the end of the Byzantine period(about 70-638 CE)

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A Greek inscription in a Byzantine Mosaic (floor in Bet-She'an)

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A view of the western colonnade of Palladius Street. Itcrossed the city center from the slopes of the Tel to thetheater. The street was paved with basalt slabs in aherringbone pattern. Later it was repaved with marbleslabs. There was a raised sidewalk along both sides of thestreet. A row of shops opened onto the street.

Much of the Roman and Byzantine structures weredestroyed by an earthquake in 749 CE.

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Remains of a Crusader fortress at Bet-She'an. It wassurrounded by a wall and a moat.

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Bet She'arim is located in Lower Galilee within the citylimits of the town of Keryat Tivon. Discovered at this sitewere the remains of an ancient Jewish city built on the hilland an underground Jewish cemetery dug into its slopes.

During the Second Temple period, (37-70 CE), BetShe'arim was one of many small Jewish settlements inLower Galilee. Bet She'arim was destroyed by Romansoldiers in about 351 CE. Its catacombs were the mainJewish cemetery in the Holy Land and abroad during the2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries CE. Others were buried hereuntil at least the 5th century - maybe the 6th.

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In the 19th century a small Arab village was located here. The firstarchaeological excavations were in 1871 with further excavationsfrom 1936-1940 and 1953-1957.

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Unearthed at the site were the remains of a synagogue,public buildings, a religious school, dwelling houses, citywalls, a gate, and an olive oil plant, all dating to the 2nd,3rd, and 4th centuries CE.

In addition, more than 30 burial caves were excavated.

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Maresha and Bet Guvrin are two ancient cities that werelocated in the basin of the Guvrin Stream. During thePersian period after the Destruction of the First Temple,Maresha and all of southern Judea was settled by theEdomites, who came from the southwest. At the end ofthat period (in the 4th century BCE), Sidonians and Greekscame to Maresha bringing the Hellenistic culture. Inaddition, a few Egyptians and Jews lived there.

Maresha was conquered by the Hasmoneans around 113BCE. It was demolished by the Parthian Army in 40 BCE.

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Bet Guvrin is mentioned for the first time in ancientliterature in 68 CE 'as one of the towns captured by theRoman general Vespasian. Following the destruction ofthe Second Temple (70 CE), it continued to exist as acrowded Jewish settlement.

Five highways, all marked with milestones, led to the cityfrom various directions.

From the Roman period (70-324 CE), a large Jewishcemetery and remains of buildings were discovered.During the Byzantine period, Bet Guvrin was an importantcenter of Christianity with a number of churches.

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Most of the Bell Caves were dug during the early Muslimperiod (638-1099 CE)

An Arab village occupied the site until Israel's War forIndependence in 1948. In May 1949, Kibbutz Bet-Guvrinwas established on its site.

Initial excavations began in 1900. Extensive excavationsand research have been going on since 1989.

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Just west of Israel's Dead Sea is a rock that rises 1,300 feetabove the desert floor. On top of this plateau is Masada,the remains of a fortress built by King Herod beginning in37 CE. The entire plateau was surrounded by a wallreinforced with 37 towers.

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Inside were a three-tiered palace, an arsenal, lodgings for1000 soldiers, and an ample water supply, thanks to hugeunderground tanks filled with rain. The vast area of theplateau was cultivated, and the food grown was preservedand stored in large covered warehouses.

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This ends our historical journey through Israel, a tiny pieceof land where over a hundred different ethnic groups livetogether.

Jews and Muslims, Syrians, Lebanese, Egyptians, andIraqis live here. There are desert Bedouins and there areChristians from all over the world, including EthiopianCopts, Maronites, Armenians, and American Mormons.Kurds, Druse, Circassians, Karaites, Samarians, and eventhe Vietnamese "boat people" call Israel home.

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Resources

Fabio. Israel, Ltd. 1997

elen Hincklecago: C

Rubin, and Malls off. TheDavid Herzliya Palphot, L1996.

Vamosh, am Feinberg. eit She 'an: Capthe Deea lis. Israel: Eretz Magazine. 1996.

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