Saturday, March 3, 2007

Israel

1759 map of the tribal allotments of IsraelThe name "Israel" is rooted in the Hebrew bible, the Tanakh, where Jacob is renamed Israel after wrestling with a mysterious adversary ("a man", and later "God" according to Gen. 32:24-30; or "the angel", according to Hosea 12:4). Israel means "he who has wrestled with God." The Jews, the nation fathered by Jacob, were then called "the children of Israel" or the "Israelites."

The earliest known mention of the name 'Israel', probably referring to a group of people rather than to a place, is the Egyptian Merneptah Stele dated to about 1210 BCE.

King David Kingdom of Israel Solomon's Temple history of ancient Israel tribes if Israel Ark of the Covenant Joshua

Monday, February 26, 2007

ancient Empires

Oriental Empires c 600 BCEScholars debate what exactly constitutes an Empire (from the Latin "imperium", denoting military command within the ancient Roman government). Generally, they may define an empire as a state that extends dominion over areas and populations distinct culturally and ethnically from the culture/ethnicity at the center of power. Other definitions may emphasize economic or political factors. The term generally implies military hegemonic power. (The United States, for example, currently rates as an economic, cultural, and political empire, as its influence extends across the world; however, debate may occur as to whether it resembles a militaristic empire.)

Achaemenid Empire Seleucid Empire Ottoman Empire Roman Empire Persian Empire Byzantine Empire