The Middle East Under Rome

Maurice Sartre Has Written A Long Overdue And Comprehensive History Of The Semitic Near East (modern Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, And Israel) From The Eve Of The Roman Conquest To The End Of The Third Century C.e. And The Dramatic Rise Of Christianity. Sartre's Broad Yet Finely Detailed Perspective Takes In All Aspects Of This History, Not Just The Political And Military, But Economic, Social, Cultural, And Religious Developments As Well. He Devotes Particular Attention To The History Of The Jewish People, Placing It Within That Of The Whole Middle East. Drawing Upon The Full Range Of Ancient Sources, Including Literary Texts, Greek, Latin, And Semitic Inscriptions, And The Most Recent Archaeological Discoveries, The Middle East Under Rome Will Be An Indispensable Resource For Students And Scholars. This Absorbing Account Of Intense Cultural Interaction Will Also Engage Anyone Interested In The History Of The Middle East.--jacket. Hellenistic Legacy -- End Of Seleucid Syria And The First Roman Rule -- From Augustus To Trajan: Creating A Province -- Crises In Judaea From Herod To Bar Kokhba -- From Trajan To The Severi: Conquests And Reorganizations -- Civic Life And Urban Development During The Early Empire -- Rural Life In The Early Empire -- The Urban Economy In Roman Syria -- Hellenization And Indigenous Cultures -- Pagans, Jews, And Christians In Roman Syria In The Second And Third Centuries -- A Time Of Trials. Maurice Sartre ; Translated By Catherine Porter And Elizabeth Rawlings With Jeannine Routier-pucci. An Abridged Edition Of D'alexandre à Zénobie By Maurice Sartre, C2001, Librairie Arthème Fayard. -- T.p. Verso. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [557]-647) And Index. The ancient Middle East was the theater of passionate interaction between Phoenicians, Aramaeans, Arabs, Jews, Greeks, and Romans. At the crossroads of the Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, and the Arabian peninsula, the area dominated by what the Romans called Syria was at times a scene of violent confrontation, but more often one of peaceful interaction, of prosperous cultivation, energetic production, and commerce--a crucible of cultural, religious, and artistic innovations that profoundly determined the course of world history. Maurice Sartre has written a long overdue and comprehensive history of the Semitic Near East (modern Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel) from the eve of the Roman conquest to the end of the third century C.E. and the dramatic rise of Christianity. Sartre's broad yet finely detailed perspective takes in all aspects of this history, not just the political and military, but economic, social, cultural, and religious developments as well. He devotes particular attention to the history of the Jewish people, placing it within that of the whole Middle East. Drawing upon the full range of ancient sources, including literary texts, Greek, Latin, and Semitic inscriptions, and the most recent archaeological discoveries, The Middle East under Rome will be an indispensable resource for students and scholars. This absorbing account of intense cultural interaction will also engage anyone interested in the history of the Middle East. Contents Illustrations Preface to the English-Language Edition Acknowledgments Translators’ Note Introduction 1 The Hellenistic Legacy 2 The End of Seleucid Syria and the First Roman Rule (69-31 B.C.E.) 3 From Augustus to Trajan: Creating a Province 4 The Crises in Judaea from Herod to Bar Kokhba 5 From Trajan to the Severi: Conquests and Reorganizations 6 Civic Life and Urban Development during the Early Empire 7 Rural Life in the Early Empire 8 The Urban Economy in Roman Syria 9 Hellenization and Indigenous Cultures 10 Pagans, Jews, and Christians in Roman Syria in the Second and Third Centuries 11 A Time of Trials Conclusion Abbreviations Notes Works Cited Index