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175-628: Beit She'an is believed to be one of the oldest cities in the region. It has played an important role in history due to its geographical location at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and the Jezreel Valley . Beth She'an's ancient tell contains remains beginning in the Chalcolithic period . When Canaan came under Imperial Egyptian rule in the Late Bronze Age , Beth She'an served as

350-495: A census conducted in 1922 by the British Mandate authorities , Beit She'an (Baisan) had a population of 1,941, consisting of 1,687 Muslims, 41 Jews and 213 Christians. In 1934, Lawrence of Arabia noted that "Bisan is now a purely Arab village," where "very fine views of the river can be had from the housetops." He further noted that "many nomad and Bedouin encampments, distinguished by their black tents, were scattered about

525-633: A devastating war with Persia exhausted the empire's resources; the early Muslim conquests that followed saw the loss of the empire's richest provinces— Egypt and Syria —to the Rashidun Caliphate . In 698, Africa was lost to the Umayyad Caliphate , but the empire subsequently stabilised under the Isaurian dynasty. The empire was able to expand once more under the Macedonian dynasty , experiencing

700-456: A sensational victory against Bulgaria and the Kievan Rus' in 971. John in particular was an astute administrator who reformed military structures and implemented effective fiscal policies. After John's death, Constantine VII's grandsons Basil II and Constantine VIII ruled jointly for half a century, although the latter exercised no real power before Basil's death in 1025. Their early reign

875-463: A combination of external threats and internal instabilities caused the Roman state to splinter as regional armies acclaimed their generals as "soldier-emperors". One of these, Diocletian ( r.  284–305 ), seeing that the state was too big to be ruled by one man, attempted to fix the problem by instituting a Tetrarchy , or rule of four, and dividing the empire into eastern and western halves. Although

1050-626: A considerable increase in the size of urban settlements, together with a notable upsurge in new towns. Trade was also flourishing; the Venetians, the Genoese and others opened up the ports of the Aegean to commerce, shipping goods from the Crusader states and Fatimid Egypt to the west and trading with the empire via Constantinople. Manuel's death on 24 September 1180 left his 11-year-old son Alexios II Komnenos on

1225-625: A few drops from the River Jordan. The Jordan is a frequent symbol in folk , gospel , and spiritual music , and in poetic and literary works. The baptism of Jesus is referred to in a hymn by the reformer Martin Luther, " Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam " (1541), base for a cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam , BWV 7 (1724). The Jordan River, due primarily to its rich spiritual importance, has provided inspiration for countless songs, hymns, and stories, including

1400-652: A flow of 118 million m annually. The Iyyon (Hebrew: עיון Iyyon , Arabic name: Ajoun stream, but دردره Dardara for the uppermost course and براغيث Bareighith or Beregeith for the rest of its course) is a stream which flows from Merj 'Ayun area in southern Lebanon into the Hasbani. The Dan (Arabic: اللدان Leddan or Liddan , Hebrew: דן Dan ) is the largest among the Jordan's upper course tributaries with c. 240-252 million cubic metres per year. The Banias (Arabic: بانياس Banias , Hebrew: either Banias or חרמון Hermon )

1575-509: A heavy tribute." In 1870/1871, an Ottoman census listed the village in the nahiya (sub-district) of Shafa al-Shamali. In the early 20th century, though still a tiny and obscure village, Beisan was known for its plentiful water supply, fertile soil, and producing olives, grapes, figs, almonds, apricots, and apples. Under the Mandate, the city was the center of the District of Baysan . According to

1750-577: A large number in Venice. According to chronicler Niketas Choniates , a prostitute was even set up on the patriarchal throne. When order had been restored, the crusaders and the Venetians proceeded to implement their agreement; Baldwin of Flanders was elected emperor of a new Latin Empire , and the Venetian Thomas Morosini was chosen as patriarch. The lands divided up among the leaders included most of

1925-504: A lengthy conflict against Sasanid Persia and ended in 363 with the death of his son-in-law Julian . The short Valentinianic dynasty , occupied with wars against barbarians , religious debates, and anti-corruption campaigns, ended in the East with the death of Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. Valens's successor, Theodosius I ( r.  379–395 ), restored political stability in

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2100-632: A line through the Adriatic Sea and south to Cyrene, Libya . This encompassed most of the Balkans , all of modern Greece, Turkey, Syria , Palestine ; North Africa, primarily with modern Egypt and Libya ; the Aegean islands along with Crete , Cyprus and Sicily , and a small settlement in Crimea . The landscape of the Empire was defined by the fertile fields of Anatolia , long mountain ranges and rivers such as

2275-417: A main plaza into a cemetery. However, some recently discovered counter-evidence may be offered to this picture of decline. In common with state-directed building work carried out in other towns and cities in the region during the 720s, Baysan's commercial infrastructure was refurbished: its main colonnaded market street, once thought to date to the sixth century, is now known—based on a mosaic inscription—to be

2450-550: A major Egyptian administrative center. The city came under Israelite rule in the monarchic period. It probably fell under Philistine control during the time of Saul , when, according to the Bible , his body was displayed there along with his sons. During the Hellenistic period , the settlement was known as Scythopolis ( Ancient Greek : Σκυθόπολις ). After the region came under Roman rule, Scythopolis gained imperial free status and

2625-491: A massacre via aerial bombardment by Israeli forces that was "entirely without military justification" and which was used as "a tool of expulsion". A ma'abarah (refugee camp) inhabited mainly by North African Jewish refugees was erected in Beit She'an, and it later became a development town . From 1969, Beit She'an was a target for Katyusha rockets and mortar attacks from Jordan. In the 1974 Beit She'an attack , militants of

2800-468: A redesign dating from the time of the Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (r. 724–43). Al-Bakri of al-Andalus noted that the wine produced there was delicious. On January 18, 749, Umayyad Baysan was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake . A few residential neighborhoods grew among the ruins, probably established by the survivors, but the city never recovered its magnificence. The city center moved to

2975-632: A regional centre for the towns in the Beit She'an Valley. The ancient city ruins are now protected within the Beit She'an National Park . The town is located near the Jordan River Crossing , one of three crossing points between Israel and Jordan . Beit She'an's location has always been strategically significant, due to its position at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and the Jezreel Valley , essentially controlling access from Jordan and

3150-450: A small fleet of 100 ships to defend the capital, but other than that he was indifferent to the populace. He was finally overthrown when Isaac II Angelos , surviving an imperial assassination attempt, seized power with the aid of the people and had Andronikos killed. The reign of Isaac II, and more so that of his brother Alexios III , saw the collapse of what remained of the centralised machinery of Byzantine government and defence. Although

3325-417: A speedy and marked improvement. Gradually, however, Andronikos's reign deteriorated. The aristocrats were infuriated against him, and to make matters worse, Andronikos seemed to have become increasingly unbalanced; executions and violence became increasingly common, and his reign turned into a reign of terror. Andronikos seemed almost to seek the extermination of the aristocracy as a whole. The struggle against

3500-593: A two-century-long renaissance . This came to an end in 1071, with the defeat by the Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Manzikert . Thereafter, periods of civil war and Seljuk incursion resulted in the loss of most of Asia Minor . The empire recovered during the Komnenian restoration , and Constantinople would remain the largest and wealthiest city in Europe until the 13th century. The empire was largely dismantled in 1204, following

3675-510: A two-month siege on 29 May 1453. The final Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos , was last seen casting off his imperial regalia and throwing himself into hand-to-hand combat after the walls of the city were taken. The Empire was centred in what is now Greece and Turkey with Constantinople as its capital. In the 5th century, it controlled the eastern basis of the Mediterranean running east from Singidunum (modern Belgrade ) in

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3850-751: Is a 251-kilometre-long (156 mi) river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and drains to the Dead Sea . The river passes by or through Jordan , Syria , Israel , and the Palestinian territories . Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights border the river to the east, while Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank lie to its west. Both Jordan and

4025-633: Is a stream arising from a spring at Banias at the foot of Mount Hermon, with a flow of 106 million m annually. It flows into the Dan along with the Nahal Sion or Nahal Assal (Hebrew) / Wadi el-'Asl or Assal (Arabic). The Jordan River has an upper course from its sources to the Sea of Galilee (via the Bethsaida Valley ) and a lower course south of the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea . In traditional terminology,

4200-734: Is also where John the Baptist bore record of Jesus as the Son of God and Lamb of God ( John 1:29–36 ). The prophecy of Isaiah regarding the Messiah which names the Jordan ( Isaiah 9:1–2 ) is reported in Matthew 4:15 . The New Testament speaks several times about Jesus crossing the Jordan during his ministry ( Matthew 19:1 ; Mark 10:1 ) and of believers crossing the Jordan to come hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases ( Matthew 4:25 ; Mark 3:7–8 ). When his enemies sought to capture him, Jesus took refuge at

4375-547: Is another 210 metres) so that the river meanders before entering the Dead Sea, a terminal lake about 422 metres below sea level with no outlet. The river is fed by two major tributaries , the Yarmouk and Zarqa . The Yarmouk, the largest tributary of the lower course, forms the border between Syria and Jordan and then Jordan and Israel. Smaller tributaries or "side wadis" / "side streams" in this segment are, north to south In

4550-458: Is described in some modern sources as the name for the part of the river before it flows into the Sea of Galilee. The Dan and Hasbani rivers merge near the kibbutz Sde Nehemia in northern Israel and become the Jordan river. The Hasbani (Arabic: الحاصباني Hasbani , Hebrew: either שניר Snir or Hatzbani ) is a stream which flows from the north-western foot of Mount Hermon in Lebanon , with

4725-531: Is evidence that some Komnenian heirs had set up a semi-independent state in Trebizond before 1204. According to the historian Alexander Vasiliev , "the dynasty of the Angeloi, Greek in its origin, ... accelerated the ruin of the Empire, already weakened without and disunited within." In 1198, Pope Innocent III broached the subject of a new crusade through legates and encyclical letters. The stated intent of

4900-532: Is impossible to precisely date the foundation of the Byzantine Empire. In a series of conflicts between the third and first centuries   BC, the Roman Republic gradually established hegemony over the eastern Mediterranean , while its government ultimately transformed into the one-person rule of an emperor . The Roman Empire enjoyed a period of relative stability until the third century AD , when

5075-692: The Tactica , a military treatise; and the Book of the Eparch , which codified Constantinople's trading regulations. In non-literary contexts Leo was less successful: the empire lost in Sicily and against the Bulgarians , while he provoked theological scandal by marrying four times in an attempt to father a legitimate heir. The early reign of that heir, Constantine VII , was tumultuous, as his mother Zoe , his uncle Alexander ,

5250-510: The loculus type: a rectangular rock-cut spacious chamber with smaller chambers ( loculi ) cut into its side. Bodies were placed directly in the loculi , or inside sarcophagi which were placed in the loculi . A sarcophagus with an inscription identifying its occupant in Greek as "Antiochus, the son of Phallion", may have held the cousin of Herod the Great . One of the most interesting Roman grave finds

5425-524: The Catalan Company ravaging the countryside and increasing resentment towards Constantinople. The situation became worse for Byzantium during the civil wars after Andronikos III died. A six-year-long civil war devastated the empire, allowing the Serbian ruler Stefan Dušan to overrun most of the empire's remaining territory and establish a Serbian Empire . In 1354, an earthquake at Gallipoli devastated

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5600-681: The Council of Clermont and urged all those present to take up arms under the sign of the Cross and launch an armed pilgrimage to recover Jerusalem and the East from the Muslims. The response in Western Europe was overwhelming. Alexios was able to recover a number of important cities, islands and much of western Asia Minor. The Crusaders agreed to become Alexios' vassals under the Treaty of Devol in 1108, which marked

5775-655: The Council of Piacenza in 1095, envoys from Alexios spoke to Pope Urban II about the suffering of the Christians of the East and underscored that without help from the West, they would continue to suffer under Muslim rule. Urban saw Alexios' request as a dual opportunity to cement Western Europe and reunite the Eastern Orthodox Church with the Roman Catholic Church under his rule. On 27 November 1095, Urban called

5950-602: The Crusades , the Arabic name Nahr Al Sharieat ( Arabic : نهر الشريعة ), literally "the watering place" began to be used, and was recorded by medieval geographers such as Abu'l-Fida and Al-Dimashqi . The name was shown in various forms on most notable 19th century maps of the region and is described by Edward Robinson in his Biblical Researches in Palestine . Although historical sources do not appear to make this distinction, it

6125-471: The Danube , he pushed his troops too far in 602—they mutinied, proclaimed an officer named Phocas as emperor, and executed Maurice. The Sasanians seized their moment and reopened hostilities ; Phocas was unable to cope and soon faced a major rebellion led by Heraclius . Phocas lost Constantinople in 610 and was soon executed, but the destructive civil war accelerated the empire's decline. Under Khosrow II ,

6300-717: The Danube . In the north and west were the Balkans, the corridors between the mountain ranges of Pindos , the Dinaric Alps , the Rhodopes and the Balkans . In the south and east were Anatolia, the Pontic Mountains and the Taurus - Anti-Taurus range, which served as passages for armies, while the Caucasus mountains lay between the Empire and its eastern neighbours. Roman roads connected

6475-617: The Empire of Trebizond , was created after Alexios I of Trebizond , commanding the Georgian expedition in Chaldia a few weeks before the sack of Constantinople, found himself de facto emperor and established himself in Trebizond. Of the three successor states, Epirus and Nicaea stood the best chance of reclaiming Constantinople. The Nicaean Empire struggled to survive the next few decades, however, and by

6650-512: The Hebrew Bible , around 1000 BC the town became part of the larger Israelite kingdom . 1 Kings ( 1 Kings 4:12 ) refers to Beit She'an as part of the kingdom of Solomon , though the historical accuracy of this list is debated. Nevertheless, recent archaeomagnetic dates suggest that the first Israelite urban settlement was established either during the Solomonic period or in the pre-Omride phase of

6825-582: The Middle Ages . The eastern half of the Empire survived the conditions that caused the fall of the West in the 5th century AD, and continued to exist until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire remained the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in the Mediterranean world . The term "Byzantine Empire" was only coined following

7000-511: The Midianites ( Judges 7:24 ). In the plain of the Jordan, between Succoth and Zarthan , is the clay ground where Solomon had his bronze foundries ( 1 Kings 7:46 ). In 2 Kings 6:1–4 the Jordan valley is portrayed as a woodland region. Biblical commentator Albert Barnes suggests that "trees were rare in most parts of Palestine, but plentiful in the Jordan Valley". In biblical history,

7175-408: The Normans who arrived in Italy at the beginning of the 11th century. During a period of strife between Constantinople and Rome culminating in the East-West Schism of 1054 , the Normans advanced gradually into Byzantine Italy . Reggio , the capital of the tagma of Calabria, was captured in 1060 by Robert Guiscard , followed by Otranto in 1068. Bari , the main Byzantine stronghold in Apulia ,

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7350-420: The Palestine loach ( Oxynoemacheilus insignis ), catfish such as the African sharptooth catfish ( Clarias gariepinus ), cichlids such as the blue tilapia ( Oreochromis aureus ), redbelly tilapia ( Coptodon zillii ), & mango tilapia ( Sarotherodon galilaeus ), and blennies such as the freshwater blenny ( Salariopsis fluviatilis ). The Jordan bream and Jordan barbel are thought to be endemic to

7525-411: The Pechenegs , who were caught by surprise and annihilated at the Battle of Levounion on 28 April 1091. Having achieved stability in the West, Alexios could turn his attention to the severe economic difficulties and the disintegration of the empire's traditional defences. However, he still did not have enough manpower to recover the lost territories in Asia Minor and to the advance by the Seljuks. At

7700-402: The Philistines after the Battle of Gilboa . According to the biblical narrative, the battle was fought at Mount Gilboa , around the year 1010 BC. The Philistines prevailed and Saul died in battle together with three of his sons, Jonathan , Abinadab and Malchishua , ( 1 Samuel and 1 Chronicles , 1 Samuel 31; 1 Chronicles 10 ). 1 Samuel 31:10 states that "the victorious Philistines hung

7875-536: The Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine , took over an apartment building and murdered a family of four. In 1999, Beit She'an was incorporated as a city. Geographically, it lies in the middle of the Emek HaMaayanot Regional Council , formerly the Beit She'an Valley Regional Council. Jordan River The Jordan River or River Jordan ( Arabic : نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ , Nahr al-ʾUrdunn ; Hebrew : נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן , Nəhar hayYardēn ), also known as Nahr Al-Sharieat ( Arabic : نهر الشريعة ),

8050-407: The Roman papacy . In 780, Empress Irene assumed power on behalf of her son Constantine VI . Although she was a capable administrator who temporarily resolved the iconoclasm controversy, the empire was destabilized by her feud with her son. The Bulgars and Abbasids meanwhile inflicted numerous defeats on the Byzantine armies, and the papacy crowned Charlemagne as Roman emperor in 800. In 802,

8225-446: The Sack of Constantinople by Latin armies at the end of the Fourth Crusade ; its former territories were then divided into competing Greek rump states and Latin realms . Despite the eventual recovery of Constantinople in 1261, the reconstituted empire would wield only regional power during its final two centuries of existence. Its remaining territories were progressively annexed by the Ottomans in perennial wars fought throughout

8400-457: The sea walls of Constantinople , overhaul provincial governance, and wage inconclusive campaigns against the Abbasids. After his death, his empress Theodora , ruling on behalf of her son Michael III , permanently extinguished the iconoclastic movement; the empire prospered under their sometimes-fraught rule. However, Michael was posthumously vilified by historians loyal to the dynasty of his successor Basil I , who assassinated him in 867 and who

8575-453: The state religion , and other religious practices were proscribed . Greek gradually replaced Latin for official use as Latin fell into disuse. The empire experienced several cycles of decline and recovery throughout its history, reaching its greatest extent after the fall of the west during the reign of Justinian I ( r. 527–565 ), who briefly reconquered much of Italy and the western Mediterranean coast . The appearance of plague and

8750-417: The "land of the Romans" ( Bilād al-Rūm ), but the people of medieval Western Europe preferred to call them "Greeks" ( Graeci ), due to having a contested legacy to Roman identity and to associate negative connotations from ancient Latin literature. The adjective "Byzantine", which derived from Byzantion (Latinised as Byzantium ), the name of the Greek settlement Constantinople was established on,

8925-438: The "nine tribes and the half tribe of Manasseh " that settled to the west ( Joshua 13:7 , passim). Opposite Jericho , it is called "the Jordan of Jericho" ( Numbers 34:15 ; 35:1 ). The Jordan has a number of fords , and one of them is famous as the place where many Ephraimites were slain by Jephthah ( Judges 12:5–6 ). It seems that these are the same fords mentioned as being near Beth-barah, where Gideon lay in wait for

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9100-548: The 14th and 15th centuries. The fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 ultimately brought the empire to an end. Many refugees who had fled the city after its capture settled in Italy and throughout Europe, helping to ignite the Renaissance . The fall of Constantinople is sometimes used to mark the dividing line between the Middle Ages and the early modern period . The inhabitants of the empire, now generally termed Byzantines, thought of themselves as Romans ( Romaioi ). Their Islamic neighbours similarly called their empire

9275-415: The 15th-century historian Laonikos Chalkokondyles , whose works were widely propagated, including by Hieronymus Wolf . "Byzantine" was used adjectivally alongside terms such as "Empire of the Greeks" until the 19th century. It is now the primary term, used to refer to all aspects of the empire; some modern historians believe that, as an originally prejudicial and inaccurate term, it should not be used. As

9450-436: The 19th century the River Jordan and the Dead Sea were explored by boat primarily by Christopher Costigan in 1835, Thomas Howard Molyneux in 1847, William Francis Lynch in 1848, and John MacGregor in 1869. The full text of W. F. Lynch's 1849 book Narrative of the United States' Expedition to the River Jordan and the Dead Sea is available online. In 1964, Israel began operating a pumping station that diverts water from

9625-510: The 532 Nika revolt he rebuilt much of Constantinople, including the original Hagia Sophia . Justinian took advantage of political instability in Italy to attempt the reconquest of lost western territories. The Vandal Kingdom in North Africa was subjugated in 534 by the general Belisarius , who then invaded Italy ; the Ostrogothic Kingdom was destroyed in 554. In the 540s, however, Justinian began to suffer reversals on multiple fronts. Taking advantage of Constantinople's preoccupation with

9800-408: The Arab efforts to capture Constantinople in the 670s , but suffered a reversal against the Bulgars , who soon established an empire in the northern Balkans . Nevertheless, he and Constans had done enough to secure the empire's position, especially as the Umayyad Caliphate was undergoing another civil war . Justinian II sought to build on the stability secured by his father Constantine but

9975-401: The Bronze Age to Byzantine times. Canaanite graves dating from 2000 to 1600 BC were discovered there in 1926. After the conquest of Beit She'an by Pharaoh Thutmose III in the 15th century BCE, as recorded in an inscription at Karnak , the small town on the summit of the mound became the center of the Egyptian administration of the region. The Egyptian newcomers changed the organization of

10150-408: The Byzantine administration's policy of heavy taxation and abolishing of the levy. The weakening of Georgia and Armenia played a significant role in the Byzantine defeat at Manzikert in 1071. Basil II is considered among the most capable Byzantine emperors and his reign as the apex of the empire in the Middle Ages . By 1025, the date of Basil II's death, the Byzantine Empire stretched from Armenia in

10325-417: The Dead Sea. A small section of the northernmost portion of the Lower Jordan, the first ca. 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) below the Sea of Galilee, has been kept pristine for baptism and local tourism. Most polluted is the 100-kilometre downstream stretch—a meandering stream from above the confluence with the Yarmouk to the Dead Sea. Environmentalists say the practice of letting sewage and brackish water flow into

10500-406: The Egyptian governor. During the 20th Dynasty, invasions of the " Sea Peoples " upset Egypt's control over the Eastern Mediterranean . Though the exact circumstances are unclear, the entire site of Beit She'an was destroyed by fire around 1150 BC. The Egyptians did not attempt to rebuild their administrative center and finally lost control of the region. Over 50 clay anthropoid coffins were found at

10675-415: The Empire by land, with the Via Egnatia running from Constantinople to the Albanian coast through Macedonia and the Via Traiana to Adrianople (modern Edirne ), Serdica (modern Sofia ) and Singidunum. By water, Crete, Cyprus and Sicily were key naval points and the main ports connecting Constantinople were Alexandria, Gaza, Caesarea and Antioch. The Aegean sea was considered an internal lake within

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10850-432: The Empire. The emperor was the centre of the whole administration of the Empire, who the legal historian Kaius Tuori has said was "above the law, within the law, and the law itself"; with a power that is difficult to define and which does not align with our modern understanding of the separation of powers. The proclamations of the crowds of Constantinople, and the inaugurations of the patriarch from 457, would legitimise

11025-413: The House of Leontius synagogue . The Samaritan synagogue's mosaic was unique in its aniconic abstention from human or animal images, instead using floral and geometrical motifs. Elaborate decorations were also found in the settlement's many luxurious villas, and in the 6th century especially, the city reached its maximum size of 40,000 and spread beyond its period city walls. The Byzantine-era portion of

11200-413: The Israeli-occupied West Bank and parallels the Jordan River on the western side. There are two border crossings between Israel and Jordan which cross the river over bridges. The northern one, Jordan River Crossing or Sheikh Hussein Bridge is near Beit She'an ; the southern one, Allenby Bridge (also King Hussein Bridge), is near Jericho . North to south: Until the first decade of the 21st century,

11375-484: The Jewish militias three days before the end of the Mandate. After Israel's Declaration of Independence in May 1948, during intense shelling by Syrian border units, followed by the recapture of the valley by the Haganah , the Arab inhabitants fled across the Jordan River. The property and buildings abandoned after the conflict were then held by the State of Israel. Most Arab Christians relocated to Nazareth . Historian Saleh Abdel Jawad writes that Beisan experienced

11550-430: The Jordan River as well as the Promised Land. Jordan River is the subject of roots reggae artist Burning Spear 's song of the same title. Belarusian band Spasenie dedicated its whole album " Crossing the Jordan " to the topic. Byzantine The Byzantine Empire , also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire , was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred in Constantinople during late antiquity and

11725-761: The Jordan River basin. The Jordan basin may have also served as the center of diversification for several now-widespread Palearctic fish groups. A native freshwater reptile is the Balkan terrapin ( Mauremys rivulata ), which is thought to have also been a food source for the earliest Neanderthal residents of the region. Several introduced species of fish are known from the region, including common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ), grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ), black carp ( Hypophthalmichthys molitrix ), rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ), Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ), and sea mullet ( Mugil cephalus ). Many of these introduced fish either prey on or outcompete native fish and threaten their populations, especially

11900-481: The Jordan appears as the scene of several miracles , the first taking place when the Jordan, near Jericho, was crossed by the Israelites under Joshua ( Joshua 3:15-17 ). Later the two tribes and the half tribe that settled east of the Jordan built a large altar on its banks as "a witness" between them and the other tribes ( Joshua 22:10 , 22:26 , et seq.). The Jordan was crossed by Elijah and Elisha on dry ground ( 2 Kings 2:8 , 2:14 ). Elisha performed two miracles at

12075-584: The Jordan: he healed Naaman 's leprosy by having him bathe in its waters ( 2 Kings 5:14 ), and he made an axe head lost by one of the "children of the prophets" float, by throwing a piece of wood into the water ( 2 Kings 6:6 ). The New Testament states that John the Baptist baptised unto repentance in the Jordan ( Matthew 3:5 – 6 ; Mark 1:5 ; Luke 3:3 ; John 1:28 ). These acts of baptism are also reported as having taken place at Bethabara ( John 1:28 ). Jesus came to be baptised by him there ( Matthew 3:13 ; Mark 1:9 ; Luke 3:21 , 4:1 ). The Jordan

12250-401: The Kingdom of Jerusalem was Adam, a younger son of Robert III de Béthune, peer of Flanders and head of the House of Béthune . His descendants were known by the family name de Bessan . It occasionally passed back under royal control until new lords were created. The town became part of the Belvoir fiefdom . A small Crusader fortress surrounded by a moat was built in the area southeast of

12425-412: The LORD" ( Genesis 13:10 ). There is no regular description of the Jordan in the Bible; only scattered and indefinite references to it are given. Jacob crossed it and its tributary, the Jabbok (the modern Zarqa River), on his way back from Haran ( Genesis 32:11 , 32:23–24 ). It is noted as the line of demarcation between the "two tribes and the half tribe" settled to the east ( Numbers 34:15 ) and

12600-699: The Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, with a likely gap during the Late Chalcolithic period (ca. 4000–3300 BC). Settlement seems to have resumed at the beginning of the Early Bronze Age I (3200–3000) and continues throughout this period, is then missing during the Early Bronze Age II, and then resumes in the Early Bronze Age III. A large cemetery on the northern mound was in use from

12775-565: The Mongol invasion also gave Nicaea a temporary respite from Seljuk attacks, allowing it to concentrate on the Latin Empire to its north. The Empire of Nicaea, founded by the Laskarid dynasty , managed to recapture Constantinople in 1261 and defeat Epirus . This led to a short-lived revival of Byzantine fortunes under Michael VIII Palaiologos , but the war-ravaged empire was ill-equipped to deal with

12950-568: The Normans were driven out of Greece, in 1186 the Vlachs and Bulgars began a rebellion that led to the formation of the Second Bulgarian Empire . The internal policy of the Angeloi was characterised by the squandering of the public treasure and fiscal maladministration. Imperial authority was severely weakened, and the growing power vacuum at the centre of the empire encouraged fragmentation. There

13125-548: The Ottoman feudal land system, which leased tracts of land to tenants and collected taxes from them for their use. The Swiss–German traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt described Beisan in 1812: "The present village of Bysan contains seventy or eighty houses; its inhabitants are in a miserable condition, from being exposed to the depredations of the Bedouins of the Ghor , to whom they also pay

13300-584: The Promised Land , the Jordan can refer to freedom. The actual crossing is the final step of the journey, which is then complete. Among many other references, the Jordan River is given this meaning in the text of Old Man River : "Let me go 'way from the Mississippi / Let me go 'way from the white man boss / Show me that stream called the River Jordan / That's the old stream that I long to cross". Because of

13475-603: The Roman influence. Mount Gilboa , 7 km (4 mi) away, provided dark basalt blocks, as well as water (via an aqueduct) to the town. Beit She'an is said to have sided with the Romans during the early phase of the First Jewish–Roman War in 66 CE. Excavations have focused less on the Roman period ruins, so not much is known about this period. The Penn. University Museum excavation of the northern cemetery, however, did uncover significant finds. The Roman period tombs are of

13650-455: The Roman theatre, where the diminished town had relocated after the 749 earthquake. The fortress was destroyed by Saladin in 1183. During the 1260 Battle of Ain Jalut , retreating Mongol forces passed near but did not enter the town. Under Mamluk rule, Beit She'an was the principal town in the district of Damascus and a relay station for the postal service between Damascus and Cairo . It

13825-608: The Sassanids occupied the Levant and Egypt and pushed into Asia Minor, while Byzantine control of Italy slipped and the Avars and Slavs ran riot in the Balkans. Although Heraclius repelled a siege of Constantinople in 626 and defeated the Sassanids in 627, this was a pyrrhic victory . The early Muslim conquests soon saw the conquest of the Levant , Egypt , and the Sassanid Empire by

14000-576: The Scythians", possibly named after the Scythian mercenaries who settled there as veterans. Little is known about the Hellenistic city, but during the 3rd century BCE a large temple was constructed on the tell. It is unknown which deity was worshipped there, but the temple continued to be used during Roman times. Graves dating from the Hellenistic period are simple, singular rock-cut tombs . From 301 to 198 BCE

14175-574: The Sea of Galilee as part of the 1994 peace treaty was meant to compensate for this loss. A 2010 study found that the Lower Jordan River has been reduced to 2% of its historic flow. Water quality has also deteriorated sharply, with high levels of salinity and pollution from agricultural fertilizer and untreated wastewater upstream in Israel and the West Bank. Conflict about the waters of the Jordan River

14350-554: The Sea of Galilee is within the boundaries of Israel and forms the western boundary of the Golan Heights . South of the lake, it forms the border between the Kingdom of Jordan (to the east), and Israel (to the west). South of the Sea of Galilee, the river is situated about 210 metres below sea level. The last 120-kilometre-long (75 mi) section follows what is commonly termed the "Jordan Valley", which has less gradient (the total drop

14525-639: The Sea of Galilee to the National Water Carrier . Also in 1964, Jordan constructed a channel that diverted water from the Yarmouk to the East Ghor Canal . Syria has also built reservoirs that catch the Yarmouk's waters. Environmentalists blame Israel, Jordan and Syria for extensive damage to the Jordan River ecosystem. The Jordan River basin has a unique ichthyofauna as it serves as the meeting point for several different biogeographic regions, including

14700-465: The Tetrarchy system quickly failed, the division of the empire proved an enduring concept. Constantine I ( r.  306–337 ) secured sole power in 324. Over the following six years, he rebuilt the city of Byzantium as a capital city , which was renamed Constantinople . Rome , the previous capital, was further from the important eastern provinces and in a less strategically important location; it

14875-528: The Turkish invaders at the Battle of Hyelion and Leimocheir , brought troops from the capital and was able to gather an army along the way, a sign that the Byzantine army remained strong and that the defensive program of western Asia Minor was still successful. John and Manuel pursued active military policies, and both deployed considerable resources on sieges and city defences; aggressive fortification policies were at

15050-622: The West Bank derive their names in relation to the river. The river holds major significance in Judaism and Christianity . According to the Bible , the Israelites crossed it into the Promised Land and Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist in it. Several hypotheses for the origin of most of the river's names in modern languages (e.g., Jordan, Yarden, Urdunn), one is that it comes from Semitic 'Yard|on' 'flow down' <√ירד reflecting

15225-597: The West, Khosrow I of the Sasanian Empire invaded Byzantine territory and sacked Antioch in 540. Meanwhile, the emperor's internal reforms and policies began to falter, not helped by a devastating plague that killed a large proportion of the population and severely weakened the empire's social and financial stability. The most difficult period of the Ostrogothic war, against their king Totila , came during this decade, while divisions among Justinian's advisors undercut

15400-401: The West. Zeno ( r.  474–491 ) convinced the problematic Ostrogoth king Theodoric to take control of Italy from Odoacer, which he did; dying with the empire at peace, Zeno was succeeded by Anastasius I ( r.  491–518 ). Although his Monophysitism brought occasional issues, Anastasius was a capable administrator and instituted several successful financial reforms including

15575-581: The Western provinces to achieve an economic revival that continued until the close of the century. It has been argued that Byzantium under the Komnenian rule was more prosperous than at any time since the Persian invasions of the 7th century. During the 12th century, population levels rose and extensive tracts of new agricultural land were brought into production. Archaeological evidence from both Europe and Asia Minor shows

15750-522: The abolition of the chrysargyron tax . He was the first emperor to die with no serious problems affecting his empire since Diocletian. The reign of Justinian I was a watershed in Byzantine history. Following his accession in 527, the law-code was rewritten as the influential Corpus Juris Civilis and Justinian produced extensive legislation on provincial administration; he reasserted imperial control over religion and morality through purges of non-Christians and "deviants"; and having ruthlessly subdued

15925-663: The administration of the Emek HaMa'ayanot Regional Council . In 1933, archaeologist G.M. FitzGerald, under the auspices of the University of Pennsylvania Museum , carried out a "deep cut" on Tell el-Hisn ("castle hill"), the large tell , or mound, of Beth She'an, in order to determine the earliest occupation of the site. His results suggest that settlement began in the Late Neolithic or Early Chalcolithic periods (sixth to fifth millennia BC.) Occupation continued intermittently throughout

16100-569: The administration's response. He also did not fully heal the divisions in Chalcedonian Christianity , as the Second Council of Constantinople failed to make a real difference. Justinian died in 565; his reign saw more success than that of any other Byzantine emperor, yet he left his empire under massive strain. Financially and territorially overextended, Justin II ( r.  565–578 )

16275-607: The area was under the control of the Ptolemies , and Beit She'an is mentioned in 3rd–2nd century BCE written sources describing the Syrian Wars between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid dynasties. In 198 BCE the Seleucids finally conquered the region. In 63 BCE, Pompey made Judea a part of the Roman Republic . Beit She'an was refounded and rebuilt by Gabinius . The town center shifted from

16450-568: The aristocracy turned into wholesale slaughter, while the emperor resorted to ever more ruthless measures to shore up his regime. Despite his military background, Andronikos failed to deal with Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus, Béla III of Hungary who reincorporated Croatian territories into Hungary, and Stephen Nemanja of Serbia who declared his independence from the Byzantine Empire. Yet, none of these troubles compared to William II of Sicily 's invasion force of 300 ships and 80,000 men, arriving in 1185 and sacking Thessalonica . Andronikos mobilised

16625-586: The baptism of Jesus, water from the Jordan is employed for the christening of heirs and princes in several Christian royal houses, such as the cases of Prince George of Wales , Simeon of Bulgaria and James Ogilvy . Earlier, On 15 May 1717, the Empress Maria Theresa was baptised in Vienna by the Papal Nuntius Giorgio Spinola, representing Pope Clement XI , with baptismal water containing

16800-437: The body of King Saul on the walls of Beit She'an". Later, the people of Jabesh-Gilead took the remnants, carried them into their city, and burned them. No archeological evidence was found of a Philistine occupation of Beit She'an, but it is possible the force only passed there. The Hellenistic period saw the reoccupation of the site of Beit She'an under the new name "Scythopolis" ( Ancient Greek : Σκυθόπολις), meaning "City of

16975-488: The capital, and Alexios Angelos was elevated to the throne as Alexios IV along with his blind father Isaac. Alexios IV and Isaac II were unable to keep their promises and were deposed by Alexios V . The crusaders again took the city on 13 April 1204 , and Constantinople was subjected to pillage and massacre by the rank and file for three days. Many priceless icons, relics and other objects later turned up in Western Europe ,

17150-653: The center of its marketplace. In the Crusader period , the Lordship of Bessan was occupied by Tancred, Prince of Galilee in 1099; it was never part of the Principality of Galilee , despite its location, but became a royal domain of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1101, probably until around 1120. According to the Lignages d'Outremer , the first Crusader lord of Bessan once it became part of

17325-464: The city had collapsed so severely that it was now little more than a cluster of villages separated by fields. On 2 April 1453, Sultan Mehmed 's army of 80,000 men and large numbers of irregulars laid siege to the city. Despite a desperate last-ditch defence of the city by the massively outnumbered Christian forces (c. 7,000 men, 2,000 of whom were foreign), Constantinople finally fell to the Ottomans after

17500-540: The crusade was to conquer Egypt , the centre of Muslim power in the Levant. The Crusader army arrived at Venice in the summer of 1202 and hired the Venetian fleet to transport them to Egypt. As a payment to the Venetians, they captured the (Christian) port of Zara in Dalmatia , which was a vassal city of Venice, it had rebelled and placed itself under Hungary's protection in 1186. Shortly afterward, Alexios IV Angelos , son of

17675-499: The deposed and blinded Emperor Isaac II, made contact with the Crusaders. Alexios offered to reunite the Byzantine church with Rome, pay the Crusaders 200,000 silver marks, join the crusade, and provide all the supplies they needed to reach Egypt. The crusaders arrived at Constantinople in the summer of 1203 and quickly attacked , starting a major fire that damaged large parts of the city, and briefly seized control. Alexios III fled from

17850-504: The districts of Jund al-Urdunn , itself a part of the Bilad al-Sham , until the Crusades. The city declined; structures were built in the streets, narrowing them to mere alleys , and makeshift shops were opened among the colonnades. The city reached a low point in the 8th century, witnessed by the removal of marble for producing lime , the blocking off of the main street, and the conversion of

18025-429: The early kingdom of Israel at the latest, and that it was probably destroyed around 935–900 BC. The Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel under Tiglath-Pileser III (732 BC) brought about the destruction of Beit She'an by fire. Minimal reoccupation occurred until the Hellenistic period . The Hebrew Bible identifies Beit She'an as where the bodies of King Saul and three of his sons were hung by

18200-471: The east by allowing the Goths to settle in Roman territory; he also twice intervened in the western half, defeating the usurpers Magnus Maximus and Eugenius in 388 and 394 respectively. He actively condemned paganism , confirmed the primacy of Nicene Christianity over Arianism , and established Christianity as the Roman state religion . He was the last emperor to rule both the western and eastern halves of

18375-433: The east to Calabria in southern Italy in the west. Many successes had been achieved, ranging from the conquest of Bulgaria to the annexation of parts of Georgia and Armenia, and the reconquests of Crete , Cyprus , and the important city of Antioch . These were not temporary tactical gains but long-term reconquests. At the same time, Byzantium was faced with new enemies. Its provinces in southern Italy were threatened by

18550-527: The emperor's role as the leader of the Christian world, John marched into the Holy Land at the head of the combined forces of the empire and the Crusader states; yet despite his efforts in leading the campaign, his hopes were disappointed by the treachery of his Crusader allies. In 1142, John returned to press his claims to Antioch, but he died in the spring of 1143 following a hunting accident. John's chosen heir

18725-418: The empire's demise; its citizens referred to the polity as the "Roman Empire" and to themselves as "Romans". Due to the imperial seat's move from Rome to Byzantium , the adoption of state Christianity , and the predominance of Greek instead of Latin , modern historians continue to make a distinction between the earlier Roman Empire and the later Byzantine Empire . During the earlier Pax Romana period,

18900-523: The empire's eastern defences. The emergency lent weight to the military aristocracy in Anatolia, who in 1068 secured the election of one of their own, Romanos Diogenes , as emperor. In the summer of 1071, Romanos undertook a massive eastern campaign to draw the Seljuks into a general engagement with the Byzantine army. At the Battle of Manzikert , Romanos suffered a surprise defeat against Sultan Alp Arslan and

19075-544: The empire, gaining only short-term success. To avoid another sacking of the capital by the Latins, he forced the Church to submit to Rome, again a temporary solution for which the peasantry hated Michael and Constantinople. The efforts of Andronikos II and later his grandson Andronikos III marked Byzantium's last genuine attempts to restoring the glory of the empire. However, the use of mercenaries by Andronikos II often backfired, with

19250-460: The empire; after his death, the West would be destabilised by a succession of "soldier-emperors", unlike the East, where administrators would continue to hold power. Theodosius II ( r.  408–450 ) largely left the rule of the east to officials such as Anthemius , who constructed the Theodosian Walls to defend Constantinople, now firmly entrenched as Rome's capital. Theodosius' reign

19425-514: The end of the Norman threat during Alexios' reign. Alexios's son John II Komnenos succeeded him in 1118 and ruled until 1143. John was a pious and dedicated emperor who was determined to undo the damage to the empire suffered at the Battle of Manzikert half a century earlier. Famed for his piety and his remarkably mild and just reign, John was an exceptional example of a moral ruler at a time when cruelty

19600-659: The enemies that surrounded it. To maintain his campaigns against the Latins, Michael pulled troops from Asia Minor and levied crippling taxes on the peasantry, causing much resentment. Massive construction projects were completed in Constantinople to repair the damage of the Fourth Crusade, but none of these initiatives were of any comfort to the farmers in Asia Minor suffering raids from Muslim ghazis. Rather than holding on to his possessions in Asia Minor, Michael chose to expand

19775-542: The first Hebrew book on the geography of the Land of Israel . During the 400 years of Ottoman rule , Baysan lost its regional importance. During the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II when the Jezreel Valley railway , which was part of the Haifa to Damascus extension of the Hejaz railway was constructed, a limited revival took place. The local peasant population was largely impoverished by

19950-569: The former Byzantine possessions. Although Venice was more interested in commerce than conquering territory, it took key areas of Constantinople, and the Doge took the title of " Lord of a Quarter and Half a Quarter of the Roman Empire ". After the sack of Constantinople in 1204 by Latin crusaders, two Byzantine successor states were established: the Empire of Nicaea and the Despotate of Epirus . A third,

20125-544: The fort, allowing the Ottomans (who were hired as mercenaries during the civil war by John VI Kantakouzenos ) to establish themselves in Europe. By the time the Byzantine civil wars had ended, the Ottomans had defeated the Serbians and subjugated them as vassals. Following the Battle of Kosovo , much of the Balkans became dominated by the Ottomans. Constantinople by this stage was underpopulated and dilapidated. The population of

20300-431: The heart of their imperial military policies. Despite the defeat at Myriokephalon, the policies of Alexios, John and Manuel resulted in vast territorial gains, increased frontier stability in Asia Minor, and secured the stabilisation of the empire's European frontiers. From c.  1081 to c.  1180 , the Komnenian army assured the empire's security, enabling Byzantine civilisation to flourish. This allowed

20475-583: The historiographical periodizations of " Roman history ", " late antiquity ", and "Byzantine history" significantly overlap, there is no consensus on a "foundation date" for the Byzantine Empire, if there was one at all. The growth of the study of "late antiquity" has led to some historians setting a start date in the seventh or eighth centuries. Others believe a "new empire" began during changes in c.  300   AD. Still others hold that these starting points are too early or too late, and instead begin c.  500 . Geoffrey Greatrex believes that it

20650-448: The inland to the coast, as well as from Jerusalem and Jericho to the Galilee . Beit She'an is situated on Highway 90 , the north–south road which runs the length of the eastern edge of Israel and the West Bank. The city stretches over an area of 7 square kilometers with a substantial national park in the north of the city. Beit She'an has a population of 20,000. Today the town is under

20825-708: The later part of his reign, John focused his activities on the East, personally leading numerous campaigns against the Turks in Asia Minor. His campaigns fundamentally altered the balance of power in the East, forcing the Turks onto the defensive, while retaking many towns, fortresses, and cities across the peninsula for the Byzantines. He defeated the Danishmend Emirate of Melitene and reconquered all of Cilicia , while forcing Raymond of Poitiers , Prince of Antioch, to recognise Byzantine suzerainty. In an effort to demonstrate

21000-418: The measures he took to reform the government of the empire have been praised by historians. According to the historian George Ostrogorsky , Andronikos was determined to root out corruption: under his rule, the sale of offices ceased; selection was based on merit, rather than favouritism; and officials were paid an adequate salary to reduce the temptation of bribery. In the provinces, Andronikos's reforms produced

21175-579: The mid-13th century it had lost much of southern Anatolia. The weakening of the Sultanate of Rûm following the Mongol invasion in 1242–1243 allowed many beyliks and ghazis to set up their own principalities in Anatolia, weakening the Byzantine hold on Asia Minor. Two centuries later, one of the Beys of these beyliks, Osman I , would establish the Ottoman Empire that would eventually conquer Constantinople. However,

21350-468: The more endangered species. In modern times, up to 95% of the water is diverted for human purposes, and the flow is less than 10% of the past average. Because of this and the high evaporation rate of the Dead Sea, as well as industrial extraction of salts through evaporation ponds, the Dead Sea is rapidly shrinking. The flow rate of the Jordan River once was 1.3 billion cubic metres per year; as of 2010, just 20 to 30 million cubic metres per year flow into

21525-542: The most capable Byzantine emperors, withstood continued Arab attacks, civil unrest, and natural disasters, and reestablished the state as a major regional power. Leo's reign produced the Ecloga , a new code of law to succeed that of Justinian II, and continued to reform the "theme system" in order to lead offensive campaigns against the Muslims, culminating in a decisive victory in 740 . Constantine overcame an early civil war against his brother-in-law Artabasdos , made peace with

21700-431: The name appears as Yārdon in Anastasi I , an ancient Egyptian papyrus that probably dates to the time of Rameses II . Early Arab chronicles referred to the river as Al-Urdunn . In Mandaic , the etymologically related term Yardena ( Classical Mandaic : ࡉࡀࡓࡃࡍࡀ ) can refer not only to the Jordan River, but also any other body of flowing water that can be used for Mandaean baptismal rituals ( masbuta ). After

21875-405: The new Abbasid Caliphate , campaigned successfully against the Bulgars, and continued to make administrative and military reforms. However, due to both emperors' support for the Byzantine Iconoclasm , which opposed the use of religious icons , they were later vilified by Byzantine historians; Constantine's reign also saw the loss of Ravenna to the Lombards , and the beginning of a split with

22050-466: The newly-formed Arabic Rashidun Caliphate . By Heraclius' death in 641, the empire had been severely reduced economically as well as territorially—the loss of the wealthy eastern provinces had deprived Constantinople of three-quarters of its revenue. The next seventy-five years are poorly documented. Arab raids into Asia Minor began almost immediately, and the Byzantines resorted to holding fortified centres and avoiding battle at all costs; although it

22225-447: The northern Palearctic , the Afrotropics , East & South Asia , and the Mediterranean . Native fish include cyprinids such as the Jordan bream ( Achanthobrama lissneri ), Jordan himri ( Carasobarbus canis ), Jordan barbel ( Luciobarbus longiceps ), Levantine scraper ( Capoeta damascina ; the most common native fish in the basin), red garra ( Garra rufa ), & Damascus garra ( Garra nana ), hillstream loaches such as

22400-678: The northern cemetery was excavated in 1926. The tombs from this period consisted of small rock-cut halls with vaulted graves on three sides. A great variety of objects were found in the tombs, including terracotta figurines possibly depicting the Virgin and Child , many terracotta lamps, glass mirrors, bells, tools, knives, finger rings, iron keys, glass beads, bone hairpins, and many other items. Influential Christian personalities who lived or passed through Scythopolis are Procopius of Scythopolis (died July 7, 303), Cyril of Scythopolis (ca. 525–559), Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310/320 – 403) and Joseph of Tiberias (c. 285 – c. 356) who met there around

22575-404: The once large and swampy Lake Hula, which is slightly above sea level . Exiting the now much-diminished lake, it goes through an even steeper drop over the 25 kilometres (16 mi) down to the Sea of Galilee, which it enters at its northern end. The Jordan deposits much of the silt it is carrying within the lake, which it leaves again near its southern tip at Degania Dam . Its section north of

22750-406: The outset of his reign, Alexios faced a formidable attack from the Normans under Guiscard and his son Bohemund of Taranto , who captured Dyrrhachium and Corfu and laid siege to Larissa in Thessaly . Guiscard's death in 1085 temporarily eased the Norman problem. The following year, the Seljuq sultan died, and the sultanate was split due to internal rivalries. By his own efforts, Alexios defeated

22925-521: The patriarch Nicholas , the powerful Simeon I of Bulgaria , and other influential figures jockeyed for power. In 920, the admiral Romanos I used his fleet to secure power, crowning himself and demoting Constantine to the position of junior co-emperor. His reign, which brought peace with Bulgaria and successes in the east under the general John Kourkouas , was ended in 944 by the machinations of his sons, whom Constantine soon usurped in turn. Constantine's ineffectual sole rule has often been construed as

23100-400: The place, the temple was dedicated to the god Mekal. The Hebrew University excavations determined that this temple was built on the site of an earlier one. One of the most important finds near the temple is the Lion and Lioness (or a dog) stela, currently in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which depicts the two playing. During the three hundred years of rule by the New Kingdom of Egypt ,

23275-410: The pope and Western Christian kingdoms, and he successfully handled the passage of the crusaders through his empire. In the East, Manuel suffered a major defeat in 1176 at the Battle of Myriokephalon against the Turks. These losses were quickly recovered, and in the following year Manuel's forces inflicted a defeat upon a force of "picked Turks". The Byzantine commander John Vatatzes , who destroyed

23450-433: The population of Beit She'an appears to have been primarily Egyptian administrative officials and military personnel. The town was completely rebuilt, following a new layout, during the 19th dynasty . The Penn Museum excavations uncovered two important stelae from the period of Seti I and a monument of Ramesses II . One of those steles is particularly interesting because, according to William F. Albright , it testifies to

23625-439: The ports of southern Italy, he sent an expedition to Italy in 1155, but disputes within the coalition led to the eventual failure of the campaign. Despite this military setback, Manuel's armies successfully invaded the southern parts of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1167, defeating the Hungarians at the Battle of Sirmium . By 1168, nearly the whole of the eastern Adriatic coast lay in Manuel's hands. Manuel made several alliances with

23800-403: The presence of a Hebrew population: the Habiru , which Seti I protected from an Asiatic tribe. Pottery was produced locally, but some was made to mimic Egyptian forms. Other Canaanite goods existed alongside Egyptian imports, or locally made Egyptian-style objects. The 20th Dynasty saw the construction of large administrative buildings in Beit She'an, including "Building 1500", a small palace for

23975-449: The proposed Jewish state . Jewish forces and local Bedouins first clashed during the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine in February and March 1948, part of Operation Gideon , itself part of Plan Dalet . Joseph Weitz , a leading Yishuv figure, wrote in his diary on May 4, 1948, that, "The Beit Shean Valley is the gate for our state in the Galilee...[I]ts clearing is the need of the hour." Beisan, then an Arab village, fell to

24150-520: The rebels’ suspected base. According to population surveys conducted in British Mandate Palestine , Beisan consisted of 5,080 Muslim Arabs out of a population of 5,540 (92% of the population), with the remainder being listed as Christians. In 1945, the surrounding District of Baysan consisted of 16,660 Muslims (67%), 7,590 Jews (30%), and 680 Christians (3%); and Arabs owned 44% of land, Jews owned 34%, and 22% constituted public lands. The 1947 UN Partition Plan allocated Beisan and most of its district to

24325-401: The river has almost destroyed its ecosystem. Rescuing the Jordan could take decades, according to environmentalists. In 2007, FoEME named the Jordan River as one of the world's 100 most endangered ecological sites, due in part to lack of cooperation between Israel and neighboring Arab states. Route 90 , part of which is named after Rehavam Zeevi , connects the northern and southern tips of

24500-450: The river in the place John had first baptised ( John 10:39–40 ). Scholars have concluded that the site called Al-Maghtas on the east side has long been considered the location for the Baptism of Jesus and a place of pilgrimage. This has led to choosing Al-Maghtas as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2015. Because, according to Jewish tradition, the Israelites made a difficult and hazardous journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom in

24675-426: The river's declivity, possibly appearing also in other river names in the region such as Yarkon and Yarmouk , or it may be related to the Egyptian loanword 'yǝʾor' ('big river', the Nile ). According to this hypothesis, "Den" might be linked to the Akkadian word dannum for "powerful". Cognates of the word are found in Aramaic , Hebrew , Mandaic , and other Semitic languages . The first recorded use of

24850-459: The river, a quantity which is regulated by the 1994 peace treaty with Israel. In the past, one of the main water resources in Jordan was the Jordan River, with a flow of 1.3 billion m per year (BCM/yr). However, after Israel built the National Water Carrier in 1953 and diverted water from the Sea of Galilee to Israel's coastal plains and southern desert, the flow of the Lower Jordan River dropped significantly. The 50 MCM/yr that Israel provides from

25025-401: The riverine plain, their flocks and herds grazing round them." Beisan was home to a mainly Mizrahi Jewish community of 95 until 1936, when the 1936–1939 Arab revolt saw Beisan serve as a center of Arab attacks on Jews in Palestine. In 1938, after learning of the murder of his close friend and Jewish leader Haim Sturmann, Orde Wingate led his men on an offensive in the Arab section of Baysan,

25200-434: The site mainly from the 13th and 12th centuries BC. Most are in the typical Egyptian style but some are of a "grotesque" type linked to the Aegean which caused earlier archaeologists to suggest they were of the "sea peoples" which pharaoh Ramses III claimed to have resettled in the region. An Iron Age I (1200–1000 BC) Canaanite city was constructed on the site of the Egyptian center shortly after its destruction. According to

25375-414: The southern hill, where the Crusaders later built a castle. Jerusalemite historian al-Muqaddasi visited Baysan in 985, during the Abbasid Caliphate and wrote that it was "on the river, with plentiful palm trees, and water, though somewhat heavy (brackish.)" He further noted that Baysan was notable for its indigo , rice , dates , and grape syrup known as dibs . Its principal mosque was situated in

25550-403: The summit of the mound, or tell, to its slopes. Scythopolis prospered and became the leading city of the Decapolis , the only one west of the Jordan River. The city flourished under the " Pax Romana ", as evidenced by high-level urban planning and extensive construction, including the best preserved Roman theatre of ancient Samaria , as well as a hippodrome , a cardo and other trademarks of

25725-491: The throne. Alexios was highly incompetent in the office, and with his mother Maria of Antioch 's Frankish background, his regency was unpopular. Eventually, Andronikos I Komnenos , a grandson of Alexios I, overthrew Alexios II in a violent coup d'état . After eliminating his potential rivals, he had himself crowned as co-emperor in September 1183. He eliminated Alexios II and took his 12-year-old wife Agnes of France for himself. Andronikos began his reign well; in particular,

25900-445: The town and left a great deal of material culture behind. A large Canaanite temple (39 m (128 ft) in length) excavated by the University of Pennsylvania Museum (Penn Museum) may date from about the same period as Thutmose III 's conquest, though the Hebrew University excavations suggest that it dates to a later period. Artifacts of potential cultic significance were found around the temple. Based on an Egyptian stele found at

26075-446: The town was completely changed from 1948 to 1950. It had been entirely Muslim and Christian, designated to be part of the Jewish state in the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine , and was captured by the Haganah in May 1948. The battle over the town during Operation Gideon caused most of its inhabitants to flee, and the remainder were expelled. The town was then resettled by Jewish immigrants. Today, Beit She'an serves as

26250-408: The town. Scythopolis was primarily Christian, as attested to by many churches, but evidence of Jewish habitation and a Samaritan synagogue indicate established communities of these minorities. The pagan temple in the city centre was destroyed, but the nymphaeum and the thermae were restored. Many of the buildings of Scythopolis were damaged in the 363 Galilee earthquake . In 409, Syria Palaestina

26425-436: The traditional African-American spiritual/folk songs " Michael Row the Boat Ashore ", " Deep River ", and " Roll, Jordan, Roll ". It is mentioned in the songs " Eve of Destruction ", " Will You Be There ", and " The Wayfaring Stranger " and in " Ol' Man River " from the musical Show Boat . "The Far Side Banks of Jordan" by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash on June's Grammy Award -winning studio album, Press On , mentions

26600-442: The unpopular Irene was overthrown by Nikephoros I ; he reformed the empire's administration but died in battle against the Bulgars in 811. Military defeats and societal disorder, especially the resurgence of iconoclasm, characterised the next eighteen years. Stability was somewhat restored during the reign of Theophilos ( r.  829–842 ), who exploited economic growth to complete construction programs, including rebuilding

26775-429: The upper course (or most of it) is commonly referred to as passing through the " Hula Valley ", as opposed to "Upper Jordan Valley"; the Sea of Galilee through which the river passes is a separate entity, and the term Jordan Valley is reserved for the lower course. Over its upper course (fed by the Hasbani River, Banias River, Dan River, and the Iyyon Stream), the river drops rapidly in a 75-kilometre (47 mi) run to

26950-476: The waters of the Jordan River had been the largest water resource for Israel; lately, desalinated sea water from the Mediterranean has taken over this role. Israel's National Water Carrier, completed in 1964, has delivered water from the Sea of Galilee to the Israeli coastal plain for over four decades, until prolonged drought led to abandoning this solution in favour of desalination. Jordan receives 50,000,000 cubic metres (1.8 × 10  cu ft) of water from

27125-408: The west, the warlord Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustulus in 476, killed his titular successor Julius Nepos in 480, and the office of western emperor was formally abolished. Through a combination of luck, cultural factors, and political decisions, the Eastern empire never suffered from rebellious barbarian vassals and was never ruled by barbarian warlords—the problems which ensured the downfall of

27300-431: The western parts of the empire became increasingly Latinised , while the eastern parts largely retained their preexisting Hellenistic culture . This created a dichotomy between the Greek East and Latin West . These cultural spheres continued to diverge after Constantine I ( r.  324–337 ) moved the capital to Constantinople and legalised Christianity . Under Theodosius I ( r. 379–395 ), Christianity became

27475-399: The year 355. In 634, Byzantine forces were defeated by the Rashidun army under the Rashid caliph Umar , and the city reverted to its Semitic name, being named Baysan in Arabic. The day of victory came to be known in Arabic as Yawm Baysan "day of Baysan." The city was not damaged; newly-arrived Muslims lived alongside the Christian population until the 8th century. The town formed one of

27650-422: The zenith of Byzantine learning , but while several works were compiled, they were largely intended to legitimise and glorify the emperor's Macedonian dynasty . His son and successor died young; under two soldier-emperors, Nikephoros II ( r.  963–969 ) and John I Tzimiskes ( r.  969–976 ), the Roman army claimed numerous military successes, including the conquest of Cilicia and Antioch , and

27825-420: Was a bronze incense shovel with the handle in the form of an animal leg, or hoof, now in the University of Pennsylvania Museum . Copious archaeological remains were found dating to the Byzantine Empire (330–636) and were excavated by the Penn Museum from 1921 to 1923. A rotunda church was constructed on top of the tell , and a wall enclosed the entire city. Textual sources mention several other churches in

28000-463: Was a contributing factor to the Six-Day War when, starting in 1965, Syria attempted to divert some of its headwaters in collaboration with Lebanon and Jordan. The diversion works would have reduced the water availability for Israel's carrier by about 35%, and Israel's overall water supply by about 11%. In the Hebrew Bible the Jordan is referred to as the source of fertility of a large plain ("Kikkar ha-Yarden"), said to be watered like "the garden of

28175-540: Was also the capital of sugar cane processing for the region. Jisr al-Maqtu'a, "the truncated/cut-off bridge", a bridge consisting of a single arch spanning 25 ft (7.6 m) and hung 50 ft (15 m) above a stream, was built during that period. During this period, the inhabitants of Baysan were mainly Muslim, but there were some Jews . The 14th century topographer Ishtori Haparchi settled there and completed his work " Bulb and Flower" ( Hebrew : כפתור ופרח , romanized :  Kaftor vaFeraḥ ) in 1322,

28350-447: Was besieged in August 1068 and fell in April 1071 . About 1053, Constantine IX disbanded what the historian John Skylitzes calls the "Iberian Army", which consisted of 50,000 men, and it was turned into a contemporary Drungary of the Watch . Two other knowledgeable contemporaries, the former officials Michael Attaleiates and Kekaumenos , agree with Skylitzes that by demobilising these soldiers, Constantine did catastrophic harm to

28525-560: Was captured. Alp Arslan treated him with respect and imposed no harsh terms on the Byzantines. In Constantinople a coup put in power Michael Doukas , who soon faced the opposition of Nikephoros Bryennios and Nikephoros III Botaneiates . By 1081, the Seljuks had expanded their rule over virtually the entire Anatolian plateau from Armenia in the east to Bithynia in the west, and had established their capital at Nicaea , just 90 kilometres (56 miles) from Constantinople. The Komnenian dynasty attained full power under Alexios I in 1081. From

28700-414: Was divided and Scythopolis became the capital of the northern region of Palaestina Secunda . and the See of Scythopolis was the Metropolitan archdiocese . Dedicatory inscriptions indicate a preference for donations to religious buildings. Many colourful mosaics were preserved, such as that featuring the zodiac in the Lady Mary's Monastery, or the one with a temple menorah and the phrase shalom in

28875-449: Was given credit for his predecessor's achievements. Basil I ( r.  867–886 ) continued Michael's policies. His armies campaigned with mixed results in Italy but defeated the Paulicians of Tephrike . His successor Leo VI ( r.  886–912 ) compiled and propagated a huge number of written works. These included the Basilika , a Greek translation of Justinian I's law-code which included over 100 new laws of Leo's devising;

29050-514: Was his fourth son, Manuel I Komnenos , who campaigned aggressively against his neighbours both in the west and east. In Palestine, Manuel allied with the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and sent a large fleet to participate in a combined invasion of Fatimid Egypt . Manuel reinforced his position as overlord of the Crusader states, with his hegemony over Antioch and Jerusalem secured by agreement with Raynald , Prince of Antioch, and Amalric of Jerusalem . In an effort to restore Byzantine control over

29225-487: Was invaded annually, Anatolia avoided permanent Arab occupation. The outbreak of the First Fitna in 656 gave Byzantium breathing space, which it used wisely: some order was restored in the Balkans by Constans II ( r.  641–668 ), who began the administrative reorganisation known as the " theme system ", in which troops were allocated to defend specific provinces. With the help of the recently rediscovered Greek fire , Constantine IV ( r.  668–685 ) repelled

29400-497: Was marked by the theological dispute over Nestorianism , which was eventually deemed heretical , and by the formulation of the Codex Theodosianus law code. It also saw the arrival of Attila 's Huns , who ravaged the Balkans and exacted a massive tribute from the empire; Attila however switched his attention to the rapidly-deteriorating western empire , and his people fractured after his death in 453. After Leo I ( r.  457–474 ) failed in his 468 attempt to reconquer

29575-406: Was not esteemed by the "soldier-emperors" who ruled from the frontiers or by the empire's population who, having been granted citizenship , considered themselves "Roman". Constantine extensively reformed the empire's military and civil administration and instituted the gold solidus as a stable currency. He favoured Christianity , which he had converted to in 312. Constantine's dynasty fought

29750-506: Was occupied by conflicts against two prominent generals, Bardas Skleros and Bardas Phokas , which ended in 989 with the former's death and the latter's submission. Between 1021 and 1022, following years of tensions, Basil II led a series of victorious campaigns against the Kingdom of Georgia , resulting in the annexation of several Georgian provinces to the empire. Basil's successors also annexed Bagratid Armenia in 1045. Importantly, both Georgia and Armenia were significantly weakened by

29925-450: Was only used to describe the inhabitants of that city; it did not refer to the empire, which they called Romanía —"Romanland". After the empire's fall, early modern scholars referred to the empire by many names, including the "Empire of Constantinople", the "Empire of the Greeks", the "Eastern Empire", the "Late Empire", the "Low Empire", and the "Roman Empire". The increasing use of "Byzantine" and "Byzantine Empire" likely started with

30100-441: Was overthrown in 695 after attempting to exact too much from his subjects; over the next twenty-two years, six more rebellions followed in an era of political instability . The reconstituted caliphate sought to break Byzantium by taking Constantinople, but the newly crowned Leo III managed to repel the 717–718 siege , the first major setback of the Muslim conquests. Leo and his son Constantine V ( r.  741–775 ), two of

30275-467: Was soon at war on many fronts. The Lombards , fearing the aggressive Avars , conquered much of northern Italy by 572. The Sasanian wars restarted that year, and continued until the emperor Maurice finally emerged victorious in 591; by that time, the Avars and Slavs had repeatedly invaded the Balkans , causing great instability. Maurice campaigned extensively in the region during the 590s, but although he managed to re-establish Byzantine control up to

30450-443: Was the leading city of the Decapolis . A multi-cultural metropolis under Byzantine rule, it served as the capital of the province of Palaestina Secunda , and had a mixed population of Christians , pagans , Jews and Samaritans . After the Arab conquest of the Levant , and following a series of devastating earthquakes (most notably in 749 ), the city lost its prominence, and became a medium-sized country town. The population of

30625-428: Was the norm. For this reason, he has been called the Byzantine Marcus Aurelius . During his twenty-five-year reign, John made alliances with the Holy Roman Empire in the West and decisively defeated the Pechenegs at the Battle of Beroia . He thwarted Hungarian and Serbian threats during the 1120s, and in 1130 he allied himself with Lothair III , the German Emperor against the Norman King Roger II of Sicily . In

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