Middle East Kingdoms

Bashan

This was a small state which was based in the scrub country immediately east of the Golan Heights in modern Syria, to the south of Damascus. Founded in about the fifteenth century BC by Ammonite and Canaanite settlers, it was subject to Amorite incursions during the fourteenth century, and it was they who turned it into a kingdom. While limited in its power, at times it controlled the Golan Heights themselves, and territory from Hermon to Gilead, north to south, and the River Jordan to Salcah, east to west. Following its conquest by the Israelites the city almost disappeared from historical records.

fl c.1330 BC

Zirtaya

1300s BC

Amawashe

fl c.1135 - 1115 BC

Og the Amorite

1100s - 928 BC

Bashan (the Bible's Basha) is conquered by the Israelite tribe of Menasseh when Og's forces are completely routed while attempting to push back the invaders.

928 - 850 BC

Bashan is part of the kingdom of Samaria.

850 - 732 BC

Damascus removes Bashan from Samarian control.

732 - 43 BC

The Assyrians capture and destroy Damascus. Bashan is controlled by whomever has Damascus until Rome occupies the area.

Batanaea

From around the sixth century BC, Achaemenid-controlled Bashan was divided into four districts: Gaulonitis (Jaulan), the most western of them; Auranitis (the Hauran); Argob or Trachonitis, now the Lejah - Argob had been one of Solomon's Israelite commissariat districts in the tenth century BC; and Batanaea (modern Ard-el-Bathanyeh), to the east of the Lejah.

Although Syria and the Levant were conquered by Rome in 63 BC, some areas were invaded and occupied by Parthians between 40-37 BC. When Roman control returned, a client kingdom was set up at Batanaea, sometimes under the supervision of Judea and answering directly to Rome for the rest of the time.

AD 6? - 34

Philip

King of Judea.

39? - 44

Agrippa I

King of Judea.

52 - c.100

Agrippa II

King of Judea. In Chalcis (52-53).

c.100

Direct rule by Rome follows.

1967

The city falls under Israeli control once again.