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3b - Syria-Palestine under Achaemenid rule

from 3 - The major regions of the empire

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

By
I. Eph'al
Edited by
John Boardman ,
N. G. L. Hammond ,
D. M. Lewis  and
M. Ostwald
I. Eph'al
Affiliation:
Hebrew University, Jerusalem
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Summary

INTRODUCTION

In 539 B.C. Cyrus overcame Nabonidus, the last king of Babylonia; as a consequence, Syria–Palestine fell into the Persian king's hands, and thus began the period of Persian rule in the history of these countries, a period that was to last more than two hundred years. To the best of our knowledge, Cyrus fought no battles in this region; neither was his domination of Syria and Babylonia achieved in stages. In view of the way in which a transfer of imperial power is usually effected – a single, decisive battle (sometimes two or three battles), with the administrative system remaining intact and only the actual reins of government changing hands – it is a reasonable assumption that Cyrus' chief concern was to ensure a decisive victory over Nabonidus in Babylon (where the Persian king apparently enjoyed considerable local support). His success in this enterprise made him master of a territorial complex which, under the Chaldaeans, had extended ‘from Gaza at the border of Egypt (and) the Upper Sea (= the Mediterranean) beyond the Euphrates up to the Lower Sea (= the Persian Gulf)’. Until 525, Palestine marked the farthest limit of Persian rule; beyond Sinai lay Egypt. However, as a result of Cambyses' conquest of Egypt in that same year, the entire region west of the Euphrates took on a unique geopolitical significance in the context of the Persian empire, which was to increase in time as the conflict between the Persians and the Greeks gained momentum. Syria– Palestine was now to be a vital bridge – both by land and by sea – for the maintenance of Persia's power in Egypt and for her struggle with Greece, much of which took place at sea.

Keywords

SamariaAchaemenid EmpirePersian periodSyria-palestine
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The Cambridge Ancient History , pp. 139 - 164
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1988

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