Best Levant
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The Kingdom of Israel emerged as a significant political entity in ancient western Asia during the early first millennium BCE. It encompassed territory primarily within modern-day Israel, Palestine, and parts of Lebanon and Jordan. Notable for its development of Hebrew language and culture, it repre...
The Kingdom of Judah emerged as a significant successor state to Israel during the Iron Age Levant. It was characterized by its Hebrew language and religious traditions centered around Jerusalem’s Temple. The kingdom's eventual fall to the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 586 BC marked a pivotal moment in J...
The Battle of Hattin in 1187 was a decisive victory for Ayyubid forces under Saladin against the Crusader army. Occurring near the Sea of Galilee, it marked a turning point in the Third Crusade and resulted in significant territorial losses for the Crusaders. The battle’s impact reshaped medieval Le...
Lachish Letters are small pottery shards bearing Hebrew inscriptions dating to approximately 588 BC. These ostraca represent the last messages sent by Judahite soldiers during the siege of Lachish, a key city in Judah before its fall to the Babylonian Empire. The inscriptions provide invaluable insi...
The Kingdom of Israel was a significant Bronze Age polity in the Levant centered around modern-day Israel and Palestine. Established following David’s conquest and consolidated under Solomon, it represented the first unified kingdom among the Israelites. Its notable legacy includes its centralized a...
The United Monarchy of Israel existed in ancient times during the Levant region. It represents the first formalized kingdom within the Israelites, established by Saul and later expanded under David and Solomon. This period is significant for its development of centralized governance, religious pract...
Ofer Bar-Yosef is a prominent Israeli archaeologist specializing in the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods of the Levant region. His research significantly advanced our knowledge of early agricultural transitions and societal changes during the late Stone Age. He focuses on sites dating from the Pre-...
The 1260 Battle of Ain Jalut in Palestine saw Mamluk forces decisively defeat the Mongol Empire, permanently halting their military advance into the Levant region and North Africa.
The Deir Alla inscription is a painted plaster text from Jordan that records the visions of a non-Israelite prophet named Balaam in the 8th century BC.
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Crusader state founded in 1099 after the First Crusade, centered on Jerusalem and the Latin East.
Thriving in the Levant from 1500 BC, the Phoenician civilization is notable for its vast maritime trade networks and developing the phonetic ancestor of the modern Latin alphabet.
The Kingdom of Palmyra was a Syrian city-state turned short-lived empire under Zenobia, notable for challenging Rome from 270 to 273 CE.
Tell es-Sultan near Jericho in the West Bank is widely considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with occupation layers extending back over 10,000 years and evidence of early mudbrick architecture.
Bronze Age port city on the Syrian coast (c. 1450–1185 BCE) where excavations beginning in 1929 revealed one of the earliest known alphabetic writing systems.
Anna Belfer-Cohen is an Israeli archaeologist recognized for her significant contributions to the study of the Upper Paleolithic and Natufian periods.
Middle East steppe is WWF ecoregion PA0812, an arid shrub steppe from Jordan through Syria and Iraq to Iran around the upper Tigris-Euphrates.
The Ghassanid Kingdom was an Arab Christian client kingdom of Byzantium in the Levant, notable for guarding the empire's eastern frontier.
The Kingdom of Edessa was the first Crusader state established in 1098 during the First Crusade, notable for its early fall to Muslim forces in 1144.
The Kingdom of Aram-Damascus was an Aramean state in Syria, notable for resisting Assyrian expansion before its fall in 732 BCE.
Colletes judaicus is a plasterer bee described in 1955 native to the Middle East, recognized for its crucial role in pollinating almond orchards across Israel and Jordan.
The Orontes River is a major river in Western Asia flowing through Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey, historically serving as a key battleground during the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC.
The Gezer Calendar is a 10th-century BC agricultural limestone tablet found in Israel, representing one of the earliest known examples of ancient Hebrew.
Andrena fuscosa is a large, dark-colored mining bee native to southern Europe and the Middle East, where it serves as a specialized pollinator for various wildflowers and orchids.
The Kingdom of Acre was a relocated Crusader state established in the Levant in 1191, serving as the final political center for European forces in the region until its conquest in 1291.
The Arab Kingdom of Syria was a short-lived Hashemite monarchy proclaimed in Damascus in March 1920 under Faisal I and ended by French forces.
The Khirbet Qeiyafa Ostracon is a 10th-century BCE pottery sherd found in Israel featuring an early Canaanite script, notable for debates on the rise of the Kingdom of Judah.
