Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T19:48:35.652Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

2 - The Roman army in Palestine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2009

Mark A. Chancey
Affiliation:
Southern Methodist University, Texas
Get access

Summary

The arrival in Palestine of the Roman general Pompey in 63 BCE marks the beginning of a new chapter in the region's history. The following decades and centuries would bring drastic changes: the end of the Hasmonean dynasty; proxy rule of Palestine by the Romans through the Herodian client kings; the piecemeal annexation of the area and, with it, the implementation of direct Roman rule through prefects and procurators; the establishment of a Roman military presence; the destruction of the Jewish temple; and the slow emergence of rabbinic Judaism. The Romans brought with them the mixture of Roman culture and Hellenistic culture characteristic of their eastern empire. To a large degree, then, Romanization included Hellenization.

Understanding the chronological development of Rome's administrative and military presence in the region is crucial for understanding the spread of Greco-Roman culture there. In this chapter, I provide an overview of Rome's military activity in Palestine, paying special attention to variations between regions and over time. I will argue that because Galilee did not receive a long-term garrison until c. 120 CE, contact with Roman soldiers in Galilee would have been uncommon in Jesus' lifetime, the story of his famous exchange with a centurion at Capernaum notwithstanding. As future chapters will demonstrate, a strong correlation exists between the arrival of Roman soldiers and the emergence of certain forms of Greco-Roman culture.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • The Roman army in Palestine
  • Mark A. Chancey, Southern Methodist University, Texas
  • Book: Greco-Roman Culture and the Galilee of Jesus
  • Online publication: 22 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511487910.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • The Roman army in Palestine
  • Mark A. Chancey, Southern Methodist University, Texas
  • Book: Greco-Roman Culture and the Galilee of Jesus
  • Online publication: 22 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511487910.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Roman army in Palestine
  • Mark A. Chancey, Southern Methodist University, Texas
  • Book: Greco-Roman Culture and the Galilee of Jesus
  • Online publication: 22 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511487910.004
Available formats
×