The Hula Valley at sunrise. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

Today, the Hula Valley, north of the Sea of Galilee, is one of the most fertile agricultural regions in Israel. In the biblical period, however, it was better known as an important trade route connecting the commercial centers of Syria and northern Mesopotamia with the eastern Mediterranean and Egypt. Home to important biblical sites like Hazor, Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, the Hula Valley is never mentioned by name in the Bible but it played an important role in the geopolitical history of the region.

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Exploring the Hula Valley

A fertile valley between the Golan Heights and the Upper Galilee, the Hula was home to several major Bronze Age and Iron Age cities. The valley also formed the northernmost extension of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. While today the region is filled with agricultural fields, historically the area was made up of extensive marshlands centered on the Hula Lake, which was fed by the Hasbani, Banias, and Dan rivers. The waters from the Hula Lake would then flow south through the marshlands into the Sea of Galilee. The Hula Lake has sometimes been identified as the Waters of Merom, where Joshua fought and defeated the Canaanite kings led by Jabin, the king of Hazor (Joshua 11). However, those “waters” are more often thought to refer to various springs located along the western side of the valley.

The six-chambered gate of Israelite Hazor. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

Although the Hula Valley has been inhabited since prehistory, its major settlements—Hazor, Dan (Canaanite Laish), and Abel Beth Maacah—were all established as Canaanite cities in the Bronze Age (c. 3300–1200 BCE). During this period, Hazor was the largest fortified city in the southern Levant and one of the most important in the entire Near East, with cultural and economic ties to Syria and Mesopotamia. This status is reflected in the Book of Joshua, where Hazor is called “the head of all those kingdoms” (Joshua 11:10).

Courtesy BAS.

The Hula Valley came under Israelite control during the Iron Age (c. 1200–586 BCE), when it became a frequent battle ground between the Israelite and Aramean kingdoms, as witnessed in the famous Tel Dan Stele. The valley’s major cities were largely destroyed during the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom by Tiglath-Pileser III (c. 733/732 BCE). The area thrived again during the Roman period (c. 37 BCE–324 CE), when it formed part of the agricultural hinterland of Caesarea Philippi/Panias.

View of the agricultural fields of the Hula Valley from Tel Hazor. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

With a warm Mediterranean climate and lots of water, the valley is exceedingly rich in flora and fauna, and today it is home to a large nature reserve. The valley is an important stop on the migratory path of birds traveling between Europe and Africa. As such, it is often filled with hundreds of bird species, including pelicans, cranes, herons, ibises, and many more. It is also home to many mammal species, including boars, jackals, otters, and lynx. The Hula Lake once covered nearly 5 square miles and was one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the region. However, following systematic attempts in the 20th century to drain the surrounding marshland in order to combat malaria, today the lake is only around 0.5 square miles.

This article first appeared in Bible History Daily on March 3, 2025.

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The caves at Qumran in the Judean Desert. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

Also known as the Wilderness of Judah, the Judean Desert is only mentioned by name a few times in the Bible. However, it played an important role in several biblical and non-biblical events, including as a refuge for David, a place of temptation for Jesus, and the last stand of Jewish rebels against Rome. With steep mountain slopes to the west and the lowest place on earth (the Dead Sea) to the east, the Judean Desert is one of the Holy Land’s more unique and awe-inspiring regions.

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Wilderness Wanderings

Hiking through the wadi at Ein Gedi. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

The Judean Desert consists not of rolling sand dunes but instead is a rocky plateau cut by cavernous valleys (wadis) that ends abruptly in a steep escarpment dropping down hundreds of feet to the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley to the east. Largely lacking vegetation except for seasonal grasses, the Judean Desert is home to ibexes, rock hyraxes, and a variety of reptiles and birds. The area has been sparsely inhabited throughout history, with most of its settlements being located near wadis and desert springs, such as Ein Gedi.

The Judean Desert features many caves along its wadis and the steep escarpment that abuts the Dead Sea and the Jordan Rift Valley. It was in these caves that David hid from King Saul and cut off a corner of his robe (1 Samuel 24). Throughout history, people have hid both themselves and their possessions in these caves. This includes important archaeological finds such as the Dead Sea Scrolls (also known as the Judean Desert Scrolls), which were discovered in both man-made and natural caves throughout the region. Archaeologists have also discovered caches of Roman swords, cultic objects, and much more. The rugged and secluded beauty of the region also made it an ideal place for Christian monasteries, with several dozen having been built from the Byzantine period (fourth to seventh centuries CE) to more recent times.

St. George Monastery in Wadi Qelt. Dr. Avishai Teicher Pikiwiki Israel, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.

Beyond its caves and ravines, the desert is also home to several important mountains, including the Mount of Temptation, which towers above the nearby city of Jericho and is widely associated with the narrative of Jesus’s 40-day wandering in the wilderness (Mark 1). In addition, Masada was a mountaintop fortress first built by the Hasmonean ruler Alexander Jannaeus and later turned into a palace by Herod the Great. It was also at Masada that some of the last Jewish rebels famously sought refuge during the First Jewish Revolt (66–72 CE).

View of the Dead Sea from on top of Masada. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

This article was first published in Bible History Daily on February 14, 2025.

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Aerial view of Khirbet al-Ra‘i. Courtesy Emil Ajem, Israel Antiquities Authority.

What do a Judahite scribe, a Roman-era Greek historian, and a 17th-century explorer all have in common? Each holds a piece of the puzzle to the elusive location of a famous biblical site—ancient Ziklag.

For years, scholars have theorized about the location of biblical Ziklag, notable in the Bible as young David’s haven from King Saul. One suggestion, which has garnered much attention, is that Ziklag should be identified with the tenth-century B.C.E. hilltop site of Khirbet al-Ra’i in the Judean Shephelah. In a recent article, published in the Israel Exploration Journal, scholars Zachary Thomas and Chris McKinney challenge this proposal. Thomas and McKinney bring together ancient literary sources and the results of earlier excavations to challenge the Khirbet al-Ra’i proposal and suggest a new theory, that biblical Ziklag is actually the far-lesser known site of Tell esh-Shari’a in the northwestern Negev.

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Map of various cities in the region around al-Ra’i and esh Shari’a. Courtesy Biblical Archaeology Society.

But where was this biblical city? Initially, the excavators of Khirbet al-Ra’i proposed their site was the best candidate for ancient Ziklag. Radiocarbon dates indicate settlement at the site in the early tenth century B.C.E., the period associated with King David. Scholars also point to the site’s large assemblage of Philistine pottery, as well as Khirbet al-Ra’i’s proximity to Gath and the Negev highlands. Thomas and McKinney argue, however, that Khirbet al-Ra’i cannot be ancient Ziklag because the site’s major phases of occupation do not coincide with the biblical account. Moreover, they posit that the biblical authors listed Ziklag among the cities of the northern Negev or the Beersheba Basin, and that it was not a city in the Shephelah, where Khirbet al-Ra’i is located (Joshua 19:1–10).

Tell esh-Shari’a, recently identified as a more likely candidate for biblical Ziklag. Danny Gershoni, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Instead, Thomas and McKinney argue that the little-known site of Tell esh-Shari’a, located in the northern Negev, halfway between Gaza and Beersheba, is a much better candidate for biblical Ziklag. Archaeological evidence from Tell esh-Shari’a suggests continuous occupation from the Middle Bronze Age to the early Roman period. Additionally, written records that describe Ziklag’s location—ranging from the Greek historian Eusebius’s Onomasticon to the travel logs of a 17th-century explorer—place the city about 15 miles east of Gaza, which aligns much more closely with the geographic location given in the biblical account. While this new identification raises exciting questions about Tell esh-Shari’a and its importance during the time of King David, the debate about Ziklag’s true location will surely continue.

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Setting up camp in the Sinai Desert in the 1800s. Frith, Francis (Photographer), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Well known for its role in the biblical Exodus, the Sinai Peninsula spans roughly 23,000 square miles, making it larger than the modern state of Israel and two-thirds the size of Jordan. Widely believed to be the dramatic setting of the revelation of God’s divine name and the giving of the Ten Commandments, the Sinai Peninsula played a major part in the early history of the Israelites and in the broader movements of ancient peoples between Africa and Asia.

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The Bible’s Periphery

Despite being known today as Sinai, the peninsula has carried various names throughout history and only became widely referred to as the Sinai in modern times, based on its association with biblical Mt. Sinai. The earliest written references to the region come from the Egyptians, who began to colonize the area in the late fourth millennium BCE. Egyptian control over the region was primarily driven by the peninsula’s mineral wealth, especially turquoise. One of the most important turquoise mines was Serabit el-Khadem, where archaeologists in the early 20th century discovered some of the first known inscriptions in Proto-Sinaitic, the earliest alphabetic script.

Drawing of St. Catherine’s Monastery with Jebel Musa in the background. Courtesy Photo Companion to the Bible, Exodus.

Despite its central role in the story of the Exodus, the Sinai is only mentioned a handful of times elsewhere in the Bible. Yet, it can be assumed that the Sinai Peninsula played an essential role in many biblical stories, especially those involving Egypt. As the only land bridge between Asia and Africa, the peninsula was the primary route for armies and caravans moving to and from Egypt, which made the Sinai a key region for Egyptian pharaohs, such as Shishak and Necho, during their Levantine campaigns, as well as the prophet Jeremiah’s journey to Egypt.

Surprisingly, while the Israelites would have needed to cross the Sinai Peninsula during the Exodus, the mountain that gives the peninsula its modern name may not even be located in the Sinai Peninsula. Although many of the proposed locations for Mt. Sinai are located in the Sinai Peninsula, some scholars suggest that it might instead be located in North Arabia. Despite these scholarly debates, Jabal Musa, in south-central Sinai, remains the most widely accepted location.

In terms of geography, the Sinai Peninsula can be separated into two distinct zones. The northern portion, which makes up about two-thirds of the peninsula, is an expansive desert plateau that seamlessly connects to the neighboring Negev Desert and shares much of the same flora and fauna. The southern portion, however, is dominated by prominent mountain peaks, which have a much broader range of environmental and climatic zones.

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An archaeologist at the site of Timna in the Arava Valley. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

Within the Bible, the name Arava often refers to the entire Jordan Rift Valley, the narrow stretch of land running from the Sea of Galilee all the way down to the Red Sea, passing through the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth. Despite this, the modern term is most often used to refer specifically to the southern half of the Rift Valley, otherwise known as the Wadi Arava. This southern section, which will be the focus here, is perhaps best known in the Hebrew Bible as the land where the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, a central area in the kingdom of biblical Edom.

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Wadi Arava

The Wadi Arava stretches around 100 miles from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, ranging from about 6 to 25 miles wide. An arid desert, the Arava is bordered on the east by the visually captivating Edomite Highlands, which rise up from the Arava Valley as an imposing mountain range. On the western side, the Arava is flanked by the equally mountainous southern Negev Desert.

Although the valley forms a natural border between Israel and Jordan today, it was rarely a defined political border in antiquity. Instead, during the Iron Age (c. 1200–586 BCE), it frequently fell within the realm of Edom. During the time of the Exodus, the Arava would have been a familiar area for the Israelites, who wandered through it during their 40-year sojourn. The Arava would later be incorporated into the land of the Nabateans, whose capital city, Petra, was nestled deep in the Edomite Highlands to the east.

Standing within the remains of an ancient copper mine in Timna. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

While few large biblical sites exist in the Arava Valley, historically it was a major center for copper production, including both the important mines of Faynan and Timna, which were major sources of the mineral during the Bronze and Iron Ages, when they were managed first by the Egyptians and then the kingdom of Edom.

A large male ibex resting in the Arava. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

Despite its desert climate, a trip through the Arava still reveals a diverse array of both flora and fauna. Most prominent are acacia trees, as well as numerous species of shrubs and even the occasional flowering plant. As for animals, the valley is home to ibexes, gazelles, jackals, hyenas, and more.

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The lower city and tell of Beit Shean in the Jezreel Valley. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

A natural route connecting the Coastal Plain to the Jordan Valley and beyond, the Jezreel Valley is the site of numerous biblical events, including the apocalyptic battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16). Home to an impressive list of archaeological sites, the Jezreel Valley is one of the areas that no tourist to the Holy Land should miss.

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From Jezreel to Armageddon

Lush and fertile, the Jezreel Valley stretches west to east from the area of Haifa along the coast to the site of Beth Shean at the edge of the Jordan Valley. North to south, the valley is squeezed between the Galilee and the central hill country. Several miles wide in places, the valley is a relatively flat stretch of land that formed a natural corridor along which people have traveled since prehistory.

Map of the Holy Land with the Jezreel Valley highlighted. BAS

Today, the area is mainly an agricultural zone with a few small cities. In antiquity, however, the valley was an important commercial and strategic corridor, including a stretch of the Via Maris trade route that connected Egypt to Mesopotamia. Due to this, several large cities thrived in the Jezreel Valley during the Bronze and Iron Ages, including the city of Jezreel, from which the valley derives its name. Other important cities included Shimron, Beth Shean, and Megiddo. During the Roman period, the valley was home to the Sixth Roman “Ironclad” Legion, which may have influenced the description of an apocalyptic battle taking place at Armageddon, a name derived from the Hebrew Har Megiddo (Mount Megiddo).

Tell Megiddo seen from the Roman Legionary fort of Legio in the Jezreel Valley. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

According to the Hebrew Bible, the Jezreel Valley was the setting for many important biblical events. Among them were Deborah and Barak’s battle against the Canaanites, the battle of Gideon against the Amalekites, and even King Josiah’s untimely death at the hands of the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho II. However, many more biblical events are documented as having taken place in and around the Jezreel Valley, providing further evidence of its great importance.

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The coastline of the Coastal Plain of the Holy Land at the archaeological site of Apollonia Arsuf. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

In the Hebrew Bible, the geographic area of the Coastal Plain is often depicted as the heartland of the Philistines, with their major city-states situated in the plain’s southern reaches. Yet, the Coastal Plain was also home to the Phoenicians in the north and one of the most important trade routes in the entire region, the Way of the Sea.

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Philistines, Phoenicians, and the Coast

Extending along the coastline of the southern Levant, the coastal plain stretches the entire length of the Holy Land, from the Sinai Peninsula to the Rosh HaNikra Cliffs, broken only momentarily by the Carmel Mountain range, near the modern city of Haifa. Nearly 25 miles wide in the south, the plain is squeezed in the north by the Galilee highlands and is only 3 miles wide in its most northern reaches. The Coastal Plain is characterized by fertile and humid conditions. In more recent times, it was famous for its many citrus orchards. Throughout the region today, one can find sandy beaches, rolling grasslands, and even a few forests. The plain is also home to several small rivers, with the largest being the Yarkon (near Tel Aviv) and the Kishon (near Haifa).

The author and his son in Ben Shemen Forest in the Coastal Plain. Courtesy Rozalin Steinmeyer

Throughout history, important cities have thrived on the Coastal Plain, particularly along the coastline. Among these are famous biblical sites such as Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Jaffa (Joppa), Caesarea Maritima, and Akko. Unlike many other regions of the Holy Land, a large percentage of the Coastal Plain’s important historical and archaeological sites remain inhabited even today. A significant reason for this is that many coastal sites were founded around natural harbors, through which international trade has flowed since the beginning of recorded history until modern times. The harbors have also made the Coastal Plain an excellent area for underwater archaeology.

Overlooking the Coastal plain from Tel es-Safi/Gath. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

Historically, the Coastal Plain was also home to the Via Maris (“Way of the Sea”), a crucial trade route that connected Egypt to the Levant, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia. The importance of this route brought both riches and conflict to the cities along the coast, as Egypt and other kingdoms frequently tried to control the route through political or military force.

The remains of Herod’s promontory palace in Caesarea Maritima, possibly the site of the trial of Paul. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS..

The Coastal Plain can be separated into three distinct regions: the Plain of Philistia in the south, the Sharon Plain in the center, and the Plain of Akko in the north. As the name implies, the Plain of Philistia consists largely of the region inhabited by the major Philistine city-states: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. As such, nearly all biblical history dealing with the Philistines centers around this region. The Plain of Sharon is mentioned a few times as a general geographic description in the Hebrew Bible, but also gives its name to the enigmatic “Rose of Sharon” in Song of Songs 2:1. The Plain of Akko, otherwise known as the Plain of Zebulan, stretches from the modern city of Haifa to the Rosh HaNikra cliffs, which form a natural border with Lebanon. Unlike the rest of the Coastal Plain, this area fell under the domain of the Phoenician city-states, specifically Akko, which sits halfway along the plain’s coastline.

Fishing in the Bay of Akko. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

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View of the valley known as the Valley of Rephaim today. Courtesy Photo Companion to the Bible, 2 Samuel.

Mentioned in connection with King David’s war against the Philistines (2 Samuel 5:17-25), the Valley of Rephaim is one of many biblical locations whose exact location is less than certain. Although the valley has traditionally been located near Jerusalem, Sabine Kleinman, an archaeologist at Tel Aviv University, has a new theory. Publishing in the Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament, Kleiman argues that the Valley of Rephaim was located much farther south, very close to another famous biblical valley, the Valley of Elah.

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Defeating Rapha

According to the Bible, after David was anointed king, the Philistines launched an attack, taking up position in the Valley of Rephaim. Based largely on the fact that this story comes immediately after David’s conquest of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5), most scholars have assumed the valley was nearby. Indeed, a valley by this name is located just a few miles outside Jerusalem, on the road to Tel Aviv. However, even since the earliest efforts to compile geographic lists of biblical places, the accepted location of this valley has frequently changed.

According to Kleiman, the valley’s association with Jerusalem has led scholars to overlook clues within the biblical text itself, particularly references to other geographic markers, such as Geba and the stronghold, Baal-Perazim. Although the location of these places is sometimes debated, there are compelling arguments for placing them not near Jerusalem, but farther south, near the Valley of Elah. The stronghold, for instance, is frequently associated with the site of Adullam, where David camped when he fled from Achish of Gath, and which features in several other biblical stories. Of particular interest is 2 Samuel 23 13–17, where the Philistines are yet again encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. This time, however, the stronghold to which David goes is explicitly mentioned as being near Adullam.

Map of the region surrounding the proposed Valley of Rephaim. Courtesy A. Kleiman and Sabine Kleiman.

Baal-Perazim, associated in the Bible with a source of water, may be identified with a spring near Adullam named ‘Ain Faris, a possible corruption of the name Perazim. Interestingly, a third site in the area, Khirbat ‘Id el-Ma, could be a corruption of the Hebrew word for “stronghold” (metzudah). This site is also features a large, fortified structure that dates to around the time of David.

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However, locating the Valley of Rephaim in this area does more than just agree with the other geographic markers in the Bible. According to Kleiman, it may explain the very origins of the valley’s name. When David reigned during the tenth century BCE, the city of Gath was one of the most powerful Philistine cities. It controlled a significant portion of the lowlands, particularly the area nearest to the events recorded in 2 Samuel 5 and 23. As recorded in 2 Samuel 21:15–22, Gath was home to the sons of Rapha. Although the sons of Rapha were remembered as giants, excavations at the site of Gath (Tell es-Safi) have uncovered an inscription and several stamp seal impressions that refer to the family of Rapha. Based on the style of the impressions, it is evident that the family of Rapha was a highly esteemed family within the city. As laid out by Kleiman, it is plausible that the biblical “sons of Rapha” can be associated with the family of Rapha known from Gath. Whether they were giants or not is another question. Regardless, as Gath held control over much of the area, the name of the valley may well originate with this family.

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Aerial view of Gilgal Argaman, one of the proposed locations of biblical Gilgal. Courtesy Photo Companion to the Bible, Joshua.

A memorial to the Israelite crossing of the Jordan River, a place of sacrifice, the location of King Agag’s death, Gilgal may be one of the most important biblical sites you probably do not remember from the Bible. That is if Gilgal is even a single site in the first place. While Gilgal is mentioned more than 40 times in the Hebrew Bible, scholars remain remarkably uncertain about the site’s location or its history. Some even believe Gilgal was not a specific place, but rather simply a descriptive term for a specific type of settlement. Publishing in the journal Tel Aviv, archaeologist Nadav Naaman argues that Gilgal was in fact a single cultic site located just a few miles from Jericho.

What Is a Gilgal Anyway?

According to the biblical text, Gilgal was the campsite of the Israelites when they first crossed the Jordan River (Joshua 4–5). Having crossed the river, they erected 12 standing stones at the site, and many later biblical texts mention sacrifices that were performed at the same location (1 Samuel 10:8; Hosea 12:12; Amos 4:4). Indeed, alongside Bethel, Gilgal was one of ancient Israel’s main cultic centers, lasting until the late monarchic period (c. seventh century BCE). There is just one issue: Not all scholars are sure Gilgal was a specific place.

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However, Naaman disagrees. Turning back to the biblical text, Naaman argues that both of these theories are based either on textual misreadings or minor scribal errors.

One such text is 2 Kings 2:1–2, in which the prophets Elijah and Elisha say they will go down from Gilgal to Bethel. As Bethel is located in the highlands north of Jericho, it seems impossible for Gilgal to be the site near Jericho, which sits considerably lower than Bethel. As Nadaav points out, however, this would be far from the only time in the Hebrew Bible where the term “go down” is used to mean its opposite. Judges 11:37, for example, mentions “going down” to the mountains, despite this clearly meaning to go up to the mountains.

Even if Gilgal was a single site, however, its precise location remains a mystery. Following the description in Joshua 4:19, Gilgal was located on the “eastern border of Jericho,” while later Byzantine descriptions suggest it was a few miles east of the ancient city. This puts the important cultic site right along the road leading from ancient Israel to the land of Moab in Transjordan, which would explain why Ehud stopped there on his way to assassinate Eglon, the Moabite king (Judges 3). Nevertheless, as Naaman explains, “Scholars have suggested various identifications for biblical Gilgal, but the archaeological soundings of all the proposed sites have proven these identifications wrong.” Thus, even if Gilgal was one single location, we are still left with the question, “Where is Biblical Gilgal?”

This article was first published in Bible History Daily on June 7, 2024.

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A boat sailing on the Sea of Galilee. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

The Galilee is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable regions of the Holy Land, especially for readers of the Gospels. Yet, the Galilee played a significant role in more than just Jesus’s ministry. It was also a core region of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and an important center for Jewish life following the destruction of the Second Temple. Today, the region’s many biblical sites make it a prominent pilgrimage destination.

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Defining the Galilee

Although the biblical boundaries of the Galilee are somewhat vague, roughly corresponding to the tribes of Naphtali and Dan, geographically it can be viewed as the region north of the Jezreel Valley, between the coastal plain on the west and the heights of the Golan on the east. A hilly and rocky area, the Galilee encompasses several major ridges and mountains, including the Mt. of Beatitudes and Mt Tabor. Of course, it also features the famous Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Tiberias. With high rainfall and mild winter temperatures, the region is one of the most ecologically diverse in the Holy Land, boasting numerous forests, lush fields, and an abundance of animal life. The Galilee can be divided into several subregions, including the Upper and Lower Galilee, as well as the Hula Valley. Of these, the Upper Galilee is the more mountainous and historically includes sections of modern southern Lebanon.

Green fields in the Galilee, near Tiberias. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

The Galilee is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible as “Galilee of the Nations” (Isaiah 9:1), with the Hebrew word galil (“district”) likely referring to the diverse people groups who inhabited the region throughout biblical history.

During the Iron Age II (1000–586 BCE), the Galilee was part of the Kingdom of Israel until the Assyrian Empire conquered it in the late eighth century. At that time, much of the population was deported and replaced with new inhabitants from other lands that had been conquered by the Assyrians. During the Hellenistic period (c. 332–37 BCE), the region became a major battleground and a key area of settlement for the Hasmonean kings as they expanded their territory. By the time of Jesus, the Galilee was home to numerous small Jewish villages, including Nazareth in south-central Galilee, as well as the towns of Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin, among others, situated around the Sea of Galilee. As recorded in the Gospels, the Galilee was one of the central locations of Jesus’s ministry.

Looking out over the hills leading down to the Sea of Galilee. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

During the First Jewish Revolt (c. 66–73 CE), the region joined the rebellion against the Romans, with Flavius Josephus as the regional commander of the Jewish forces. Following the revolt and the destruction of the Temple, the Galilee became one of the significant cultural and religious hubs of early Judaism. It was also primarily in the Galilee where the Mishnah and the Jerusalem Talmud were written.

The Byzantine period Synagogue at Capernaum in the Galilee. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS.

Today, the Galilee boasts a large tourism sector, with both Christians and Jews visiting the area to connect with the history of their respective religions. In addition to religious sites and cities, such as Nazareth or Tzfat, it is also a popular destination for incredible hiking trails. Two of the most popular are the Jesus Trail, a 40-mile-long route that includes numerous sites related to Jesus, and the Sea-to-Sea Trail, which stretches from the Mediterranean to the Sea of Galilee.

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