La Palestine A L'Epoque Romaine

This small and somewhat poor province on the outskirts of the Roman Empire was the birthplace of schools of thought and spiritual ideas which had a significant impact on the history of humanity. During the period extending from the first century BC until the end of the third century AD, the territory - which the assumed the name of Palestine - underwent extensive political, cultural and religious upheavals. The latter included the assumption of power by Herod the Great (a king subject to Roman authority), two rebellions spearheaded by Jews against the Roman Empire, the destruction of the Temple, etc.Our knowledge of this period stems from numerous contemporary written sources, primarily from the works of Flavius Josephus, the New Testament, from data derived from the Epigraphy, studies on the Qumran manuscripts, and recent major archaeological discoveries. All of these findings help us to grasp the complexity of Roman Palestine's civilisation.Caroline Arnould-Béhar, whose doctorate is in archaeology, has been focusing her research on Palestine of the Roman era, and mainly on Jerusalem. She also teaches at the école Pratique des Hautes études (5th section).