63 



PALE3TRINA. 



PALMYRA. 



f ! 



Maccabees, recovered their independence, and restored the kingdom 

 of Judah. 



In the year B.C. 63 the country was conquered by Potnpey, and it 

 remained thenceforward in subjection to the Roman*, by whom the 

 part of it west of the Jordan was divided into the three provinces of 

 JudsM, Samaria, and Galilaea. Judaea nearly coincided with the ancient 

 kingdom of Judah ; its northern boundary was at the parallel of Joppa. 

 Samaria extended to the north as far as the plain of Esdraelon. Galilee 

 lay north of Samaria, reaching up to Lebanon, and having Phoenicia 

 along its western border : it was divided into Upper and Lower Galilee, 

 the former containing the northern and the latter the southern half of 

 the province. The former was also called Galilee of the Gentiles, as it 

 was inhabited by Syrians, Greeks, Phoenicians, and Egyptians, as well 

 as Jews. On the east of the Jordan lay the province of Penea, between 

 the Arnon and the Hieromax; and to the north of this the districts 

 of BatansM, Trachonitis, Atiranitis, and Gaulanitis, which commonly 

 had one governor with Palestine. The whole country waa considered 

 by the Romans as a part of Syria, though it sometimes had a separate 

 governor. 



L'n.ler Constantino, Palestine was divided into Prima, Secunda, and 

 Tertia. Pahrrtina Prima included the country of the Philistines, 

 Samaria, and the northern part of Judcea ; it* capital was Ciwarea. 

 PaUwtina Secunda included Galilee and part of the country enst of the 

 Jordan ; it* capital was Scythopolis. Palacatina Tertia (also called 

 Salutaris) contained the southern part of Juden and the whole of 

 Idumtea ; it* capital was Petra. 



7Wn and VUlaya. In Upper Galilee, near the sources of the 

 Jordan, was Dan, more anciently culled Laish, the most northern town 

 of Palestine. In its immediate neighbourhood stood, in the time of 

 the Roman*, Csesarea Philippi, or Panias. At the point where the 

 Jordan enter* the Lake of Genneaareth stood Bethsaida. This city 

 was beautified by Philip the Tetrarch, who called it Julia*. On the 

 wmtoiu tide of the same lake were Capernaum, Chorazin, and Magdala. 

 On the same ride of the lake, but in Lower Galilee, was Tiberias 

 (Tabarith) ; to the west of which lay Can* {Kana) ; and farther to the 

 west Sepphoris (Safttreh), the principal city of the district, which was 

 enlarged by Herod, who called it Dio Canarea ; south-east of Sepphoris 

 was Nazareth (\amra/<); near the source of the Kishon was Xain. 

 The city of Eedraelon, the ancient Jezreel, stood in the great plain of 

 the same name ; west of it was Shunem. In the south-east corner of 

 Galilee was Bathshean (Bitaa), afterwards Scythopolis. 



The most ancient city of Samaria was the Shechem, or Sichem, of 

 the Old Testament, the Sychar of the New Testament, which stood in 

 the valley between Mount* Ebal and Geririra. The Romans erected 

 close to it the city of Neapolis, which still retain* the name of !fnbloiu. 

 Near to Sbeefaem, on the south-east, was Jacob'* Well. A few miles 

 to the north of Sbecbem lay Samaria, which was built by Omri, who 

 transferred the capital of the kingdom of Israel from Shechera to this 

 city. It was rebuilt and beautified by Herod, who called it Sebaste 

 in honour of Augusta*, which name it still bear*. In the time of the 

 Romans the chief city of Samaria wu C.F.SARIA (Kaitarith), on the 

 ea coant, which was built by Herod on the site of an insignificant place 

 called Turns Stratonis. On the coast, north of Ccaarea, waa Don 

 (TVrfuni), and near it En-dor ; south of Cnamrw was Apollonia* (On 

 Kkaled), a Orek town. To the couth-rait of this was Antipatris, 

 formerly called Capharaabe ; and south of this wu Sarou, whence the 

 Vale of Sharon obtained it* name. 



The chief city of Judssa wu JERUSALEM, in the neighbourhood of 

 which were the villages of Betbphage and Bethany, on the Mount of 

 Olive*, and Kmmaun (afterwards called Kicopolie), farther to the 

 north-west. Near Emmans were Aij don and GUon ; and farther to 

 the north Ephraira and Luz, or Bethel To the east of Bethel, and in 

 the north-eastern corner of Judtta, lay Jericho, which is sometime* 

 wiled in Scripture the City of Palm-Tree*. Between it and the Jordan 

 wu Oilgal ; south of Jericho wu Bngeddi. Betfal>-hem, or Kphratah 

 -l^thm), wu about fire mile* to the south of Jerusalem. Farther 

 south of Jerusalem lay Hebron (El Kkalih. Joppa (/a/a) was the 

 frontier town of Judn and Samaria on the sea-coat ; to the east of it 

 ly Lydda, or Diospolis (Lud). South-east of Joppa wu Artmathea 

 (Knmlak). and near it Modin, the residence of Mattathia*, the father 

 of the Maccabees. On the nut of the Jordan, in the dintrict of 

 Batanaa, Ac., were- -Canst ha (Kannry'ra); Hippos, on the Lake of 

 Qenneaareth ; Uatilan, or Golan, one of the cities of refuge ; and 

 Qamala, on the same lakr. In the north of Persea, near the Lake of 

 Gepnerareth, wu Gadara (On Keii) ; and to the south-west of it Pella, 

 built by the Macedonians ; and farther south Gerana, now Jrrteik ; 

 and Jabnh-Gltaul. Jereesh contain* a Urge mam of noble ruins of 

 the Roman period, consisting of fortification*, hot baths, and a 

 nmmaehia, which is now converted into a corn-field. On the Jabbok 

 stood Ramoth-Oilead, one of the cities of refuge, and on a branch of 

 the same river, Amathu* (Amaia). In the southern part of Penea was 

 Heshljon (Ethan), the chief city of the Amorites ; farther to the west 

 Bethoran, which was beautified by Herod Antipas, who called it Liviu ; 

 near it wu the citadel of Macbterus, where St. John the Baptist is 

 said to have been beheaded. 



I'Al.KSTKI'NA, the ancient Prrrnate, a town in the Campagna, 20 

 miles K. from Rome, built on tlie south-west slope of a high hill, 

 which is an offset of the Apennine ridge that skirts the valley of the 



Tiber on the east, and divides it from the high land of Abruzzo. It 

 is naturally a strong position, and has been fortified from the olde.st 

 times. The ancient Prseneste extended above the site of the present 

 town, its citadel crowning the summit of the hill. There are remains 

 of the ancient walls, built in the Cyclopean or polygonal style, of large 

 irregular blocks of stone. A church, dedicated to St. Peter, has been 

 raised on the site of the citadel. The modern town is half-way up 

 the slope of the hill, on the site of the ancient Temple of Fortune, 

 and about 700 feet above the sea. It is a bishop's see, and has about 

 5000 inhabitants, who manufacture coarse woollen cloth. The palace, 

 belonging to the family of Barbermi, contains the celebrated mosaic 

 found among the ruins of the Temple of Fortune. Many statues and 

 other remains of antiquity have been found at Palestrina. 



Praneste was a town of the Latins, and of older date than Rome. 

 In the war of the Latins against Rome after the expulsion of Tarquinius, 

 Praeneste allied itself to Rome. (Livy, ii. 19.) More than a century 

 later it sided with the Volsci against the Romans; but after the 

 victory of Cincinnatus on the banks of the Allia, A.u.o. 376, it sub- 

 mitted to Rome by capitulation. (Livy, vi. 28, 29.) Thirty years later 

 Prseneste was included in the great Latin league against Rome, which 

 was defeated by L. F. Camillas; the territory of the Prjcnestini was 

 confiscated (Livy, viii. 12-14), and their town became subject to Rome 

 like the rest of Latium. The younger Marius, being defeated by 

 Sulla, took refuge in Prameste, where, after an unsuccessful attempt 

 to escape, he ordered a slave to run him through the body. The town 

 then surrendered, when Sulla ordered an indiscriminate slaughter 

 of the inhabitants. Octavianus Ctesar sent a colony of veterans to 

 Prseneste. The Temple of Fortune was the great attraction of the 

 place, and people repaired from all parts of Italy to consult the oracle. 

 The temple wan built on a magnificent scale, and richly adorned. 

 Prseneste wu a favourite residence of the wealthy Romans during the 

 summer heat*. 



In the middle ages Palestrina became the chief stronghold of the 

 powerful baronial family of Colonna, who often disputed with the popes 

 the possession of the Campagna and of Rome itself. Boniface VIII. 

 took Palestrina and destroyed it, but after his death the Colonna 

 recovered and fortified it again. Eugenius IV. in 1437 retook it from 

 them. At last Urban VIII. gave it to his relatives the Barberini. 



PALIANO. [FEOSINONE.] 



PALI8SE, LA. [ALLIEB.] 



PALLANZO. [NOVARA.J 



PALLATTIA. [KARIA.] 



PALM A. [CAHARIES; CORDOVA; MAI.LORCA.] 



PALMA NOVA. [UDINB.] 



PALM ELLA. [ESTREMADURA, Portuguese.] 



PALMI. [CALABRIA.] 



PALMYRA, TADMOR Both these names are derived from the 

 palm-trees which once grew in the neighbourhood of this ancient city. 

 Palmyra is situated in an oasis of the Syrian desert, nearly half-way 

 between the Oronte* and the Euphrates, and about 140 miles K.N.E. 

 from Damascus, in 84 24' N. lat, 88 20' E. long., according to 

 Major Iteunell. ('Comparative Geography of Western Asia.') 



The circumstance of Palmyra being situated in an oasis sheltered 

 by hills to the west and north-west, and supplied with wholesome 

 water, and on a line leading from the coast of Syria to the regions of 

 Mesopotamia, Persia, and India, must have pointed it out in very 

 early times to the caravans a* a convenient halting-place in the midst 

 of the desert. The Phoenicians were probably early acquainted with 

 it, and may have suggented to Solomon, with whom the king of Tyre 

 wu in alliance, the idea of establishing an emporium there. Wo read 

 in the Second Book of Chronicles (viii. 4), that Solomon " built Tadmor 

 in the wilderness, and all the store cities which he built in Hamath." 

 Hamath waa a town and territory extending along the banks of thu 

 Oronte*. and bordering on the Syrian desert. After this we read no 

 more of Tadmor in the Scriptures ; but John of Antioch, probably from 

 some tradition, says that it wu destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. The 

 first notice which we have of it in Roman history is that M. Antony, 

 being in Syria, marched to surprise it, expecting a rich booty, but tho 

 inhabitant* disappointed him by transporting their goods beyond tho 

 Euphrates. 



In the time of Pliny it was the intermediate emporium of the trade 

 with the East, a city of merchants and factors, who trailed with tho 

 Parthiftns on the one hand and the Romans on the other. The pro- 

 duce of India found ite way to the, Roman world through Palmyra. 

 It afterwards became allied to the empire as a free state, and was 

 greatly favoured by Hadrian and the Antonines, under whom it 

 attained its greatest splendour. 



Odenatus, a native of Palmyra, having rendered great services to 

 the Roman empire in a war against the Persians, assumed, with the 

 consent of Gallienus, the title of King of Palmyra, and Gallienus con- 

 ferred upon him the command of all the forces in the East. Odenatus 

 obtained several victories over, the Persians, but being at last trea- 

 cherously killed, his wife Zenobia, an aspiring woman, assumed the 

 crown, and styling herself Queen of the East, asserted her sovereignty 

 over Mesopotamia and Syria, Zenobia remained undisturbed for 

 several years, during the latter part of the reign of Gallienus and the 

 subsequent reign of Claudius. But after Aurelianus was proclaimed 

 emperor, he resolved to put down Zenobia, who had extended her 



