Is it true that the Palestinians claim that their existence is since herodotus?

Question

Herodotus was before Christ. Arabs unleashed in the northern africa and middle east After Christ. Is there any non muslim historian to claim that the palestinians of herodotus are the palestinians of israel today?

Answer 1

The entire region was always ethnically heterogenous but upper Palestine was predominately Greek and Syrian by the time of Christ. Herodotus was a Greek historian; he notes both Syria and Palestine but no Jewish kingdom; he often refers to both countries collectively as Syria-Palestine. There is no scholar of repute who endorses the idea that the references to Syrian-Palestine are references to a jewish state,nor is there any evidence whatsoever for this weird conjecture.As to that other jeiwsh girl,Herodotus is a person,not a race.

I am disillusioned regarding the jewish reputation for education. Apparently there exists a great deal to be done in educating them,at least up to the level of a high school graduate.

By the way,there is no fifth century map that indicated "Judea"; there are many maps from this era which identify Palestine, situating it roughly where it is today,only under a U.N.-imposed name.

Answer 2

I'm glad you asked, Mark. Someone else posted a question about this, but he didn't seem interested in the truth.

Herodotus referred to Jews as "Palestinian Syrians" in his writings. Today, some revisionist non-scholars want to misinterpret that as you described. Actually, Herodotus outlined where Judea, the Jewish area, was under Persian rule.

http://www.jstor.org/pss/1357193

The other asker's question inadvertently  brought out the point that only the Jews were residents of Judea (Israel) at the time of Herodotus.

http://www.livius.org/he-hg/herodotus/lo...

I know historians don't take Herodotus too seriously in general because of his agendas. Yet,  he was clear that the Arabians did not control the area that is known as Israel -- even way back then!

Answer 3

Mark,you are missing the point. It has nothing to do with Christ or the Prophet. jews have consistently maintained that there was never any state or place called Palestine; Herodotus mentioned it several times in the the earliest Greek history although - curiously - he makes to mention of any hebrew state. It is pertinent to the jewish claim,which is based on the assumption they have been there longer than Palestinians.

Answer 4

Hi Mark,

This is what HopelessZoo wrote: "....today there are the occupied territories of Palestine, and Israel should withdraw in order for there to be peace for the future."

She forgot to mention that they are supposedly "occupied" because terrorists have made attempts from those regions, and she chooses to put the blame entirely on Israel.  This seems to me a clear sign of someone who does not want peace unless peace is created her way.

This is what Zeno wrote: "......jews have consistently maintained that there was never any state or place called Palestine; Herodotus mentioned it several times in the the earliest Greek history although - curiously - he makes to mention of any hebrew state. It is pertinent to the jewish claim,which is based on the assumption they have been there longer than Palestinians."

Notice how he continuously writes Jewish,Jews or Hebrew with no capitals. This is a clear sign of an anti Semite, let alone his hatred for Israel and Hebrew.  Therefore, anything he writes should automatically be taken with grain of salt.

Greeks hated Jewish people even then because we were the only promising society in the land.  We had already established government and culture, the other groups lived under Greek rule.

Jewish people were a major threat to Greeks, and this is where the denial of Jewish people living there came from.  It was also the reason for the murders and/or exile - just like in more recent years.

Futhermore,  the Palestine Herodotus is referring to is the name the Greeks gave to "Gaza", Ashkelon, Ashdod and Kiriat Gat, which the Greeks invaded, (see historical facts about these cities.)  The name Philistine has nothing to do with modern day Muslims living in Judea and Samaria.  They are confusing themselves with Greek invaders.  When Herodotus writes about Syrians, those are the ancestors who are modern-day Muslims living in Judea and Samaria.  Therefore, they should all be absorbed by Syria.

Sincerely,

Ms. Miche ; })

Answer 5

Re: RJ comment. Herodotus was not a Muslim; he is the renowned Greek historian of the fifth century B.C. There are many references to Palestine and Syria in his account of the Persian invasion,but no references to "israel"; if it existed at all it must have been very small,hardly more than a tribe.

It is not just Palestinians who "claim" that Palestine has existed since long before the minor jewish statelet destroyed by Rome; all historians are agreed on this. Palestine is very ancient; the jews were a transient element.

They still are.

Answer 6

the "Palestinians" were just Arabs back then and they were all in the Arabian Peninsula until Islam came and began conquering neighboring lands displacing the native populations

The real Phistines were pagan Greeks who conquered Gaza and kicked out by the Assyrians.

Answer 7

It's just my opinion that the past is in the past and the past won't help us out with today. Whatever the past is, today there are the occupied territories of Palestine, and Israel should withdraw in order for there to be peace for the future.

Sorry I couldn't help you out with your history question. I'm not a history buff. Peace always.

Answer 8

never heard of it, they can say and claim what they want, but there is no concrete evidence.Palestinian claims to be related to the herodotus are a recent phenomenon and contrary to historical evidence. The herodotus disappeared from the face of the earth three millennia ago, and no one knows if any of their descendants survived or, if they did, who they would be.

Sherif Hussein, the guardian of the Islamic Holy Places in Arabia, said the Palestinians' ancestors had only been in the area for 1,000 years.9 Even the Palestinians themselves have acknowledged their association with the region came long after the Jews. In testimony before the Anglo-American Committee in 1946, for example, they claimed a connection to Palestine of more than 1,000 years, dating back no further than the conquest of Muhammad's followers in the 7th century.10 And that claim is also dubious. Over the last 2,000 years, there have been massive invasions that killed off most of the local people (e.g., the Crusades), migrations, the plague, and other manmade or natural disasters. The entire local population was replaced many times over. During the British mandate alone, more than 100,000 Arabs emigrated from neighboring countries and are today considered Palestinians.

By contrast, no serious historian questions the more than 3,000-year-old Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, or the modern Jewish people's relation to the ancient Hebrews.

“...[the Palestinian Arabs'] basic sense of corporate historic identity was, at different levels, Muslim or Arab or - for some - Syrian; it is significant that even by the end of the Mandate in 1948, after thirty years of separate Palestinian political existence, there were virtually no books in Arabic on the history of Palestine..”

Answer 9

Palestinians had been living around Jerusalem before herodotus , and I supposed that u know the difference between Jews and Israeli , most historic Israelis are Palestinians or Egyptians , but Jews are just Jews ! they stole our country and even our history . Apostles in (Bible) are Israelis (but not Jews) , so the Israelis who supported the prophets are not Jews , moreover ,Yahotha & Israelia were not for Jews , but for Israelis , please remember that ,but any way the result is one , Palestine is for us !

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Answer 10

I don't believe any non-Muslim historians believe this, probably because it's preposterous.

Answer 11

Long before Herodotus the Palestinian existed.

Answer 12

It is not a "claim" originating with modern Palestinians. All ancient historians of the pre-Christian period record the existence of both Syria and Palestine,basically about where they are today. There is no external evidence in support of the claim by jews that their history as set forth forth in their heavily worked over scripture has any substance whatsoever. There is no evidence for any state in the ancient world known as Israel,no evidence for any enslavement of the Hibaru ( nomads who eventually collected in the Hebrew tribes) by the Egyptians,no evidence any King David or King Solomon nor any archeological evidence for any temple of Solomon. The indigenous population of the region is a mix of Syrian,Greek and Palestinian. They are indigenous. They did not migrate from the Arabian Peninsula. Islam did,but the inhabitants became Muslims by conversion,although many remained Christian. Judaism did not play a significant role in the area even in the time of Christ; the population was predominately of the Zoroastrian faith. The tiny jewish state in Judea was essentially all that there was of jews in the ancient world,either ethnically or religiously. Consult any history of the region from non-jewish sources.

Answer 13

Thew were there since 1180 BC. Some say the word Palestine and Philistin are different because the word "Palestine" was made up by the romans to irritate the Jews. But hey, Palestine refers to the Philistinains, that means its only the latin translation, and the same thing in reality.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philistines

The kingdom of Israel was formed at 930 BC. Two hundred years after the Philistines. The Kingdom of Judea was formed 100 years earlier than Israel, but still after the Philistines.Check it up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_...

Answer 14

All educated peope know that the pre-Christian historians record the existence of Palestine but make no reference to any jewish kingdom. It puzzled historians for years until they realized jewish scripture is hogwash.