Bashan (/ˈbeɪʃən/; Hebrew: הַבָּשָׁן, romanized: ha-Bashan; Latin: Basan or Basanitis)[1] is the ancient, biblical name used for the northernmost region of the Transjordan during the Iron Age.[2] It is situated in modern-day Syria. Its western part, nowadays known as the Golan Heights, was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War and annexed in 1981.
Bashan has been inhabited since at least the fourth millennium BCE. Its earliest mention is found in a Sumerian text dating back to the third millennium BCE. During the Late Bronze Age, Bashan is recorded in Egyptian sources as being under the control of their empire.[3] Biblical tradition holds that an Amorite kingdom in Bashan was conquered by the Israelites during the reign of King Og. Throughout the monarchic period, Bashan was contested between the kingdoms of Israel and Aram-Damascus. Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria eventually intervened, removing Bashan from Israel's control.[3]
Bashan is mentioned 59 times in the Hebrew Bible. It is the location of Ashtaroth Karnaim and Edrei (modern-day Daraa), as well as the city of Golan, which gave its name to the modern Golan Heights.[3] The name Bashan fell out of use in classical antiquity, in which the region was divided into four districts: Batanaea, Gaulanitis, Trachonitis and Auranitis.
- ^ Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. See [1].
- ^ Edward Lipiński (2006). On the Skirts of Canaan in the Iron Age: Historical and Topographical Researches. Peeters Publishers. p. 225. ISBN 978-90-429-1798-9.
- ^ a b c Lemche, Niels Peter (2004). Historical dictionary of ancient Israel. Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-8108-4848-1.