V. POLITICAL AND HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY. It now only remains to give a brief sketch of the political divisions of Palestine under the rule of the tribes and nations which have in succession occu pied it. These divisions are sometimes minutely described, frequently directly mentioned, and more frequently incidentally alluded to, by the sacred writers. It is mainly with the view of illustrating these Scripture references that the present sketch is given. All that is aimed at, however, is a brief, general, and connected view. Nothing more is needed in this place, for all the ancient tribes and more important provinces and districts are treated of fully in separate articles.
To facilitate reference and prevent confusion, the historical geography of Palestine is divided into five periods, corresponding to the leading events in the annals of the country.
t. The Patriarchal Period.—This period extends from the earliest ages to the conquest of Palestine by the Israelites. The first notices we have of the land are contained in the loth chapter of Genesis, where the sacred writer describes the country colo nized by Canaan, the grandson of Noah. From this patriarch Palestine got its first name—a name which clings to it still. In that most remarkable chapter, the borders of the Canaanitish territory are defined. They extended from Sidon on the north along the coast, to Gaza on the south. Thence the border ran eastward, apparently in the line of Wady Gerar, to the plain of Sodom, now the southern section of the Dead Sea. Thence it was drawn to Lasha, the site of which is not known, but it probably stood at the north-eastern end of the Dead Sea. [LASHA.] It would seem that ancient Canaan corresponded almost exactly with western Palestine.
The families and tribes which sprung from Canaan are mentioned ; and it appears from their subse quent history, as given in the Pentateuch, that each of them settled down permanently in a territory of its own. [CANAAN.] The boundaries of these territories are not given, but the locality of each is indicated either by direct statement or indirect al lusion. Sidon was the firstborn of Canaan, and he colonized Phoenicia on the coast. His capital, to which he gave his name, was outside the boun dary of Palestine, but a section of his territory, which extended as far south as Carmel, was in cluded in the land. The Hittites were a powerful tribe, who settled among the mountains in the south, with Hebron apparently for their capital (Gen. xv. 20 ; xxiii. 16 ; HITTITES). The 7ebu riles had their stronghold on Zion ; and they held it and the surrounding territory down to the time of David (Josh. xv. 63 ; 2 Sam. v. 6). The Amor its:, probably the most powerful of all the Canaan itish tribes, were widely spread (Josh. xxiv. IS).
They had settlements in the mountains of Judah (Gen. xiv. 7, 13 ; Num. xiii. 29), but their main possessions were on the east of the Jordan, where they occupied the whole country from Arnon on the south to Hermon (Num. xxi. 13, 26 ; xxxii. 33 ; neut. iii. S). The Girgashites appear to have been located among the mountains of central Palestine, but there is no description of their exact territory in the Bible, and the theories of geographers are not satisfactory. [GiRoAsHITEs.] The Hivites founded Shechem, in central Palestine ; Gibeon, Beeroth, Chephirah, and Kirjath-jearim, farther south ; and a little principality under Hermon, on the northern border (Gen. xxxiv. 2 ; Josh. ix. 3, 7 ; xi. 19 ; 2 Sam. xxiv. 7 ' • Josh. xi. 3). Canaan's other sons settled beyond the bounds of Palestine : —the Arkites and Sinites in Lebanon ; the Arvad ites in an island off the coast of Phoenicia ; and the Hamathites in Hamath.
But besides the Canaanitish tribes, there are traces of other races—or perhaps another race—of abo rigines in Palestine. The Rephaim are frequently mentioned. We find traces of them in widely dif ferent parts of the country. They gave their name to a little upland plain beside Jerusalem ( Josh. xv. 8), and to a section of Mount Ephraim (xvii. 15). Bashan seems to have been occupied by them long previous to its conquest by the Amorites (Gen. xiv. 5 ; Dent. iii. I 1). At the same remote period the Zuzim dwelt in Gilead, and the Enim held the plateau of Moab. These are all spoken of as men of huge stature, and they appear to have been dif ferent sections of one great family. Of their history we know nothing, except a few isolated facts ; but it is remarkable that traditions of these giants cling to various localities in Palestine. Their marvellous exploits are recorded, their tombs of huge dimen sions are pointed out, and the colossal houses they built and occupied are still shown in the ancient cities of Bashan. [REPHAnt.] The race either died out or was extirpated in Bashan by the war like hordes of Amorites. The Moabites and Am monites conquered the giant tribes south of Bashan, and long occupied their territory ; and the ruins of Rabbath-Ammon and Rabbath-Moab still remain as memorials of their rule (Dent. ii. 20, 21). On the south-east of Palestine, along the coast of the Mediterranean, the Avinz, another primval tribe of giants, had their abode ; but they were con quered by the Caphtorim, or Philistines • and the giant warriors Goliath, Sippai, and Lahmi, were probably among the last of the race (i Sam. xvii. 4 ; 2 Sam. xxi. 16-20 ; 1 Chron. xx. 4-8). The Antalekites were nomads, who roamed over the scanty pastures of the southern desert, scarcely crossing the border of Palestine.