I'TURE'A AND THE I'TURE'ANS. A dis trict and people of ancient Syria. In all prob ability, in the Old Testament Jetur (Gen. xxv. 15; 1. Chron, i. 31; v. 19) we have the first notice of the Itnreans, frequently mentioned by the later historians of the Roman occupation of Syria. They were Arabians whose old home was to the northwest of Medina, but who, at a very early period, moved northward in search of new quarters. Some time before the Exile they came in conflict with Israelites east of the .Jordan. Aristobulus I., King of Judea (n.e. 105-104), conquered certain bands who had settled in Galilee, and compelled them to accept circum cision or leave the conquered territory (Jo sephus, Ant., XIII., xi. 3). Other nearly con temporary notices (e.g. Strabo, ii. 10) locate the centre of Iturean power in the Leba fans. Here these warlike Arabians became an important element in the troubled polities of the first centuries B.C. Their first known ruler was Ptolemy. son of Mennams (e.SS-40 R.c.). His capital was Chaleis, in the Anti-Lebandn range. He controlled the valley between the Lebanons, and his influence extended nearly to Damascus. Tn n.e. 65 Ptolemy secured the leniency of Pom pey by a payment of 1000 talents. In B.C. 40 he W a F. succeeded by his son. Lysanias, whom Mark Antony confirmed in his position ; afterwards (u.c. 36), at Cleopatra's instigation, he had him killed, and gave his dominions to the cruel and covetous Queen. The extensive domain was
farmed out to several petty tetrarchs. Chalcis was later (A.n. 41) given to Herod, a grandson of Herod the Great. Another portion. with its capital Abila (see AnILENE), was ruled by the Lysanias mentioned in Luke iii. I. Another, south of this, was secured by Zenodorus, who se cretly supported the robber bands of Trachonitis. Augustus. therefore, gave Traehonitis to Herod the Great to clear it of robbers, and on the death of Zenodorus his dominions were added to Herod's kingdom. At Herod's death (n.e. 4) they fell to his son Philip, who is called in Luke iii. 1 tetrarch of the Iturean region. Ultimately all of these tetrarehies were incorporated in the Province of Syria. The ltureans were warlike, famed as archers, and from the days of Cfrsar many of them served in the Roman armies.
Cicero accused Mark Antony of seeking to ter rify the Senate with his [Wrenn guards (Phi lippics, ii. 19, 112; xiii. 18), and cohorts of lturean troops are frequently mentioned on the inscriptions of the first and second centuries. Consult: Scharer. History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Appendix to Div. (New York, 1896) ; G. A. Smith, Historical Geography of the Holy Land (New York, 1S96)..