What is Levant called today?

The name Levant States was used to refer to the French mandate over Syria and Lebanon after World War I. This is probably the reason why the term Levant has come to be used more specifically to refer to modern Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Cyprus.

Which countries were in the Levant?

The Levant region comprises Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, and Jordan. These countries cover a combined total of nearly 730,000 square kilometers, or around 0.5 percent of the world’s land area, and the region has a Mediterranean coastline that stretches for roughly 500 kilometers along its eastern front.

Where is the Levant today?

The Levant is the eastern Mediterranean area now covered by Israel, Lebanon, part of Syria, and western Jordan. In antiquity, the southern part of the Levant or Palestine was called Canaan.

Why is it called the Levant?

The term Levant first appeared in medieval French. It literally means “the rising,” referring to the land where the sun rises. If you’re in France, in the western Mediterranean, that would make sense as a way to describe the eastern Mediterranean. Levant was also used in English from at least 1497.

What did the Romans call the Levant?

During Persian rule of the Near East, the Greeks and Romans came to call the region “Syria”, believed to have been named after Assyria and the Aramaic language they spread over the entire region. However, Herodotus used the combined name “Syria Palaistinē”.

When did Egypt control the Levant?

During the New Kingdom (1550-1070 BCE), Egypt sought to establish ideological, military, economic and administrative control over the Levant. In the process of conquering this area, the Egyptians employed different strategies to control their vassals.

When did Arabs settle in the Levant?

Muslim conquest of the Levant

Date	634–638
Location	Levant (modern Palestine, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and southeastern Anatolia)
Result	Rashidun victory
Territorial changes	Levant annexed by Muslims

Is Mesopotamia in the Levant?

The Levant is the land right along the Mediterranean Sea. Today, that’s Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Mesopotamia, the land between the rivers, is modern Iraq. It runs north-west from the Persian Gulf.

Who owned the Levant?

Persia controlled the Levant, but by the 4th century BC Persia had fallen into decline. The Phoenicians occasionally rebelled against the Persians who taxed them heavily, while the Jews were granted return from the exile by Cyrus the Great.