A useful reference for this argument is the series of maps produced by Colin McEvedy for the Penguin historical atlases, published about 1968, and the subsequent Penguin Atlas of World Population History (1978) by Colin McEvedy and Richard Jones.
        The relative time in which the kingdoms of Israel and Judah existed as independent entities was extremely small, say 200 years out of 4000, apart from some local autonomy around the first century AD.  The Hebrews, along with other tribes, fought each other for control of the fertile area of Palestine.  The more powerful civilisations of the Nile valley and Mesopotamia were often able to control the area, as were the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Ottomans and British at later dates.
        McEvedy doubts the validity of the population statistics given in the Old Testament, on the grounds that the poverty of the environment would in no way support more than a few hundred thousand in all of Palestine and Trans-Jordan.  The Old Testament description of the invasion of Palestine by Moses and Joshua makes for horrific reading, with orders for the total destruction of any population that got in their way, men, women and children, together with savage retribution for anyone who dared protest.  There is frequent reference to the slaughter of tens of thousands, which if added up would require an unbelievably large resident population.  Perhaps one should apply the same exaggeration factor as has been suggested to explain the ages of the patriarchs (still begetting sons and daughters at 500 or older).
        McEvedy makes interesting observations on the relationship between geography and the frequency with which a piece of territory changes hands.  Politicians exploit religious and nationalistic sentiment to claim ownership of desirable pieces of real estate, such as Greater Germany, Greater Serbia, and other former war zones.  But if we are to return all lands to the successors of the original inhabitants we will have to evacuate North America and Australia for a start, and maybe deport the Anglo-Saxons from Britain.

Gavin Ross

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ray Thomas [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 22 July 2002 10:41
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: some stats
>
>
> > Any sane person would have to say that waiting almost 2000 years
> > for the return of your tiny homeland after it was seized by Romans,
> > Ottomans and British reflects a certain degree of patience.
>
> Don't know whether those of us who don't have such a strong sense of
> cultural identify feel envious or pitiful at this kind of
> statement.   But I
> am curious about the mechanisms by which this aspiration for
> a seemingly
> exclusive homeland have been maintained for 2000 years.
>
> The inculcation of this aspiration now appears to have
> created one of the
> most racist communities in the world, and the biggest threat
> to world peace.
> So it is really important to know if this inculcation is
> being continued and
> how it is being continued.
>
> Ray
>
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