POMPEY AND THE NEAR EAST

This chapter takes a fresh look at Pompey’s campaigning in the Levant in 64–63 BC, which is widely recognized as a sea change in world history. The campaign marked the Romans’ political intervention in the region and had an immense impact on the organization of a culturally and topographically diverse landscape, transforming it into a Roman province surrounded by client kingdoms. Pompey’s campaign affected how rulership and governance were defined in the region for centuries and altered the physical landscape, especially in urban areas. The chapter addresses the few archaeological sources—often ambiguous—and also discusses issues that often escape attention, like the state of the Levant at the time of Pompey and immediately thereafter. Pompey’s campaign and his impact on the region in numerous ways paved the way for the rule of Herod I, which is addressed in a different chapter in this volume.