In the conquest tours of the Kings of Ashur (380-580BC) – Tiglat, Palasar and Sanharib, the growth and prosperity were brutally cut and the People of Israel were exiled to an unknown land.
The Jewish population grew once again particularly during the Hashmonaim Period (100-265BC), King Alexander Yannay, later on his wife, Queen Shlomzion and the greatest architect of Israel, King Herod, who even built new cities such as Acre and Tiberias and developed the old cities of Hazor, Megiddo and Bet Shean.
The Galilee assumed a very important place during the period of the great rebellion against the Romans, in 66BC. The commander of the Galilee, Yosef ben Matityahu, prepared for the invasions for the Romans by building fortified outposts, by reinforcing the large cities (the most famous of which were Yodfat, Zippori, Migdal and Safed) with weapons and food. Eventually, Yodfat fell and was ruined. Yosef ben Matityahu was captured and cooperated with the Romans by convincing the remaining cities to surrender, thus saving the Jewish community from extinction. Except for four cities, all of the community in the Galilee surrendered. The cities that did not surrender were ruined after harsh and bloody battles, including a maritime battle in the Sea of Galilee opposite the City of Migdal.
The Galilee was saved from destruction and turned into a center that attracted the survivors of the destruction in Jerusalem and other parts of the land of Judea. The Galilee became a spiritual center of the Sanderin at Shearim and Tiberias. The region flourished economically. The construction during this period was characterized by the grand synagogues built in cities and villages, which had previously served as an alternative place for holding the religious rite had been practiced at the Temple.
During the Bar Kokhva Rebellion, the Galilee served as an escape base for the Tanaim. The most famous among them, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochay, hid during 13 years inside a cave in Old Pekiin and wrote the central book in the Jewish Kaballah, "the Book of the Zohar". Even after the suppression of the Bar Kokhva Rebellion, in 133AC, the Galilee continued to flourish and its Jewish population comprised a primary part of the general population. The remnants of the synagogues at Baram, Meron, Capernaum and Zippori may be attributed to this period.
During the Byzantine Period (300-360AC), as the rulers adopted Christianity as a religion, great effort was made to distribute the miracles and wonders of Jesus by establishing synagogues at places such as Har Meron, Capernaum, Nazareth and Kfar Kana.
Upon the Arab conquest that began in 630AC, there began economic deterioration that caused a reduction in population. The Jews left to the various diasporas, especially following the harsh earthquake that had struck the Land and caused destruction, the force as which can still be seen today in the antiquities of Zippori and Bet Shean. The population was based primarily in the Cities of Acre, Tiberias and Safed.
The invasion of the Crusaders (1099-1299AC) into the Land also did not contribute to prosperity. The Jews were persecuted and murdered by the Crusaders in every city or region conquered by them. The Christian population was based primarily in fortresses and fortified cities, and its main concern was to preserve control over roads leading from the sea to Jerusalem – the Monfort Fortress, Abirim Fortress, Safed Fortress and Nimrod Fortress indicate the atmosphere that prevailed during this period.
The Muslims (1291-1492AC), commanded by Salah a-Din, and later by Bibiras the Mamlukh, destroyed the fortresses and cities in order to prevent reattempts by the Crusaders to invade the Land.
The Ottoman conquest (1492-1917) also did not do well to the Land and the Galilee in particular. Heavy damages were caused to woods and natural forests due to the Ottoman effort to lay the rail tracks for the Hijazi Train, through intensive use of wood for heating the locomotives.
The situation in the Galilee improved only upon the beginning of Zionist activity, once purchases of land began, the Jewish population in the ancient villages was renewed and new villages such as Degania, Kfar Giladi and Tel Hai were founded. The Bedouins and the Arabs took advantage of the desire to redeem land and sold stony lands and swamps that they supposedly owned. In the 1940s, most villages were established and constitute a base for defense and release of the Galilee from invasion of Arab armies from Syria and Lebanon and Arab gangs.
Upon conclusion of the Independence War (1948), additional villages and cities were established, and the Jewish population in the Galilee is growing, though not at the pace as hoped for and expected by the founders of the Nation.
Today, the Galilee is enjoying economic development, especially in the field of tourism entrepreneurship. The visitor of the Galilee today will enjoy crisp mountain air, natural wonders and a culture that is rich with prehistoric aroma, which combines the influences of the various cultures in the history of the Galilee.
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