Jordan is a country in the Near East bordered by Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia which was part of the Land of Canaan in ancient times. The country is named for the River Jordan which flows between modern-day Jordan and Israel and whose name means "to descend" or "flow downwards". The region has a long history as an important trade center for every major empire from the ancient world to the present age (the Akkadian to the Ottoman empire) and numerous sites in the country are mentioned throughout the Bible.
More about: Ancient JordanDefinition
Timeline
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c. 9000 BCECity of Jericho founded in region of Jordan.
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c. 7000 BCE - c. 5000 BCECommunity of Ain Ghazal flourishes in Jordan.
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c. 2334 BCE - c. 2100 BCERegion of Jordan part of the Akkadian Empire.
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c. 2000 BCEArrival of the Hyksos in Jordan.
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c. 1570 BCEHyksos driven from Jordan by the Egyptians.
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1458 BCE - 1425 BCERegion of Jordan flourishes under reign of Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III.
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c. 1200 BCEInvasion of Jordan region by the Sea Peoples.
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c. 1115 BCE - 612 BCEJordan is part of the Assyrian and Neo-Assyrian Empire.
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549 BCE - 330 BCEJordan is part of the Achaemenid Empire of the Persians.
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331 BCE - 323 BCEJordan taken by Alexander the Great in his conquest of Persia.
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c. 175 BCE - 164 BCEFoundation of Hellenistic Jerash in Jordan.
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129 BCE - 102 BCEJerash in Jordan, is ruled by successive warlord-kings.
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c. 99 BCE - 63 BCEJerash in Jordan is ruled by the Hasmonean Kingdom.
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63 BCEJerash in Jordan becomes part of the Roman province of Syria.
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106 CEJerash in Jordan becomes part of the Roman province of Arabia.
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106 CE - c. 634 CEJordan is part of the Roman Empire.
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129 CE - 130 CERoman emperor Hadrian visits Jerash in Jordan, a visit commemorated by a triumphal arch.
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c. 634 CE - c. 638 CEMuslim Conquest of Levant; Arabs take Jordan from Rome.
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661 CE - 750 CEJordan is part of the Umayyad Empire.
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734 CEPalace of Khirbat Al Mafjar is built by Walid Ibn Yazid near Jericho in the Jordan Valley.
