Continue of Core of Jewish People Part III

 Nadene Goldfoot                                          

Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia (356-323 BCE) of the Seleucid Empirewas mentioned in Part II. Seleucus Nicator was one of Alexander's generals.   He and the Greek Empire made a vast change in many Jews.  They brought on Hellenism which brought on the possibility of Jesus, affecting Bethlehem most of all after the 4th century BCE   Judea became surrounded by  ring of hellenized cities at the same time while the Jews outside of Judea in the Diaspora which was expanding rapidly in Egypt, Cyrenaica, Syria and Asia Minor  were all becoming hellenized.  This means that the Greek civilization was spreading all over the Mediterranean and the Middle East.  The Greeks' religion was polytheistic, as was the Romans who just used different names for Greek gods.  

By the 3rd century BCE, Antiochus IV Epiphanes tried to suppress Judaism  and the Hasmonean revolt was the answer.  The Romans became involved with the Herods' leadership.  Both the books of the Mishnah and Talmud contain hundreds of Greek words which had become absorbed into Hebrew and Aramaic and tomb inscriptions were in Greek.  Greek philosophy changed Elisha ben Avuyah who fell away from Judaism.  The two civilizations ended with the revolt in 117 CE. Simon the Hasmonean in 138 BCE and again in134 BCE had revolted.   Two authors, Josephus, a general captured by Rome, wrote his Jewish history for the Romans.  

                                                         

                    Sufganiot-jelly donuts for Hannukah/Chanukah

Because we remember the oil they are fried in, the miracle of oil lasting 8 days when only enough for 1 day.    Jews remember with the holiday of Hanukkah an 8 day celebration commemorating the victory of Judah the Maccabee over Antiochus Epiphanes and the following re-dedication of the Temple and altar.  They cleaned out the Temple;  took statues of gods out-and rededicated but needed oil.  Then the miracle happened.  

Philo (20 BCE) was the other, an Alexandrian philosopher who once visited Judah from a wealthy Egyptian family and wrote, familiar with Plato with a slight Jewish education, didn't know Hebrew and of the Bible, only knew info from the Septuagint and hellenistic commentaries from Alexandrian Jewry that were allegorical.  He wrote that G-d created the world from eternal matter but does not influence it directly.  The human soul is derived from the Divine Source and is hence capable of attaining a conception of the nature of divinity not through spiritual perception but by self-immersion, either through mystic mediation or the spirit of prophecy. 

      Arch of Titus in Rome of Jewish slaves carrying loot from the Temple, walking when possible:  erected (81-96) by their Senate in honor of Vespasian and Titus. Slaves carry Temple vessels, the shewbread table, 7-branched candle sticks, and the trumpet;  the Jordan River and the sacrificial procession.  

Titus was the Roman emperor (79-81 CE) son of Vespasian, commanded the Roman army in Judea from his father in 70 and then destroyed Jerusalem after a 5 month siege including starvation as written by Josephus in detail.  Titus deliberately destroyed the Temple to eliminate the national religious center of the Jews.  He was deemed "WICKED".  

Rome, the capital of Italy had Jews living there dating to 139 BCE.  Rome had overcome Judea and burned down Jerusalem in 70 CE, raiding the Temple and building a statue in Rome of the Event.     

                   Anti-Semitism in Byzantium                     Emperors and Pope's Decrees

• Emperor Caligula (37-41 CE): Caligula attempted to install a statue of himself, as a god, in the Temple of Jerusalem. This would have offended Jewish sensibilities and led to unrest. Jewish leaders intervened to prevent this. The situation was resolved with Caligula's assassination and the ascension of Emperor Claudius 

• Emperor Hadrian (r. 117–138 CE): Hadrian initially showed tolerance toward Jews, allowing them to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, but not in its original location. However, after the Second Jewish-Roman War, Hadrian barred Jews from Jerusalem (renamed Aelia Capitolina). 
•  As a crises or policy changes. The Roman Empire's relationship with Judaism ranged from tolerance and protection to persecution and conflict. 

Following a period of rebellion and the destruction of Jerusalem, the region was eventually incorporated into the Byzantine  Empire.  This is  the Eastern Roman Empire with it's capital in CONSTANTINOPLE over a vast area including Palestine in 637.  Jews were in Byzantium since the 4th century. 

First Council of Nicaea (325 CE): Constantine convened this council to address disagreements within Christianity, particularly the Arian controversy regarding the divine nature of Jesus Christ. The council resulted in the formulation of the Nicene Creed, a statement of Christian belief affirming the co-equality of the Father and the Son, and setting a precedent for future ecumenical councils.   It did establish a separation between Christian and Jewish practices, particularly in the determination of the date of Easter. It was deemed "unworthy" to follow the custom of the Jews in celebrating the Easter festival, according to the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. Wikipedia states that Constantine advocated to "have nothing in common with the Jews, who are our adversaries".  He saw Judaism as competition with Christianity.  It's true, manywere converting to Judaism.  

• Laws against conversion: Constantine enacted laws that aimed to prevent Christians from converting to Judaism and to discourage Jews from seeking converts.
• Punishments for attacking converts: A decree on October 18, 315, stipulated harsh penalties for any Jew who attacked a convert to Christianity, including being "given to the flames".
• Prohibition of intermarriage: Laws were issued forbidding marriages between Jews and Christians, carrying the death penalty for transgression.
• Forbidding Circumcision of Christian Slaves: An edict on October 21, 335, prohibited Jews from buying and circumcising Christian slaves. The circumcised slave would then gain liberty.

The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE. It lasted for over a thousand years, from 330 to 1453, with its capital in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). 

 The emperors developed their specific  religious attitudes towards the Jews.  JUSTINIAN (527-565) created anti-Jewish laws in his Code, issued a decree in 553 which interfered with the conduct of the synagogue services.  Heraclius is reported (614) to have issued an edict ordering the conversion of the Jews.  The practice Judaism was forbidden by emperors;  Leo in 723, Basil I in 873-4;  Romanus Lucapenus in 932-936;  But on each occasion, Jewish life re-established itself.

Benjamin of Tudela (1170) found in Constantinople Jews were treated with contempt.  Jews remained in the attenuated Byzantine empire until the last remnant was conquered by the Turks in 1453.  

In 1391 in Spain, a wave of massacres beginning at Seville swept through the entire Peninsula frightening Jews so bad that many allowed themselves to be baptized in order to escape death.  Jews learned to act Christian but held Jewish services in secret, and they were called Marranos

1492:  King and Queen of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella, turned against Jews, told them to leave or convert.  The was the Spanish Inquisition of 1478 which actually started earlier.  Jewish exiles numbered 150,000 who found refuge in  Northern Africa and the Turkish Empire.                                                    

                                   MUSLIM CONQUEST

After the Byzantine Empire's rule of Judah ended around 638 CE with the Muslim conquest of the Levant, the region fell under the control of successive Islamic caliphates and dynasties. Mohammad died in 632 CE.  

• Rashidun Caliphate (638-661 CE): This was the first Islamic caliphate to rule the region, according to Wikipedia.
• Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE): Centered in Damascus, they governed the Levant, which included Judah.
• Abbasid Caliphate (750-969 CE): Based in Baghdad, their influence extended over the Levant.
• Fatimid Dynasty (969-1071 CE): An Egyptian-based dynasty that controlled the Levant.
• Seljuk Turks (1071-1098 CE): They briefly controlled the Levant before the arrival of the Crusaders.                                        
  
  
  
• European Crusaders (1099-1187 CE): They established the Kingdom of Jerusalem and other entities along the Levantine coast.
• Ayyubid Dynasty (1187-1260 CE): Founded by Salah al-Din, they reunited Syrian and Egyptian Muslims and defeated the Crusaders, regaining control of the Levant.
• 1260: Following their capture of Damascus, a smaller Mongol force under Kitbuqa raided Palestine, reaching as far south as Gaza. They also established a brief garrison in Gaza before being defeated by the Mamluks at the Battle of Ain Jalut.However, it's important to note that the Mongols' presence in Palestine was generally temporary and characterized by raiding rather than sustained conquest and integration into their administrative system. Their ultimate goal was often considered to be Egypt, according to Wikipedia. The Mamluks played a crucial role in pushing back the Mongol advances in the Levant, notably at the Battle of Ain Jalut.
• Mongol forces launched incursions into Syria and Palestine on several occasions: 1300: Another Mongol invasion of Syria led to raids into Palestine, again reaching Gaza and potentially including Jerusalem, though this was a temporary occupation lasting only a few months before the Mongols withdrew and the Mamluks regained control. 
• Mamluk Dynasty (1260-1517 CE): This military class of former slaves ruled the Levant, often with sporadic control, until the arrival of the Ottoman Turks.  The Mamluk dynasty was a powerful military dynasty that ruled Egypt and Syria from 1250 to 1517. Originally slave soldiers, they rose to power and established a sultanate that became a major force in the Middle East. The Mamluks are renowned for repelling the Mongol advance and ending the Crusader presence in the region. 
• Ottoman Empire (1517-1917): They occupied Palestine, including Judah, for over 400 years, notes the Jewish Virtual Library. The Ottoman Empire was a vast, multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire that lasted for over 600 years, from the late 13th century to the early 20th century. It originated in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and expanded to control much of the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeastern Europe. The empire was known for its military prowess, sophisticated administration, and contributions to art, science, and culture. From the late 16th century, the empire began to decline due to internal issues like corruption and economic stagnation, as well as external pressures from European powers. It ultimately sided with Germany in World War I , losing the war, and was dissolved after the war, with the remaining territory becoming the Republic of Turkey in 1923.  

Resource:

Edit 8/11/25  9:30am 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaea_(Roman_province)#:~:text=Since%20the%20Roman%20Republic's,4%20BCE%20%E2%80%93%206%20CE).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_conquest_of_the_Levant

The Clashing of Polytheism and One G-d In Middle East Affected the World

Nadene  Goldfoot                                                

 Then and Now Bible Map compares a Bible map of Israel, Egypt, Assyria and Babylonia during Old Testament times―side-by-side with a map of modern-day Middle Eastern countries including Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and Israel.  

 Blue water top left is Mediterranean Sea;  then pink land is Arabian Desert; Green land left is Mesopotamia , yellow land left is (Persia, Media Armenia ) going northward.     

Pink land on right is Saudi Arabia, then above the yellow is pink which is Syria;   Orange land is Iran on right.  Green is Iraq on right.                                                                                                                                      

        Here we see Egypt where Jews lived in Goshen, the Nile Delta area in Pink.  the green Akkadian Empire and the small Sumer land with Ur.  Canaanites along the coast were a mixture of Horites, Hittites and Hebrews dating back to the Hyksos period of 17th century BCE.  Syrians used the name  for themselves.  They were almost obliterated or assimilated by the Israelites by the 13th century BCE; and by the Philistines along the coast in 12th century BCE,  and then the Arameans in the north by the 11th century BCE.  The remnants fought kings David and his son, Solomon and were absorbed.  The name was remembered by the Sidonians and Phoenicians.                                                                                                                                        

  There were twelve principal deities in the Greek pantheon. Foremost was Zeus, the sky god and father of the gods, to whom the ox and the oak tree were sacred; his two brothers, Hades and Poseidon, reigned over the Underworld and the sea, respectively.     

                                                                     

Roman Gods, similar to the Greek ones only Roman names  The most important group of deities were the Deii Consentes, the twelve gods and goddesses of the Roman pantheon: Jupiter and Juno, Neptune and Minerva, Mars and Venus, Apollo and Diana, Vulcan and Vesta, Mercury and Ceres.

In biblical days, all these places believe in polytheism;  many gods. The whole world believed in many gods;  Greeks, then Romans, India with Hindi's, England, you name them.  

Only one pharaoh, Akhenaten, believed in one god. He founded the palace-city of Amarna as a centre for his religious beliefs. Akhenaten's religious reforms were not entirely new, but his exclusion of the cult of other deities marks a break with traditions. The Aten, or sun disc, was worshipped as the main deity.  believe in the sun as a god (one god), and it was a terribly unpopular idea for the people.  

         The Hindu deity concept varies from a personal god as in Yoga school of Hindu philosophy, to thirty-three major deities in the Vedas, to hundreds of deities mentioned in the Puranas of Hinduism. Illustrations of major deities include Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva, Parvati, Brahma and Saraswati. Today that has changed.  The majority of Asian Indians practice the Hinduism. The other major regions are Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and Islam; and a small percentage of population practice Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Baha'I' Faith.                                 

                                           Abraham and Sarah                                       That was 3,971 years ago. Abraham and his family believed in one god.  

     Moses bartering with a new Pharaoh who didn't know him; in releasing the Israelites to Moses.  It is not surprising then that there were over 2,000 deities in the Egyptian pantheon. Some of these deities' names are well known: Isis, Osiris, Horus, Amun, Ra, Hathor, Bastet, Thoth, Anubis, and Ptah while many others less so.   

Abraham and his family believed in one god.  Moses was from his family born in 1391  who brought his people the Mosaic law which in turn was the Jewish law, continuing the belief in one G-d.  That was 3,414 years ago.  They were on the Exodus from Egypt to Canaan at the time.  It continued without Moses being he died just before arriving at Canaan, but Joshua took over leading the people.  Where it took Moses 40 years to lead the 600,000 Israelites and others out of Egypt to Canaan, today one can fly there from Cairo to Jerusalem in 5 hours and 30 minutes.  

Christianity was born out of  Hellenistic Judaism by Jesus who died in 29 CE,, but taken over by Emperor Constantine's mother, Helena. They Hellenized the one G-d belief even more as time went on, adding pieces to it from the Roman experience.  

The government was now the Byzantine Empire centered in Constantinople, Turkey. 

It was introduced to the area of modern Germany by 300 AD, while parts of that area belonged to the Roman Empire, and later, when Franks and other Germanic tribes converted to Christianity from the fifth century (400s)  onwards. The area became fully Christianized by the time of Charlemagne in the eighth and ninth century (700s and 800s).

By 640, again; in 721 and 873 The Jews in the Byzantine Empire were forcibly converted to Christianity.  

The Byzantine Empire was the eastern Roman Empire covering a vast land area till 637 CE which included Palestine.  As they developed they brought on more regulations concerning Jews.;  our religious life.  Emperor Justinian (527-565) continued to pressure against Jews with elaborate anti-Jewish laws in his Code, issued a decree in 533 which interfered with the conduct of the synagogue services.  Heraclius is reported in 614 to have issued an edict ordering the conversion of the Jews.  The practice of Judaism was formally forbidden by successive emperors;  by Leo in 723, by Basil I in 873 and 874; by Romanus Lucapernus in 932-936, etc.  On each occasion Jewish life re-established itself though Jews were treated with contempt.  

Although Christianity in Britain tends to be associated with the arrival of St Augustine's mission to the English from Rome in 597, it had already taken root in Roman Britain in the 4th century.  England expulsed the Jews in 1290 and didn't allow any back until 1655; 365 years of being away.  

Eastern Europe took longer to become Christianized.                               In 966 Mieszko I, the founder of the dynasty, was baptised and introduced Christianity to Poland. Thus, Poland entered into the sphere of Christian and Latin traditions in about 970 CE, then. The Piasts united the lands that covered roughly the present territory of Poland. During the following centuries, the Polish State expanded eastwards.  Vladimir decided to adopt Christianity - the state religion of Byzantium - one of the mightiest states in Europe and Asia of that time. Historians consider 988 CE as the year of Christianity adoption in Russia.     The Christianization of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos krikštas) occurred in 1387, initiated by King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila and his cousin Vytautas the Great. It signified the official adoption of Christianity by Lithuania, the last pagan country in Europe.  By 1495 Jews were expelled from Lithuania.  

Remember it was in 1492 that Columbus said the ocean blue.  180,000 Jews were expulsed from Spain.  50,000  were converted to Christianity to be able to remain in Spain, known as conversos. On March 31, 1492, shortly after the end of the Granada War, the Catholic Monarchs signed the decree of expulsion of the Jews in Granada, which was sent to all the cities, towns and lordships of their kingdoms with strict orders to not read it or make it public until May 1. The Granada War (Spanish: Guerra de Granada) was a series of military campaigns between 1482 and 1492 during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, against the Nasrid dynasty's Emirate of Granada.  The Nasrid dynasty was an Arab dynasty that ruled the Emirate of Granada from 1232 to 1492. It was the last Muslim dynasty in the Iberian Peninsula.

Islam didn't take place with Abraham's other line of Ishmael, son of Hagar, Sarah's  Egyptian handmaid until about 610 CE when Mohammad was 40. This happened 1,413 years ago.  It was Mohammad (570-632 CE)  from Medina, Saudi Arabia, who heard the Jewish history being orated by Jews and Christians he had passed by and listened to or during the Meccan trade caravans he was on.  Mohammad became a prophet, and was a general leading his troops as well, so he was already a leader. Being he couldn't read or write, he had scribes take his dictation down and the Koran was written.  Mohammad thought the Jews would convert to his new concept of religion, but they wouldn't, so he was confused and angry.  Suddenly the Koran had phrases added that were against Jews. 

The Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) conducts flight operations with an unmanned aerial vehicle in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, Oct. 23. Components of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval

Since the 30th of October 2023, U.S. troops have been attacked by Iranian-backed militias at least 23 times in less than two weeks, Pentagon officials said Oct. 30, providing the most comprehensive account of the American military’s recent confrontation with Tehran’s proxies in Iraq and Syria. At least 14 of these rocket and one-way drone attacks have occurred in Iraq, while another nine were carried out in Syria, the officials said.  Several of the militia attacks took place after the U.S. launched airstrikes against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the groups it backs in eastern Syria on Oct. 26 in an effort to deter further hostilities. “Iran’s strategic objective has not changed,” a senior defense official told reporters. “Iran’s objective for a long time has been to force a withdrawal of the U.S. military from the region. What I would observe is that we’re still there.”  U.S. troops are in Iraq and Syria to advise and mentor local partners who are working to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group. Some 2,500 U.S. troops are in Iraq working with Iraqi forces, while 900 troops are in Syria.   

Resource:

https://www.amazon.com/Middle-East-Then-Now-Testament/dp/9901980429  map picture

The Necessity of Understanding Difference Between Middle East and Western Civilizations

Nadene Goldfoot                                                  

Mankind started in Africa and slowly came out and spread eastward, first as hunters, then gatherers/farmers.  This is something we've learned from the study of DNA, a very new field in the world of science.  All men carry within their cells, DNA that distinguishes them from one family/clan line from another.  It's called the Y haplogroup/haplotype, recorded for us like R1, Q, G, etc.  Populations can be tested and follow their progress from one place to another.  (Women have their own called the mt haplogroup-apart from the men). The male line's genealogy was recorded in the bible, maybe for good reason as this follows DNA's importance that we have in population genetics.  We may have all started at just about the same time, but our civilizations have developed at different times.     

   

  Menes,  1st pharaoh,  first ruler of the first dynasty of Kemet which is said to have begun between 3200 – 3000 B.C. and he ruled around sixty years, 5,222 years ago. 

Egypt's civilization with pharaoh's can be traced back, using their heiroglyphics, Menes, also spelled Mena, Meni, or Min, (flourished c. 2925 BCE), 4,947 years ago, legendary first king of unified Egypt, who, according to tradition, joined Upper and Lower Egypt in a single centralized monarchy and established ancient Egypt's 1st dynasty.  It was already 1,340 years old by the time Moses was 80 years old.  Moses was born in 1391 BCE.  (I get the dates from the Jewish figuration of time from our Tanakh, deciphered and used by my Jewish encyclopedia).                        

There were other civilizations during this period; Assyrian Empire, Babylonian Empire, Sumerian Empire, Hittite, etc.  

We can see that the Middle Eastern civilization had been going on for the past 5,000 years.  

The land of Israel was started in about 1485 BCE by Moses leading the slaves, Israelites and others of the past 400 years,  from Egypt , then a very old civilization already, to Canaan, a land of tents and a few dwellings and the beginnings of villages, getting there in about 1445 BCE.  They arrived 3,467 years ago. 

"The British Isles were linked to continental Europe by a territory named Doggerland. The plains of Doggerland were thought to have finally been submerged around 6500 to 6000 BCE, but recent evidence suggests that the bridge may have lasted until between 5800 and 5400 BCE, and possibly as late as 3800 BCE, 5,822 years ago when the 1st pharaoh of Egypt emerged."  Doggerland must be land between France and England now underwater.  

Around 4000 BCE migrants began arriving from central Europe. Although the earliest indisputably acknowledged languages spoken in the British Isles belonged to the Celtic branch of the Indo-European family,  it is not known what language these early farming people spoke. That was 6,022 years ago.                           

In 55 and 54 BCE, Roman general and future dictator Gaius Julius Caesar launched two separate invasions of the British Isles, though neither resulted in a full Roman occupation of the island. In 43 CE, southern Britain became part of the Roman Empire.  That was 1,979 years ago. 

The first king was Alfred the Great, king of Wessex, b:849-d: October 26, 899  at age 50.  He was born 1,173 years ago.  He ruled from 871 CE.  

The Last Kingdom is a great show on Netflix depicting all this history in a breath-taking history.  Like history?  Watch it. Here's Alfred.                     

Rome, capital of Italy, seems to be the oldest of Europe.  This city is said to have been founded by Romulus and Remus and were raised by wolves.  Rome was founded around 625 BCE, 2,647 years ago,  in the areas of ancient Italy known as Etruria and Latium. 

It is thought that the city-state of Rome was initially formed by Latium villagers joining together with settlers from the surrounding hills in response to an Etruscan invasion.  Jews had arrived due to commerce-from trading from Israel by 139 BCE,  2,161 years ago.  

By 51 BCE, Julius Caesar had conquered Celtic Gaul and, for the first time, Rome’s borders had spread beyond the Mediterranean region. Although the Senate was still Rome’s governing body, its power was weakening. Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC and replaced by his heir, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (Octavian) who ruled alongside Mark Antony.                                

In 31 BC Rome overtook Egypt which resulted in the death of Mark Antony and left Octavian as the unchallenged ruler of Rome. Octavian assumed the title of Augustus and thus became the first emperor of Rome. 

Rome, Egypt, Israel were all on the Mediterranean Sea.  

People of the Middle East must have gathered up much DNA of people already quite civilized before Europe started to develop.  As the Middle Eastern civilization came and left,, Europe then developed.  The question is, is it ready to leave at this point in time?  With nuclear technology in our midst, one never knows.                     

    Germany was part of the Holy Roman Empire.

In the late 1st century BCE, the Roman emperor Augustus launched campaigns across the Rhine, and incorporated areas of Germania as far east as the Elbe into the Roman Empire, creating the short-lived Roman province of Germania Antiqua in 7 BCE, with further aims of establishing a greater province of Magna Germania, with headquarters at Colonia (modern-day Cologne).                    

The Germans originally came from Scandinavia. They were mainly shepherds and hunters, and only a small minority were farmers. The Germans consisted of several different groups. The most important of these were the Goths, Vandals, Franks and Saxons.  The Germans were dangerous fighters. Their tactics were crude but. effective. Their main strategy was to charge the enemy and involve them in hand-to-hand combat. Only the chiefs wore helmets but they all carried large oblong shields and swords.  The Germans wore animal-skins. They were very proud of their long hair which they dyed red and wore in a bun or pony-tail. They also smeared their hair with thick grease.

Germany is the first of European Western countries that Jews moved to from Rome when on the continent. It's where Yiddish developed, a mixture of Hebrew and German. 

In  286 CE, the Roman Empire was split into eastern and western empires, each ruled by its own emperor. The western empire suffered several Gothic invasions and, in  455, was sacked by Vandals. Rome continued to decline after that until  476 when the western Roman Empire came to an end. The eastern Roman Empire, more commonly known as the Byzantine Empire, survived until the 15th century CE. It fell when Turks took control of its capital city, Constantinople (modern day Istanbul in Turkey) in 1453.

The Byzantine Empire: the eastern Roman Empire with capital in Constantinople, grew and grew up to 637 when it included Palestine (named by the Romans from Israel).  Jews were there from 4th century.  Each new emperor had his own way of thinking about the Jews.  Justinian (527-565) had terrible laws for Jews with the decree in 553 that interfered with synagogue services itself!  Judaism was forbidden!  Here's where a major part of anti-Semitism started.    Today, people call Constantinople, Istanbul. 

As empires developed, they interacted with others, and copied good ideas.  We've tried to drop bad ideas.   Thus, we have today.  The point being made is that the Middle East was first and is very very old.  The west, European, is very young by comparison, and this is a development in the people.  It could be a help or a hindrance, but it's interesting.  The question is, how does it affect our brains and thinking and problem-solving processes?   

The fact is that we all share very distant ancient genes from our beginnings,  Jews have intermingled with non-Jews for the past 100 years, picking up other genes than the Middle Eastern ones,  but there are most non-Jews who have not, and have no "Jewish" genes. 

All I know is that the Messiah (Moshiach) is expected by all religions at  just about the same time, and he is, according to Jewish prophets, to be from the House of David, so he should be an ancient middle eastern brain-problem solver.  Zelensky of Ukraine has been a good middle-eastern original problem-solver.  

Resource:

https://spartacus-educational.com/ROMgermans.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_monarchs

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Menes

https://www.ontheshoulders1.com/the-giants/menes-the-first-pharaoh-of-kemet#/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_British_Isles

https://www.mpm.edu/research-collections/anthropology/anthropology-collections-research/mediterranean-oil-lamps/roman-empire-brief-history#:~:text=Rome%20was%20founded%20around%20625,response%20to%20an%20Etruscan%20invasion.