Judaea or Judea [Lat. from Judah], region, Greco-Roman name for S Palestine. It varied in size in different periods. In the time of Jesus it was both part of the province of Syria and a kingdom ruled by the Herods. It was the southernmost of the Roman divisions of Palestine, the others being Galilee, Samaria, and Peraea. Idumaea was S of Judaea. A strip of Samaria lay between Judaea and the Mediterranean. The former region of Judaea was occupied by Israel after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war (see West Bank).

or Judea

Southern division of ancient Palestine successively under Persian, Greek, and Roman rule. It was bounded on the north by Samaria and on the west by the Mediterranan Sea. It succeeded the Hebrew kingdom of Judah, which was destroyed by the Babylonians. The revived kingdom of Judaea was established by the Maccabees, who resisted the suppression of Judaism under foreign rule. Family disputes led to Roman intervention in 63 BC. Under Roman control, Herod (the Great) was made king of Judaea in 37 BC. After Herod's death the country was ruled alternately by his descendants (see Herod Antipas; Herod Agrippa I) and by Roman procurators. As a result of the Jewish revolt in AD 66, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed (AD 70). The name Judaea is used by Israelis to describe approximately the same area in the modern West Bank territory.

Learn more about Judaea with a free trial on Britannica.com.