Editing Golan (section)

==Hellenistic and Early Roman periods==
Now named Gaulanitis, the area formed a district all by itself during the early Hellenistic period.<ref name="NegevGibson"/> Once the [[Seleucid Empire]] started its gradual collapse, the Golan became a target for [[Iturean]] and other Arab tribes.<ref name="Dar">{{cite book |work=The Nabateans in the Negev |editor=Renate Rosenthal-Heginbottom |year=2003 |location=Haifa |title=The Nabateans in the Hauran |author=Shimon Dar of Bar Ilan University |publisher=Hecht Museum, University of Haifa |pages=45–46 |isbn=965-7034-12-4 }}</ref> At the same time it was enveloped by the regional wars fought by [[Hasmonean]] ruler [[Alexander Jannaeus]] (r. 103-76 BCE) against the [[Nabatean]] kings [[Obodas I]] and [[Aretas III]] between ca. 93–80 BCE, leading to the conquest of the Golan by Jannaeus.<ref name="Dar"/> 

In 63 BCE the entire former Seleucid realm was conquered by [[Roman Republic|Roman]] general [[Pompey]],<ref name="Dar"/> and the Golan is settled by the Itureans.<ref name="NegevGibson"/> In 23 BCE the Jewish king [[Herod the Great]], a [[client ruler]] loyal to Rome, receives the rule over the wider [[Hauran]] region. He leaves it to his heirs, who hold it until the death of [[Agrippa II]] at the end of the first century CE.<ref name="NegevGibson"/><ref name="Dar"/>

The city of Golan was known to [[Josephus]]. It formed the eastern boundary of [[Galilee]] and was part of the [[Philip the Tetrarch|tetrarchy of Philip]]. It was described by [[Eusebius]] in his [[Onomasticon (Eusebius)|Onomasticon]] as a large village that gave its name to the surrounding country.