Includes bibliographical references (pages 387-432) and index.

The Philistines and Philistia as a distinct geo-political entity: late Bronze Age to 500 BC -- The conception of Palestine in classical antiquity and during the Hellenistic empires (500-135 BC) -- From Philistia to Provincia 'Syria Palaestina' (135 AD-390 AD): the administrative province of Roman Palestine -- The (three in one) Provincia Palaestina: the three administrative provinces of Byzantine Palestine (4th-early 7th centuries AD) -- Arab Christian Palestine: the pre-Islamic Arab kings, bishops and poets and tribes of Provincia Palaestina (3rd-early 7th centuries AD) -- The Arab province of Jund Filastin (638-1099 AD): continuities, adaption and transformation of Palestine under Islam -- Between Egypt and al-Sham: Palestine during the Ayyubid, Mamluk and early Ottoman periods -- Palestinian statehood in the 18th century: early modernities and practical sovereignty in Palestine -- Being Palestine, becoming Palestine: rediscovery and new representations of modern Palestine and their impact on Palestinian national identity -- Settler-colonialism and disinheriting the Palestinians: the appropriation of Palestinian place names by the Israeli state.

This rich and magisterial work traces Palestine's millennia-old heritage, uncovering cultures and societies of astounding depth and complexity that stretch back to the very beginnings of recorded history. Starting with the earliest references in Egyptian and Assyrian texts, Nur Masalha explores how Palestine and its Palestinian identity have evolved over thousands of years, from the Bronze Age to the present day. Drawing on a rich body of sources and the latest archaeological evidence, Masalha shows how Palestine's multicultural past has been distorted and mythologised by Biblical lore and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the process, Masalha reveals that the concept of Palestine, contrary to accepted belief, is not a modern invention or one constructed in opposition to Israel, but rooted firmly in the ancient past. -- Dust jacket flap.