Syria: Outline and Ancient, Medieval and Modern Interests

First, this is dated by nearly 30 years. Second, our interest is the Ancient Near East, OT history, Graeco-Roman periods, Muslim Conquest, Ottoman period and the Orthodox religious expressions. Again, this forum expresses very wide Biblical, historical, Confessional (Reformed), and liturgical (Anglicanism, but revised) interests. Third, although this article won't help for recent concerns, our interest extends to the modern Iran-Syria-Soviet axis.  Fourth, there is a desire for a manageable and current bibliography consisting of serious academics on modern Syrian history.

Off hand, the country is 1.5 times the size of North Carolina and 1.5 times the size of England. 

Various authors. Encyclopedia Britannica (15^th ed.). “Syria.” Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985.

Physical and human geography

The land

1.      Relief

2.      Drainage

3.      Soils

4.      Climate

5.      Plant and animal life

6.      Traditional regions

7.      Settlement patterns

The people

1.      Population groups

2.      Demography

The economy

1.      Resources

2.      Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

3.      Industry

4.      Finance

5.      Trade

6.      Administration of the economy

7.      Transportation

Administrative and Social Conditions

1.      Government

2.      Justice

3.      Armed Forces

4.      Education

5.      Health and Welfare

Cultural Life

1.      The Cultural Milieu

2.      The States of the Arts

3.      Cultural Institutions

4.      Press and Broadcasting

History

1.      Early History

2.      Hellenistic and Roman Periods

A.    Hellenistic Age

B.    Roman Provincial Organization

C.    Economy and Culture

D.   Byzantine Syria

3.      Medieval Period

A.    Islamic Conquest

B.    The Umayyads

C.    The ‘Abbasids

D.   From the 9^th to the 12^th Century

E.    The Ayyubids and Mamluks

4.      The Ottoman Period

A.    Ottoman Government, 16^th-17^th Centuries

B.    Decline in Ottoman Authority

C.    Egyptian Domination

D.   Ottoman Rule Restored

E.    World War 1

5.      Mandate and Independence

A.    The French Mandate

B.    World War 11 and Independence

6.      Syria After Independence

A.    The Colonels

B.    The Union with Egypt, 1958-1961

C.    The “Secessionist” Regime, 1961-1963

D.   Ba’this Syria After 1963