et al,
I think it is rather foolish for someone to say that Palestine didn't exist. Of course it did. The name itself dates back to Imperial Rome when Pompey the Great conquered the region in 63 BC. Pompey's administrative name for the Province was "Palestine"
(or better: Province of "Palaestina").
The Province of Palaestina was eventually divided into 3 Roman Districts:
- Northern District containing the Principalities of:
- Southern District (Coele‑Syria) containing the Principalities of:
- Northeastern District containing the Principalities of:
- Iturea,
- Trachonitis,
- Gaulanitis,
- Auranitis,
- Batanea
But Palestine was not a country with a "Head of State." It was Roman provincial name
for a series of political subdivision ruled
(in the name of the People and Senate in Rome) by the Triumvirate
(later Caesar); subordinate to the Triumvirate through Roman procurators, Kings, Princes and Governors.
After the Jewish revolt, which lead to the ascension of Herod Agrippa I, most of the
Province was renamed "Aelia Capitolinia." The name "Palestine" gradually fell out of use until the the time of the Ottoman Empire. That is why you don't find many maps after 66 AD with the name "Palestine," and even fewer after 135 AD; the grand Phoenix of the Roman Colonial period
(the time of Colonia Aelia
Capitolinia). The name "Palestine" begins to be picked-up again in the later part of the 1800's.
Most Respectfully,R