Land of Israel Studies

Why places have different names in Israel?

Quick answer

Many places in Israel have different names because millennia of successive rulers—Canaanite, Israelite, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Crusader, and Ottoman—left linguistic layers across the land. Today, Hebrew, Arabic, and classical names survive through toponymic preservation and reflect the living identities and political narratives of Jewish and Palestinian communities.

The topic explained

Layers of language across centuries

To understand these naming patterns, geographers look at toponymy, the study of place names. Over three thousand years, languages shifted with each political transformation. In the Iron Age, Northwest Semitic languages like biblical Hebrew dominated. Following the conquests of Alexander the Great in 332 BCE and the Roman expansion under Pompey in 63 BCE, Greek and Latin names were stamped on administrative centers. After the Arab conquest in 634–638 CE, Arabic became the common vernacular.

When languages changed, incoming inhabitants often preserved the sound of the previous name rather than inventing a new one. Semitic roots in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic share phonetic structures, so local populations adapted names to fit their tongue. For instance, the biblical Canaanite and Hebrew town of Beit El became the Arab village of Beitin. Similarly, the Roman name Neapolis, founded by Emperor Vespasian in 72 CE near biblical Shechem, morphed phonetically into the Arabic name Nablus, because Arabic lacks the letter 'p'.

Tracking a name through three classical sites

Consider three sites where these linguistic shifts remain visible on modern signs. First is Lod, an ancient city mentioned in Egyptian records from 1465 BCE and the Hebrew Bible. The Romans renamed it Diospolis ('City of Zeus') in 200 CE, Byzantine Christians called it Lydda, and local Arab residents knew it as al-Ludd. In 1948, the Israeli state restored the Hebrew name Lod.

A second example is Beit Guvrin in the Judean foothills. In the Jewish Mishnah, it appears as Beit Guvrin (Aramaic for 'house of men'). Septimius Severus granted it municipal status in 200 CE as Eleutheropolis ('city of the free'). After the 7th-century Islamic conquest, the population adapted this to Bayt Jibrin. Today, the national park bears the name Beit Guvrin-Maresha, while older maps label the ruins Bayt Jibrin.

Competing maps and national identities

Place names do more than record linguistic drift; they articulate national identity. In 1949, the newly established State of Israel formed the Governmental Names Committee to replace Arabic names with Hebrew ones, drawing on biblical, Second Temple, and Talmudic texts to revive the ancient Jewish geography of the land.

Conversely, Palestinian communities preserve Arabic place names as tangible proof of continuous settlement, agricultural heritage, and familial roots spanning centuries. When comparing a British Survey of Palestine map from 1936 with a modern Survey of Israel map, the differences mark not mere translations, but two distinct communities reading their own deep history into the exact same terrain.

Free printable worksheet

Deciphering Toponymy: Names on the Map of Israel

This worksheet is for 10th-grade Land of Israel Studies students. Complete each item using historical-linguistic principles and map comparison skills.

Print the worksheet Regenerate new worksheet

Free, no sign-up. The answer key prints on the second page. Regenerating a new worksheet on the same topic needs a free account.

Personal AI lessons and practice, from preschool to university

Free printable worksheetlessoons.com

Deciphering Toponymy: Names on the Map of IsraelName:

Identify the ancient Roman name given in 72 CE that transformed linguistically into the modern Arabic name Nablus.
Explain why the biblical site of Beit El was pronounced 'Beitin' by local Arabic speakers over centuries.
State the year the Israeli Governmental Names Committee was established, and state its primary historical objective.
Connect each site to its alternate classical or historical name: (a) Lod, (b) Beit Guvrin, (c) Acre (Akko). Choices: Ptolemais, Lydda/Diospolis, Eleutheropolis.
Examine this excerpt from an early 20th-century geographer: 'The fellahin (farmers) often preserve the ancient names of biblical towns far more faithfully than modern administrative bodies, even when they do not know the historical origin.' Explain how an Arabic village name can serve as primary evidence for locating a biblical site.
Compare how Israeli and Palestinian communities view the naming of places in the region, explaining the core claim of each position.

Common questions

Is this topic tested on the Israeli history Bagrut matriculation?

Yes. Toponymy, map analysis, and the ideological role of naming landscapes appear regularly in both the Land of Israel Studies (Shelah) and general History matriculation exams.

Did the British Mandate change local place names between 1920 and 1948?

The British Survey of Palestine generally kept existing Ottoman and local Arabic names on standard topographic sheets, while recording classical and biblical names in scholarly gazetteers.

What is the most common mistake students make when analyzing old maps?

Students often assume that because a name appears on a map, the earlier settlement was erased. In reality, names frequently coexisted across languages, depending on who produced the map.

How long does it take a 10th-grade class to master site matching?

Students typically master the phonetic shifts and historical periods behind major sites within two 45-minute lessons combined with comparative map analysis.

Still have a question? Ask Lessi

Any question about this subject. Lessi answers right here, step by step.

Try asking

Asking needs a free account; your question is kept while you sign up. Answers are written by AI and can contain mistakes. Lessi doesn’t give medical or legal advice.