JUDAICA - Wisdom In Torah

ashan
a fall from the spire of Ely Cathedral, of which he was resident
architect. Casts of a plaster bust of Basevi, attributed to
T.I. Mazzotti, are in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, the
Soane Museum, London, and the Royal Institute of British Architects,
London. Other members of the family include JAMES
PALLADIO (1832–1871), Anglo-Indian surveyor and explorer;
JACOB BASEVI CERVETTO (1682–1783), generally known as
James Cervetto, musician, who introduced the playing of the
cello into England, and his illegitimate son, JAMES CERVETTO
(1746–1837), also a musician and one of the best cellists of his
time. Both father and son composed various musical works,
especially for the cello. Most of the members of this family
were not professing Jews.
JOSEF BASEWI (b. 1840) founded the Giuseppe Basewi
sugar firm in Trieste, which attained considerable importance
in opening Oriental markets to Austrian export.
Bibliography: A.M. Hyamson, Sephardim of England (1951),
index; R. Blake, Disraeli (1966), index; Jamilly, in: JHSET, 18 (1953–55),
133–4; Roth, in: Juedische Familien-Forschung, 4 (1928), 57–60; G.
Bedarida, Ebrei d’Italia (1950), index. GEORGE BASEVI: Roth, Art;
Victoria and Albert Museum, Anglo-Jewish Art and History (catalogue)
(1956); The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture (1966); N. Pevsner,
The Buildings of England. Add. Bibliography: C. Roth, “La
famiglia Basevi e le sue vicende,” in: La Rassegna mensile di Israel,
36/2 (1970), 359–62; M. Mortara, Indice alfabetico dei rabbini e scrittori
israeliti di cose giudaiche in Italia con richiami bibliografici e note
illustrative (1886), 6.
[Vivian David Lipman / Federica Francesconi (2nd ed.)]
BASHAN (Heb. ןָׁ שָ ּבַה ,ןָׁ שָ ּב), a region north of the Yarmuk
River and east of the Jordan and lakes Ḥuleh and Kinneret.
In biblical times, the city of *Salchah (Salcah) was at the eastern
extremity of Bashan (Deut. 3:10; Josh. 13:11) and the city of
Dan at its western (Deut. 33:22). Most of its area, some 4,334
sq. mi. (11,200 sq. km.) is covered with basalt as a result of lava
eruptions occurring during the Pleistocene period or later. In
some parts of Bashan, the volcanic material has eroded into
fertile soil, but others are still covered with rocks.
The meaning of the name is not clear; by analogy with
the Arabic word batan it may mean a rockless plain. Targum
Onkelos and the Palestine Targum translate Bashan as Matnan
(a possible variant of Batnan) and the Syriac Peshitta as
Matnin. The Palestine Targum has Butnaya as a variant (Deut.
33:22) as does the Jerusalem Talmud, probably through Greek
influence (cf. Ma’as 4:6, 51b, et al.).
With its sufficient rainfall in normal years and lava soil,
Bashan is a very fertile region. Once possessing forests and
pastures, it is praised in the Bible for its lofty trees (Isa. 2:13;
Ezek. 27:6; Zech. 11:2), its cattle and sheep (Deut. 32:14; Amos
4:1; Ps. 22:13), and, with the Carmel, it is mentioned as an area
of outstanding fertility (Isa. 33:9; Jer. 50:19; Nah. 1:4). Although
its forests disappeared many generations ago, good pasture
is still found in Upper *Golan and on Jebel Druze. The Plain
of Bashan is noted for its hardy, superior wheat, but years of
drought occur there more often than on the western side of the
Jordan, with the exception of the Negev. The ancient “King’s
Highway” from Elath to Damascus passed through Bashan
(Num. 20:17), merging with a branch of the Via Maris that
crossed the Jordan near the Sea of Galilee; a second branch
led to Damascus by way of Dan and Banias. Today Bashan is
crossed by a highway that follows the same route and, in the
east, also by the Hejaz railroad.
The ancient inhabitants of Bashan were the *Rephaim,
one of whom was *Og, king of Bashan (Deut. 2:11; 3:11), whose
60 fortified cities were proverbial (Deut. 3:4; I Kings 4:13, etc.).
Some of Bashan’s important cities are mentioned in Egyptian
documents from the Middle and New Kingdoms: Ashtaroth,
Bozrah, Zer, Kenath, Tob, etc. Ashtaroth and *Edrei were the
main cities of Og (Josh. 12:4–5), whom Moses defeated at Edrei
(Num. 21:33). He allotted his land to the half-tribe of Manasseh
(Num. 32:33–42), but most of the original inhabitants remained
there (Num. 32:17). Foreign enclaves, such as those of the Geshurites
east of the Sea of Galilee, and the Maacathites in Upper
Golan south of Mt. Hermon survived into the early days of
the monarchy (Josh. 13:13; II Sam. 10:6–8; 13:37). In the period
of the First Temple, Damascus attacked Bashan and *Gilead
and, from time to time, imposed its rule on them (I Kings 22:3).
*Joash and his son *Jeroboam II were the last Israelite kings
to hold Bashan (II Kings 13:25; 14:25). In 732 B.C.E. it was conquered
by Tiglath-Pileser III who exiled many of its inhabitants
(II Kings 15:29; cf. Isa. 8:23) and established two Assyrian provinces
there – Karnini (Karnaim) and Hawrina (Hauran) – that
evidently existed through Babylonian and Persian rule.
Under the Ptolemies, Bashan was divided into three
provinces: Gaulanitis, Batanea, and Trachonitis. The Seleucids
consolidated the whole of Transjordan north of the Arnon
into a single unit called Galaditis (Gilead). In 164 B.C.E
*Judah Maccabee went to the aid of the persecuted Jews of
Bashan, defeated their enemies led by a certain Timotheus,
and evacuated the Jews from Transjordan (I Macc. 5:9ff.;
196 ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 3
Hazor
.
SEA OF
GALILEE
Dan
Hippos
Damascus
S Y R I A
B AS H A N
Jordan R. Via Maris Yarmuk R.
K i n g ' s
H i g h w a y
Naveh
Karnaim
Ashtaroth
Edrei
Tob
Bozrah
Kenath
.
J O R D A N
Map of the Bashan area in ancient times.
Salcah
J E B E L D RUZE