Evidently, the Samaritans revolted against Alexander, who on his return from Egypt, destroyed Samaria, annihilated the leaders, expelled the rest of the inhabitants, and resettled Samaria with Macedonians. The expelled remnant resettled in Shechem, which they established as their capital, and built a temple on Mount Gerizim. Sometime after 128 BC Samaria and Shechem were besieged by John Hyracanus-I (r.134-105 BC), who literally levelled the temple on Gerizim; and the Samaritans came under the Jewish kingdom. In 63 BC Jerusalem was captured by Pompey and in AD 6, with Judea and Idumaea, Samaria became part of the Roman province of Judaea. The Samaritans participated on the Jewish side in the First Jewish revolt (66-73), losing some 12,000 men. After helping to quell the Bar Kokhba revolt (132-135), Hadrian (62; r.117-138) gave them permission to rebuild their temple.
The Christianization of Palestine was reflected in the building of churches and monasteries throughout the country, the presence of large numbers of monks, and the steady increase in visits by Christian pilgrims. In the fifth century Christians finally became the majority of the country’s population. This victory of Christianity brought instability; the Samaritans resented the monks’ missionary activities, which were sometimes tinged with violence. Tumults aimed especially against monks are recorded under Julian (c.31; r.361-363) in 363 and under Marcian (East; 65; r.450-457) in 451-453.
In 484 The Samaritans captured Caesarea, slaughtered the Christians and burned the chapel of Saint Procopius (d.303). Zeno (c.66; r.474*491) retaliated by converting their temple on Mount Gerizim into a church dedicated to Saint Mary. In 495 under Anastasius-I (c.88; r.491-518) the Samaritans reoccupied Mount Gerizim, but were later expelled by the Byzantine governor of Edessa, Procopius (c.500-c.554).
In 529 after spontaneous riots in Scythopolis and in the Samarian countryside, the Samaritan forces assumed control of Neopolis, and Julianus ben Sabar emerged as a leader. He killed the Bishop of Neapolis and many priests, and destroyed many churches. The forces of Justinian-I (82; r.527-565) with the help of the Ghassanid Arabs, were sent to quell the revolt; tens of thousands of Samaritans died or were enslaved.
In the midsummer of 556 the Samaritans together with Jewish allies began a rebellion in Caesarea. They massacred Christians, looted churches and killed the proconsul Stephanus. Justinian (82; r.527-565) dispatched Amantius, his commander in the East, to Caesarea and he suppressed the revolt.
The situation of Samaritans further worsened with the failure of Jewish revolt against Heraclius (c.66; r.610-41) and slaughter of Jewish population in 629. The Samaritan faith was outlawed and from a population of nearly a million, the Samaritan community dwindled to near extinction.
In 614 Palestine was invaded and occupied by the Sassanid king Chosroes II (r.590-628). In 628 it was recovered by Heraclius. On 30 July 634 the Muslim commander Khalid ibn al-Walid (592-642) defeated the Byzantine general Theodore at Ajnadayn, south of Beth-Shemesh; and on 20 August 636 Heraclius was defeated at the decisive Battle of the Yarmuk River. In January 638 Sophronios (c.78; r. 634-638), the Patriarch of Jerusalem, surrendered his city to Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (c.52; r.634-644); and Caesarea capitulated between 640 and 642. Because Jerusalem surrendered peacefully to the newcomers it was not destroyed, but during the next few centuries it became a Muslim city.
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