Ἰτουραια, Ἰτουραίας, ἡ, Ituraea, a mountainous region, lying northeast of Palestine and west of Damascus (Strabo 16, p. 756 § 18; Pliny, h. n. 5 (23) 19). According to Luke (Luk 3:1), at the time when John the Baptist made his public appearance it was subject to Philip the tetrarch, son of Herod the Great, although it is not mentioned by Josephus (Antiquities 17, 8, 1; 11, 4, 18; 4, 6 and b. j. 2, 6, 3) among the regions assigned to this prince after his father’s death; (on this point cf. Schürer in the Zeitschr. f. wissensch. Theol. for 1877, p. 577f). It was brought under Jewish control by king Aristobulus circa (Josephus, Antiquities 13, 11, 3). Its inhabitants had been noted for robbery and the skilful use of the bow (Vergil geor. 2, 448; Cicero, Phil. 13, 8, 18; Strabo 16, p. 755f; Lucan, Phar. 7,230, 514). Cf. Münter, Progr. de rebus Ituraeorum, Hafn. 1824; Winers RWB, under the word Ituraea; Kneucker in Schenkel iii., p. 406f; (B. D. American edition under the word).