 In 64 BCE the Romans conquered Judea, turning it into a Roman province.Although coming under the sway of various empires and home to a variety of ethnicities, the area of ancient Israel was predominantly Jewish until the Jewish–Roman wars of 66–136 CE, during which the Romans expelled most of the Jews from the area and replaced it with the Roman province of Syria Palaestina, beginning the Jewish diaspora.After this time, Jews became a minority in most regions, except Galilee, and the area became increasingly Christian after the 3rd century, although the percentages of Christians and Jews are unknown, the former perhaps coming to predominate in urban areas, the latter remaining in rural areas.