JETS 29:1 (March 1986) p. 27 that the fourth would be Rome.8 (5) Lev. Rab. 13:5 likens the four rivers of Eden to the four empires designated Babylon, Media, Greece and Edom.9 While the unanimity is startling and even impressive, we must remember that these works all date to the Roman period. They therefore do not necessarily reflect an attempt at discerning the intentions of the book of Daniel but could just as easily represent reinterpretations of that data to suit what was perceived as historical