Introduction to the Documents

1200–510 B.C.E.

The following documents explore the fundamental beliefs of the Hebrew people and help connect their story to the larger pattern of political consolidation and military conflict that shaped the development of the Near East. Unified by their distinctive faith, the Hebrews defeated a number of enemies to build a “small kingdom” in Palestine. The kingdom of Israel flourished under Kings David and Solomon, whose heirs split the kingdom into two states — Israel and Judah — around 925 B.C.E. These smaller states proved tempting targets for the region’s powerful empires, and both eventually lost their independence. The northern kingdom, Israel, fell to the Assyrians, while around 586 B.C.E., the remnants of the southern kingdom were defeated by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar (ne-buh-kuhd-NEH-zuhr) and exiled to his capital. The Hebrews were forced to reside in Babylon until its capture by the new Persian ruler, Cyrus the Great. Although Cyrus practiced the dualistic religion known as Zoroastrianism, he let the people he conquered maintain their religious traditions and allowed the Hebrews to return to Jerusalem, their homeland. His was a very different kind of empire than that of the Assyrians, and the emergence of the Persian Empire marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the region.