Ancient Israel

By: Tara, Michelle, Elaine, Tina, Robyn, and Ivan

Location

○ Ancient Israelites lived in the Middle

East by the Mediterranean Sea

○ Land was first known as Canaan, then

Phoenicia, and now Palestine

○ Villages were built upon hilltops

○ Part of larger political units/regional

chiefdoms

History○ 1300 - 1200 BC: Moses brings the freed Israelites from Egypt

to Canaan

○ Due to a misunderstanding with God, he passes his

leadership to Hebrew General Joshua who conquers the

native people

○ 1050-The Israelites are ruled by Saul(c1050-1010) and then

David(c1010-970) who unites them into one kingdom

○ c.970 David’s son Solomon becomes a king and builds the

Temple in Jerusalem

○ After Solomon’s death, Israel divides into two kingdoms:

Judah in the south, Israel in the north

History

○ c. 620 BC A major religious revival takes a place in the

southern kingdom of Judah

○ c. 597-582 BC Judah and Jerusalem are destroyed in a

series of invasions by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon

○ c. 538 BC The Persian King Cyrus allows the exiles back

and encourages them to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem

○ c. 164 BC The Persians are conquered by Alexander the

Great and the Jews revolt against the Seleucid kings under

the leadership of the Maccabees

○ c. 722 BC The northern kingdom of Israel is destroyed by the

Assyrians

History○ c. 63 BC: The Romans conquered Judea and

appoint the family of Herod the Great as rulers

of Judea

○ c. 66-73 and c132-5AD: Two Great Revolts

against the Romans ends in the destruction of

the Temple and the expulsion of the Jews from

near Jerusalem

Religion/Law○ They believed in one God, YHWH, who

loves his people

○ Their religious book, the Torah, consists

of the first five books in the bible

○ Observed many holidays like Yom

Kippur and Passover

Religion

● The Prophets had influence over certain Kings● Prophets suffered a lot

Traditions○ In the Ancient World, an Israeli woman’s life was centered at home.

Raising children, keeping the house clean and cooking meals.

○ It was expected for women to be wed to men, around the age of 13

○ Men were considered the master of the house and

often referred to as “Ba'al”.

○ The Ancient Israelites viewed death as god's plan

for humanity and the burying of their dead was

seen as a sacred act.

Contributions to History

○ Christianity and Islam, the two major religions in the world, stem out of Judaism

○ The Ancient Israelites’ views on morals have greatly affected western civilization, especially the Ten Commandments

Interesting Facts○ Judaism is the only religion in the world that

has lost and regained its Holy Land

○ Speed dating was invented by a Rabbi

○ Their holidays commemorate important

historical events, times of the year, and times

of a person's life

○ The Star of David legendarily represents an

emblem of King David’s shield

○ Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Torah

because it was established after the scriptures

were written

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