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Location
The southern Levant, between the Mediterranean and the Jordan valley
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Kingdoms
Israel (north, capital Samaria) and Judah (south, capital Jerusalem)
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Language
Hebrew
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Known for
The Hebrew Bible
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What is Ancient Israel known for?

The name Israel first appears outside the Bible on the Merneptah Stele of about 1208 BCE, which lists it as a people in Canaan. By the ninth century BCE there were two kingdoms: Israel in the north, with its capital at Samaria, and Judah in the south, with its capital at Jerusalem.

Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom around 722 BCE. Babylon took Jerusalem and burned its temple in 586 BCE, and many of Judah's people were taken into exile. Persia's king Cyrus later let exiles return and rebuild.

The Hebrew Bible took shape in and after these centuries. Its stories of giants, Watchers, the Ark of the Covenant and the flood are the starting point for many files on this site.

Why it is on Credible Theories

The land of the Hebrew Bible's kings and prophets, and the setting of the Ark of the Covenant, the Nephilim and the Rephaim.

Mentioned on these pages

Sources

  1. WikipediaA free online encyclopedia written and edited by volunteers. It is a good starting point and usually lists its own sources, but anyone can change it, so we treat it as a guide to better sources, not the final word.Wikipedia, 'History of ancient Israel and Judah'Reference
  2. WikipediaWikipedia, 'Merneptah Stele'Reference

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Updated