After the death of King Solomon in 930 BC, the kingdom of Israel split into two kingdoms, Judah and Israel. Over the next 200 years, both kingdoms were defeated by foreign powers - Israel was conquered by the Assyrians and Judah was later conquered by the Chaldeans in 586 BC. The Chaldeans destroyed Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem and took many Jews captive to Babylon, beginning the Jewish Diaspora. Some Jews later returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the Second Temple under Persian rule.
1. Invaders Conquer & Rule
Social Studies for 9th E.G.B. | Teacher: Mauricio Torres
2. After Solomon
Around 930 BC, Solomon died and the kingdom
was divided over who should be king.
This conflict tore Israel apart and it split into two
kingdoms: Judah and Israel
After two hundred years, the Assyrians
defeated Israel. It’s people spread out.
Later, the Chaldeans defeated Judah.
3. The Dispersal of the Jews
The Chaldeans captured Jerusalem and
destroyed Solomon’s Temple in 586 BC.
These Jews were taken captive into Babylon, and
this was called “The Babylonian Captivity”. It
lasted 50 years and ended when the Persians
captured Babylon and let the Jews go back to
Jerusalem.
Not all of them went back, and spread
throughout the Persian Empire.
The dispersal of the Jews outside Judah and
Israel is known as the Diaspora.
The ones who returned to Jerusalem rebuilt the
temple, calling it “The Second Temple”. They
remained under Persian control until 330 BC.
4. Independence and Conquest
Tired of foreign rule, a Jewish family called the Maccabees, led a successful revolt in the
160s BC.
This lasted for a hundred years.
In 63 BC, they were conquered by the Romans.
5. Under Roman Rule
Heavy taxes burdened the population.
The Romans were brutal and had no
respect for Jewish religion or culture.
Some of the Governors tried to force
the Jews to worship the Roman
Emperor, which was against their
religion.
This led to some revolts against the
Romans, such as the Masada incident.
6. Ask Yourself
Identify Causes:
What events led to the Diaspora
Analyze Patterns:
Looking at Jewish history since Abraham to the Roman
conquest, what patterns do you see?
Describe:
What happened during the Babylonian captivity.
Analyze:
Why do you think the Jews were not pleased to
worship the Roman Emperor?