Kingdom of Judah (jan 1, 930 BC – jan 1, 587 BC)

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The Kingdom of Judah, centered in the highlands of Judea with Jerusalem as its capital, was an Israelite kingdom during the Iron Age. It is considered the precursor to modern Judaism, as Jews primarily descended from it. While the Hebrew Bible depicts Judah as the successor to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, David, and Solomon, some scholars argue that archaeological evidence for an extensive kingdom before the late 8th century BCE is weak. However, discoveries like the Tel Dan Stele and Khirbet Qeiyafa support the existence of a centralized kingdom by the 10th century BCE. In the 7th century BCE, Judah prospered under Assyrian vassalage but faced decline after Assyria's fall and competition between Egypt and Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar II's siege in 587 BCE led to Jerusalem's destruction and Judah's annexation by Babylon. After Babylon's fall, Cyrus the Great allowed deported Jews to return and self-rule under Persian governance until the Maccabean Revolt restored Jewish independence.

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