Well ahoy there! your question made me think quite a lot about what exactly are you asking. so I'm going to answer all sides of what I think you are asking (pssst and to give you a better understanding ) let's jump into it!
First up Where is(/ was) ancient Israel? ( believe it or not, I'm pretty terrible at describing geography so insert some killer photos) note: ancient Israel is and was super big
next
The Kingdom of Ancient Israel (overall) so remember the last question I answered about the Israelites? whelp that's a big part of this one too! the Israelites formed a loose confederation of twelve tribes. leaders (who were called judges ) popped up to deal with certain emergencies. but by 1000 BCE they have made their own kingdom (pssst I believe this is a little after our last lesson) under King David (woot-woot the famous king David that is) he and his son, Solomon, established their capital at Jerusalem, which also became the main point of the Israelite religion after Solomon built the only permitted temple there. then the kingdom split (not a good idea)and, thus weakened, the Israelites fell victim to the great powers of the region. The northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE, and the southern kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians in 586 BCE.
next up Traditions and
During this period of splitting up, the Israelites developed a tradition of prophecy where a succession of men felt that they had been called by God to speak his messages to the people. These men came from different backgrounds, and clearly had different levels of education; but, in the course of warning the Israelites of impending doom unless they returned to obeying God, they developed a consistent religious philosophy. This was all based on a set of ideas on the proposition that God was not just the one true God; he was also a God of love; that he required, not just religious ceremonial, but a worship of the heart, and one rooted in the “good life” – a life lived with generosity, mercy and love. (what a beautiful mindset right?)
After the destruction of the kingdom of Judah, many of its citizens (known as the “Jews”) – were taken off to exile in Babylonia. There, the prophetic tradition continued, and the Bible (or Old Testament, as Christians know it), began to take shape as the Jewish laws, prophecies, psalms, and other kinds of literature were written down. When the Persians conquered the Babylonians, their king, Cyrus, restored the Jews to their homeland (538 BCE), and allowed them to rebuild their temple.
Within a hundred years or so of the return from exile, the Jews had completed their scriptures, and so laid the foundations for later Judaism. Out of Judaism sprang Christianity, the main religion of Western civilization.
prophecies
notes: Okie Doke this is where I thought would be a good place to stop if you need more info or want me to elaborate more just let me know
I found this timeline that might be useful to you! and I'm not going to lie had to do some research for this :)
Timeline of Ancient Israel
c. 1300-1200 BCE: The Israelites enter the land of Canaan: the age of the Judges starts
c. 1050-1010: The Israelites establish a kingdom, first under Saul (c.1050-1010) and then under David (c.1010-970)
c. 970: David’s son Solomon becomes king. He builds the Temple in Jerusalem
c. 931: After Solomon’s death, Israel divides into two kingdoms: Judah in the south, Israel in the north
722: The northern kingdom of Israel is destroyed by the Assyrians
c. 620: A major religious revival takes place in the southern kingdom of Judah
597-582: Judah and Jerusalem are destroyed in a series of invasions by king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The leading men of Judah are taken into exile in Babylon
538: The Persian king Cyrus allows the exiles back, and encourages them to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem
164: The Jews revolt against the Seleucid kings under the leadership of the Maccabees brothers
63: The Romans conquer Judaea and soon install the family of Herod the Great as rulers of Judaea
66-73 and 132-5 CE: Two great Jewish rebellions against the Romans end in the destruction of the Temple (70) and the expulsion of the Jews from near Jerusalem (135)
hope i helped :))
