08

The Assyrian and Babylonian Periods

During the Iron age, the Levant experienced the influence and dominance of powerful Mesopotamian empires, particularly the Assyrians and later the Babylonians.
The Assyrians, known for their military prowess, conquered the northern region of Canaan in 722 BCE, leading to the exile of the ten northern Israelite tribes.
The Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar II, captured Jerusalem in 586 BCE, leading to the Babylonian exile of the Judeans. 
The Philistine cities, being situated in the coastal plain, were not directly affected by the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. Archaeological evidence indicates that Philistine culture persisted in some form during this period.

The Persian Empire, led by Cyrus the Great, conquered Babylon in 539 BCE, marking the end of the Babylonian exile and the beginning of the Persian period in the Levant.
According to historical and biblical accounts, a significant number of Judeans, who were exiled from their kingdom following the Babylonian conquest, returned to their homeland after the fall of the Babylonian Empire. This period is known as the Babylonian Exile or the Babylonian Captivity, during which a large portion of the population of the Kingdom of Judah, along with their elite and religious leaders, were taken into captivity in Babylon.

The return of the Judeans is associated with the conquest of Babylon by the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE. The Persian king Cyrus issued a decree allowing the exiled peoples, including the Judeans, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples. This decree is famously described in the Bible in the Book of Ezra:

"In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: 'This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah."'" (Ezra 1:1-2, NIV)

​

As a result, a group of Judeans, led by figures such as Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest, returned to Judah and initiated the process of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. 

​