Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)

The Kingdom of Israel according to biblical tradition existed from about 1010 BC to 926 BC, under the kings Saul, David and Solomon. It is said to have later split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.

Biblical description

The Israelites made ​​according to the biblical witness until late 1010 BC, a united kingdom. The first king was Saul, but only the north really dominated and fell in battle against the Philistines at Gilboa. His son Ish- bosheth reigned for a short time over the northern tribes of Israel. According to him, the whole of Israel fell to King David of the tribe of Judah in the south. He conquered by the Bible describes many neighboring countries (including Edom, Moab, Aram - Damascus ) and chose as its capital Jerusalem.

His son Solomon brought up the kingdom even domestically to a heyday. However, Israel fell after his death 926 BC apart: The northern tribes wanted the king of the south, who had evidently the southern tribe of Judah at a disadvantage, and were therefore not from Solomon's son Rehoboam. The South was formed since the kingdom of Judah, the north, the northern kingdom of Israel.

The tribal territory of the people of Judah included during Saul's reign, the areas north of the Negev with the cities of Beersheba and Ziklag and Hebron, and bordered to the north by the city of Jerusalem. As the southern part of the state ( tribal territories of Benjamin and Judah ) was formed together with the northern part ( ten tribes ) a personal union. In the northern part was an elective monarchy, in the south there was a hereditary monarchy, so that the respective king's son is confirmed from the south to the north by election had. As the new king David made ​​the former Jebusite city of Jerusalem the capital of his native land of Judah, and first of all his dominions.

After the reign of David's son Solomon failed the elders of the ten northern tribes whose son Rehoboam her voice, and the personal union broke around 930 BC in two parts apart: From the heartland of the Davidic dynasty was the kingdom of Judah, the rest made ​​up in the north the northern kingdom of Israel. The kingdom of Judah retained Jerusalem as its capital, encompassing the ancient region of the eponymous tribe and the smaller of the tribe of Benjamin.

The Bible explains this development in the following manner: After the death of Solomon to 927 BC, his son followed Rehoboam on the throne in Jerusalem, but during a meeting in Shechem, the northern part of the old empire announced the new king allegiance because the northern part of the kingdom had been long exploited. Now called on Israel to Jeroboam I own king and the capital was Samaria. Israel had a stronger position than Judah, because its population was four times as large as that of Judah, and also on the fertile plains (now the Jezreel Valley ) and possessed numerous cities.

Past issues

Whether the kingdom existed in the claimed expansion of the Bible, is controversial in the history of science. In particular, absent a statement to in contemporary documents. Considering the claimed by the Bible size of this kingdom would be expected that it could be found in Egyptian and other Middle Eastern written documents at least traces.

The hill country around Jerusalem had an unfavorable country's nature, in comparison to the coastal zone civilization and colonization were here occupies only sparse and important trade routes were missing. It is therefore difficult to understand why the capital of a powerful kingdom is said to have found just the economically weak, traffic unfavorable and far from the trade routes nearby Judean hill country.

Also there is no doubt on Saul, David or Solomon declining archaeological finds. Thus, the previously attributed by the biblical King Solomon Archaeology Hazor and Megiddo structures in addition to the existing Canaanite residues are not interpreted as the buildings of the 10th century, but as the buildings of the Jewish section of the Omrides Empire from the 9th century BC. Definitive C-14 analyzes for the exact chronological dating of these structures have not yet been published. The terraced structures in Jerusalem itself are generally interpreted as a Jebusite buildings and buildings not as David or Solomon. Small Canaanite kingdoms as of Uruschalim but confirmed in the Amarna letters, so their historical existence is not in doubt.