Ancient
Israel
Objectives
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On a historical map of the Mediterranean locate Asia Minor, Greece and Mesopotamia, the
kingdoms of the Hittites and ancient Israel, and Egypt.
On a modern map, locate Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the area governed by the
Palestine Authority, Syria, and Turkey.
Identify the ancient Israelites or Hebrews
Trace their migrations from Mesopotamia to Canaan
Explain the role of Abraham and Moses in their history
Describe the monotheistic religion of the Israelites
– Belief that there is one God
– The 10 commandments
– Emphasis on individual worth and personal responsibility
– The belief that all people must adhere to the same moral obligations whether ruler or ruled
– The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as a part of the history of early Israel
Describe the unification of the tribes of Israel under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon including:
– David’s founding of Jerusalem as its capital city in 1000 BC
– Building of first temple by Solomon
Explain the expulsion/dispersion of the Jews to other lands after the destruction of the second
temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD/CE and the renaming of the country by the Romans
Where in the world?
• Let’s take a look at our maps….
• Be able to find on an ancient map:
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Mediterranean Sea
Asia Minor
Greece
Mesopotamia
Ancient Israel
Egypt
Kingdoms of Hittites
Ancient Map
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Mediterranean Sea
Asian Minor
Greece
Israel
Egypt
Mesopotamia
Hittite Kingdom
Where in the world now?
• On a modern map can you find:
– Egypt
– Greece
– Israel
– Jordan
– Lebanon
– Syria
– Turkey
Modern Map
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Mediterranean Sea
Egypt
Greece
Israel
Jordan
Lebanon
Palestine
Syria
Turkey
The Early Hebrews
The Big Idea
Originally desert nomads, the Hebrews established a great
kingdom called Israel.
Main Ideas
• Abraham and Moses led the Hebrews to Canaan and to
a new religion.
• Strong kings united the Israelites to fight off invaders.
• Invaders conquered and ruled the Hebrews after their
kingdom broke apart.
• Some women in Hebrew society made great
contributions to their history.
Main Idea 1:
Abraham and Moses led the Hebrews to
Canaan and to a new religion.
• Accounts written by Hebrew scribes describe the
Hebrews' early history and the laws of their religion.
• The Hebrew Bible traces the Hebrews back to
Abraham, who was told by God to settle in
Mesopotamia.
• After a famine struck Canaan, the Hebrews ended up
in Egypt and lived well, causing the pharaoh concern.
So Who is Abraham?
One day, the Hebrew Bible says, God told
Abraham to leave his home in
Mesopotamia. He was to take his family
on a long journey to the west. God
promised to lead Abraham to a new land
and make his descendents into a mighty
nation.
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Abraham story continued…
Abraham left Mesopotamia and settled
in Canaan, on the Mediterranean Sea.
His descendents-the Hebrews- lived in
Canaan for many years. Later, however,
some Hebrews moved to Egypt, perhaps
because of famine in Canaan.
And then….
The Hebrews lived well in Egypt and their
Population grew. This growth worried
Egypt’s ruler, the pharoah. He feared that
the Hebrews might soon become too
powerful. To stop this from happening,
the pharoah made the Hebrews slaves.
So…. Who is Abraham?
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Abraham used to live in ____________.
_________ told him to leave.
Abraham moved to ______________.
Here, the ___________ lived for many years.
Later, some of the Hebrews moved to
_____________.
• Eventually, the pharoah made the Hebrews
_____________.
The Exodus
• The pharaoh of Egypt made the Hebrews slaves to stop them
from taking over Egypt.
• A leader named Moses demanded that the pharaoh free his
people.
• He refused, and plagues occurred, frightening the pharaoh.
• His people were released, so they began their Exodus out of
Egypt.
• God then gave Moses the Ten Commandments by which to live.
• They included worshipping only God and valuing human life.
• The Hebrews reached Canaan and settled there in small
communities, as the Israelites.
Who is Moses?
According to the Hebrew Bible, a leader
named Moses appeared among the Hebrews in
Egypt. In the 1200s B.C., God told Moses to
lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. Moses went to
the pharoah and demanded that the Hebrews
be freed. The pharoah refused. Soon afterward
a series of terrible plagues or disasters, struck
Egypt.
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And then…
The plagues frightened the pharoah so much
that he agreed to free the Hebrews. Overjoyed
with the news of their release, Moses led his
people out of Egypt in a journey called the
Exodus. To the Hebrew, the release from
slavery proved that God was protecting and
watching over them. They believed that they
had been set free because God loved them.
Finally….
The Exodus was a major event in Hebrew
history, but other people recognize its
significance as well. Throughout history, for
example, enslaved people have found hope in
the story. Before the Civil War, American salves
sang about Moses to keep their hopes of
freedom alive.
Who does this remind you of ????
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So… Who is Moses?
According to the Hebrews, __________
was a leader.
Moses wanted the pharoah to _______ the
enslaved Hebrews.
When the pharoah wouldn’t free the slaves,
_____________ struck Egypt.
Moses led the people out of Egypt on a
journey called the _______________.
Check Point…
Where did Abraham start?
_____________________
Where did Abraham end
up leading his people to?
____________________
Then some people moved
to __________________.
Here, the pharoah enslaved the Hebrews.
Moses fought to have the Hebrews _______________.
During the _____________, Hebrews moved back to _________.
The return to Canaan
• For many years, the Hebrews wandered
through the desert.
• During their wandering they reach a mountain
called Sinai.
• On the mountain, the Hebrew Bible says, God
gave Moses two stone tablets.
• On the tablets was written the code of moral
laws known as the Ten Commandments.
• According to the Hebrew Bible, they
wandered the desert for 40 years.
Main Idea 2:
Strong kings united the Israelites to
fight off invaders.
• The new threat to the
Israelites came from the
Philistines.
• The Israelites united under
Saul, who became the first
king of Israel.
• The Israelites wanted a single
ruler who could lead them in
battle.
• David became king after Saul.
He won many wars.
• Solomon became king next,
and expanded the kingdom
and trade.
• He made allies with nearby
kingdoms, including Egypt
and Phoenicia. Trade with
them made Israel very rich.
• With the riches that came
from this, he built a temple
to God in Jerusalem.
Unification of the tribes
• Once everyone was back in Canaan, the
Hebrews became known as the Israelites.
• They lived in small scattered communities
without a central government.
• Each community had judges as leaders to
enforce laws and settle disputes or fights.
• People wanted a new kind of leadership.
Why did they want new
leadership?
• A group of people known as the
Philistines invaded the Israelites’ land.
• The Israelites united to fight against the
Philistines.
• Their ruler was named Saul. He
became the first king of Israel.
• Some people liked him as king but
others did not.
King David
• After Saul died, a man who was once in
trouble, became king.
• David was a shepherd when he was younger.
There is a story about how he killed a giant
named Goliath. What does this sound like?
• King Saul used to like him but then didn’t. He
made David live in the desert.
• People still liked David and when Saul died,
they wanted David to be king.
• Everyone liked David and he was a great
king.
• He established, or set up, the capital city of
Jerusalem.
David established Jerusalem
as the capital of Israel.
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Check Point…
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Who was the first king of Israel? ______
Did people like him? _____________
Who became king after Saul?________
Did people like him? ______________
What was King David’s major
accomplishment? _________________
_________________________________
King Solomon
• David’s son Solomon took the throne in about
965 B.C. He was a strong king.
• He expanded the kingdom and made nearby
kingdoms like Egypt and Phoenicia his allies
or friends.
• Trade with these allies made Israel very rich.
With all of this money, Solomon built a great
temple to God in Jerusalem. This temple
became the center of the Israelites’ religious
life and a symbol of their faith.
King Solomon’s Temple
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Check Point…
• Who was Solomon’s dad? __________
• Who did he make his allies? ________
_______________________________
• What did Solomon make?
_______________________________
Invaders Conquer and Rule
• After Solomon’s death, revolts broke out
over who should be king.
• Within a year, the fighting tore Israel
apart.
• Israel spilt into two Kingdoms called
Israel and Judah.
• The people of Judah became known as
Jew.
In the end…
• The two kingdoms lasted for a few centuries.
• In the end, however, both were conquered.
• Israel fell to the Assyrians around 722 B.C.
• As a result, the kingdom fell apart
and most of its people scattered.
• Judah lasted longer, but before
long it fell to the Chaldeans.
Main Idea 3:
Invaders conquered and ruled the Hebrews after
their kingdom broke apart.
• After Solomon’s death, revolts broke out over who
should be king.
• This split Israel into two kingdoms, called Israel and
Judah. The people of Judah became known as the
Jews.
• Both were conquered, and Judah fell to the
Chaldeans.
Check Point
• What happened after Solomon died?
_______________________________
• What were the two kingdoms called?
_______________________________
• Who conquered the Israelites after?
_______________________________
Scattering and Conquest
• The Jews went through a period of
enslavement called the Babylonian
Captivity.
• Although Jewish leaders added
to the Second Temple under
Roman rule, life was difficult.
• The Persians took over and allowed
the Jews to return to Jerusalem.
Some did not return, however, and
settled in other parts of the Persian
Empire.
• Yohanan been Zaccai was a
teacher during this time who
clarified some Jewish teachings.
• Scholars call the scattering of the
Jews outside Israel and Judah the
Diaspora.
• Roman rulers appointed the
leaders of the Temple. This was
more than the Jews could bear.
The Diaspora…
• The Chaldeans conquered Jerusalem,
destroyed Solomon’s temple, and enslaved the
Jews for 50 years.
• The Persians took over and told the Jews they
could return to Jerusalem.
• Even with permission, many Jews never
returned to Jerusalem.
• Instead they moved to other parts of the
Persian Empire.
• This scattering of the Jews outside of Israel
and Judah is called the Diaspora.
Where did the Jew go during
the Diaspora?
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Independence and Conquest
• The Maccabees led the Jewish people for
about 100 years.
• The Romans conquered them in 63 BC.
• The Jewish leaders rebuilt the Second
Temple but life was hard. The Romans later
destroyed this temple too.
• The Romans were not nice rulers. They were
brutal.
• The Romans made the Jews worship the
Roman Emperor. They did not like this.
Check Point
• What did the Chaldeans destroy?
_______________________________
• Were the Chaldeans good rulers?
_______________________________
• Where did the Jews go?
_______________________________
• What is this spreading called?
_______________________________
Main Idea 4:
Some women in Hebrew society made great
contributions to their history.
• Hebrew government and society was governed by men. Women
had few rights.
• They had to obey their fathers and husbands. They couldn’t
choose their own husbands.
• A woman could not inherit property unless she had no brothers.
• Some of them, however, such as Queen Esther, the judge
Deborah, and Miriam (the sister of Moses) made great
contributions to society.
• Some women, such as Ruth and Naomi, were seen as examples
of how women should behave. Ruth was devoted to her motherin-law.
Jewish Beliefs and Texts
The Big Idea
• The central ideas and laws of Judaism are contained in
sacred texts such as the Torah.
Main Ideas
• Beliefs in God, education, justice, and obedience anchor
Jewish society.
• Jewish beliefs are listed in the Torah, the Hebrew Bible,
and the Commentaries.
• The Dead Sea Scrolls reveal many past Jewish beliefs.
• The ideas of Judaism have helped shape later cultures.
Main Idea 1:
Belief in God, education, justice, and
obedience anchor Jewish society.
• Belief in one god
– Judaism is the world’s oldest and possibly the first monotheistic
religion. Monotheism is the belief in only one god.
• Belief in education
– Teaching children, mostly boys, has always been important to Jewish
society.
• Belief in justice and righteousness
– Jews are expected to be kind and fair in dealing with other people, in
a display of justice.
– They are also supposed to be righteous and do what is proper.
• Belief in obedience and law
– They obey moral and religious laws such as the Ten Commandments
and Mosaic law.
To summarize monotheism…
• They believe in 1 God.
• They follow 10 commandments.
• They believe that each person is important
and each person should be responsible for
themselves.
• They believed that everyone must follow the
same rules, including kings!
• They believe that the Hebrew Bible, the Old
Testament, is part of the history of early Israel.
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Check Point
• What did the Jews believe in?
_______________________________
• What set of rules did they follow?
_______________________________
• What did they read? _______________
• Did this affect their daily lives? _______
Main Idea 2:
Jewish beliefs are listed in the Torah,
the Hebrew Bible, and the
Commentaries.
The Torah
• This is a collection of
five books that make
up the most sacred
text in Judaism.
• Nearly every
synagogue has one.
The Hebrew Bible
• This is made up of
the Torah, the
Proverbs, and the
Book of Psalms.
The
Commentaries
• Because some
laws are hard to
understand,
scholars wrote
• It is also made up of
commentaries to
eight books that
explain them.
describe the
messages of the
• They can be
prophets.
found in the
Talmud.
Main Idea 3:
The Dead Sea Scrolls reveal many
past Jewish beliefs.
• The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947.
• It is suspected that they were written between
100 BC and AD 50.
• The scrolls included prayers, commentaries,
letters, and passages from the Hebrew Bible.
Main Idea 4:
The ideas of Judaism have helped
shape later cultures.
• Judaism helped shape the largest religion of
Western society today, Christianity, as well as
Islam.
• Many people still look to the Ten
Commandments as a guide and do not work
on the weekends, to honor the Sabbath.
• People also give to charities, which is largely
based on Jewish teachings.
Judaism over the Centuries
The Big Idea
• Although they were forced out of Israel by the Romans, shared
beliefs and customs helped Jews
maintain their religion.
Main Ideas
• Revolt, defeat, and migration led to great changes in Jewish
culture.
• Because Jews settled in different parts of the world, two cultural
traditions formed.
• Jewish traditions and holy days celebrate their history and religion.
Main Idea 1:
Revolt, defeat, and migration led to great
changes in Jewish culture.
• The Zealots, a group of people who thought
that Jews shouldn’t answer to anyone but
God, refused to answer to the Romans and
revolted.
• During the battles, the Second Temple was
destroyed. The Romans finally won in AD 73.
• The Romans killed much of the Jewish
population as punishment.
A Second Revolt
• Jews in Jerusalem revolted against the
Romans in the 130s.
• After winning the second revolt, the Romans
declared that any Jew caught in or near the
city would be killed. This increased Jewish
migration to the Mediterranean region.
• Because the Jews no longer had a single
temple in which to worship, local synagogues
and rabbis became important in guiding their
religious lives.
Main Idea 2:
Because Jews settled in different parts of
the world, two cultural traditions formed.
• Jewish communities in various parts of the world
developed different customs, including language and
rituals.
• One of the two traditions, Ashkenazim, is made up of
Jews who moved to France, Germany, and eastern
Europe.
• They developed their own language called Yiddish.
• Another group of descendants, called the Sephardim,
lived in what is now Spain and Portugal.
• They mixed with non-Jews, borrowing elements from
their culture and producing a golden age of Jewish
culture.
Main Idea 3:
Jewish traditions and holy days
celebrate their history and religion.
Hanukkah
• This holy day
honors the
rededication of the
Second Temple.
Passover
• This is a time for
Jews to remember
the Exodus.
• They eat only flat
• It is celebrated by
bread and have a
lighting candles in a
ritual meal called
menorah.
the seder.
• The eight days
represent the
amount of time the
oil burned during
the rededication.
High Holy Days
• The first two days,
Rosh Hashanah,
celebrate the
beginning of the
Jewish new year.
• On Yom Kippur, the
most holy day, they
fast all day and ask
God for forgiveness
of their sins.
Check Point
• Who took over the Jews now?
_______________________________
• What did the Romans destroy?
_______________________________
• Name a Jewish tradition celebrated
today.
_______________________________
Visual Summary