Israelite Diaspora
Encyclopedia
Begun in or around the year 720 BC, a rebellion against the Assyrian Empire broke out, participated in by ancient Syria and the Philistines
(descendants of the 'Sea Peoples
') from Mycenaean Greece
, and also with Egyptian encouragement. Sargon II
, who had ascended to the throne of Assyria, probably after Shalmaneser V
's victory over Samaria
, reacted quickly, campaigning against the ancient Philistines, and captured the ancient cities of Gaza
and Raphia. Sargon inflicted defeat upon a relief force sent by Egypt to Gaza, and exacted tribute from the Egyptians, and even from the Arabians. Further, later rebellions in the area resulted in the swift extinction of the Philistines as a separate people, and in the conquest of Egypt by Assyria. Samaria had also been involved in this general rebellion against Assyrian control, and Sargon II punished Samaria and the other nations by extensively shifting captive populations within his provinces. Many of the captive inhabitants of the northern Kingdom of Israel, with its capital in Samaria, were exiled into distant regions of the Assyrian Empire, to the region of the Harbur River, the region around Nineveh
and to the recently-conquered cities of ancient Media. This began the 'Israelite Diaspora' and the legend of the 'Ten Lost Tribes
of Israel'. In the place of these displaced, exiled captives, Sargon II imported different peoples from Babylonia
and Hamath and settled them in Samaria, where they inter-mixed with the remaining Israelites and became the people known afterwards to history as the 'Samaritan
s'. Arabians were also re-settled in Samaria by Sargon II, in 716 BC. These new, forced emigrants brought with them their social customs and their local gods, introducing them to the region and 'corrupting' the remaining Israelites further with their idols
and cult
s, especially fertility worship. The southern Kingdom of Judah
was left in an extremely weakened and vulnerable position, and it was not long before this southern kingdom too joined its relatives in the Diaspora
, or Babylonian Captivity
, which eventually over-flowed the entire region, a generation later.
Philistines
Philistines , Pleshet or Peleset, were a people who occupied the southern coast of Canaan at the beginning of the Iron Age . According to the Bible, they ruled the five city-states of Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, from the Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with...
(descendants of the 'Sea Peoples
Sea Peoples
The Sea Peoples were a confederacy of seafaring raiders of the second millennium BC who sailed into the eastern Mediterranean, caused political unrest, and attempted to enter or control Egyptian territory during the late 19th dynasty and especially during year 8 of Ramesses III of the 20th Dynasty...
') from Mycenaean Greece
Mycenaean Greece
Mycenaean Greece was a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. Athens, Pylos, Thebes, and Tiryns are also important Mycenaean sites...
, and also with Egyptian encouragement. Sargon II
Sargon II
Sargon II was an Assyrian king. Sargon II became co-regent with Shalmaneser V in 722 BC, and became the sole ruler of the kingdom of Assyria in 722 BC after the death of Shalmaneser V. It is not clear whether he was the son of Tiglath-Pileser III or a usurper unrelated to the royal family...
, who had ascended to the throne of Assyria, probably after Shalmaneser V
Shalmaneser V
Shalmaneser V was king of Assyria from 727 to 722 BC. He first appears as governor of Zimirra in Phoenicia in the reign of his father, Tiglath-Pileser III....
's victory over Samaria
Samaria
Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
, reacted quickly, campaigning against the ancient Philistines, and captured the ancient cities of Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
and Raphia. Sargon inflicted defeat upon a relief force sent by Egypt to Gaza, and exacted tribute from the Egyptians, and even from the Arabians. Further, later rebellions in the area resulted in the swift extinction of the Philistines as a separate people, and in the conquest of Egypt by Assyria. Samaria had also been involved in this general rebellion against Assyrian control, and Sargon II punished Samaria and the other nations by extensively shifting captive populations within his provinces. Many of the captive inhabitants of the northern Kingdom of Israel, with its capital in Samaria, were exiled into distant regions of the Assyrian Empire, to the region of the Harbur River, the region around Nineveh
Nineveh
Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, and capital of the Neo Assyrian Empire. Its ruins are across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, in the Ninawa Governorate of Iraq....
and to the recently-conquered cities of ancient Media. This began the 'Israelite Diaspora' and the legend of the 'Ten Lost Tribes
Ten Lost Tribes
The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel refers to those tribes of ancient Israel that formed the Kingdom of Israel and which disappeared from Biblical and all other historical accounts after the kingdom was destroyed in about 720 BC by ancient Assyria...
of Israel'. In the place of these displaced, exiled captives, Sargon II imported different peoples from Babylonia
Babylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
and Hamath and settled them in Samaria, where they inter-mixed with the remaining Israelites and became the people known afterwards to history as the 'Samaritan
Samaritan
The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism...
s'. Arabians were also re-settled in Samaria by Sargon II, in 716 BC. These new, forced emigrants brought with them their social customs and their local gods, introducing them to the region and 'corrupting' the remaining Israelites further with their idols
Idolatry
Idolatry is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god, or practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving undue honour and regard to created forms other than God. In all the Abrahamic religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although...
and cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
s, especially fertility worship. The southern Kingdom of Judah
Kingdom of Judah
The Kingdom of Judah was a Jewish state established in the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. It is often referred to as the "Southern Kingdom" to distinguish it from the northern Kingdom of Israel....
was left in an extremely weakened and vulnerable position, and it was not long before this southern kingdom too joined its relatives in the Diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
, or Babylonian Captivity
Babylonian captivity
The Babylonian captivity was the period in Jewish history during which the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon—conventionally 587–538 BCE....
, which eventually over-flowed the entire region, a generation later.
Sources
- Yohanan Aharoni & Michael Avi-Yonah, "The MacMillan Bible Atlas", Revised Edition, p. 97 (1968 & 1977 by Carta Ltd.).