Welcome to Cosmographia. This post is part of our Holy Land series. For the full map of Cosmographia posts, see here.
Thy holy cities have become a wilderness, Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins. Wilt thou restrain thyself at these things, O Lord? Wilt thou keep silent, and afflict us sorely?
— Isaiah 64:10–12
After the reign of Solomon, the territories of Israel and Judah splintered into two rival kingdoms. The Davidic dynasty continued to rule the latter in the south — a rump kingdom around Jerusalem and the Temple — while the larger, wealthier territory of Israel in the north was ruled by a succession of coup-mad charioteer generals. At times the two Israelite kingdoms fought one another, other times they were close allies.
If there’s any truth to the Bible’s claims of the might and splendour of David and Solomon’s united monarchy, their brief time flourishing in the sun was less their own doing, and more the fortuitous timing of emerging while the larger powers were in eclipse. But now the big boys were back — and with a vengeance.