Ancient Israel in Foreign Writings

Although relatively few ancient inscriptions and documents from the biblical period have survived in the land of Israel, many have survived in neighboring lands, especially in Assyria and Babylonia, where they were written on stone monuments or on clay tablets, and also in Egypt and in smaller kingdoms. We present here a selection of those that mention the kingdoms of Israel or Judah or their people. These writings provide an external view of ancient Israel, although, to be sure, it is largely a view from the perspective of Israel’s rivals or enemies, who boast about defeating Israel or gaining control over it. We also have inscriptions that mention the names of exiled Israelites and Judahites living in Assyria, Babylonia, and elsewhere; they give us a snapshot of Jewish life in the early centuries of the diaspora.