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Assyria assembled the most fearsome military machine ever seen. And it now was ready to turn its might on Israel, after defeating Damascus. It appears that Judah asked it to set sights on the kingdom of Israel, which now faced a threat unlike any it had seen before. 

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We look at the evidence outside the bible to see what life in the Kingdom of Israel was like at the peak of its power. Who were its enemies and allies? What kind of culture and religion did it have? How did the poor and regular people live? 

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The last ruler in the name of the house of the Omrides was Queen Athaliah. She was utterly demonized in the Book of Kings. But a lot of that appears to be an attempt to cover up for Jehu, a psychopath who killed all the heirs to Omri and King David as part of a military coup. We have the real story of an event that broke the alliance between Israel and Judah and spurred on the destruction of both Israelite kingdoms. 

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The House of Omri, especially Ahab, are among the most reviled characters in the book of Kings and the Tanach as a whole. The story of what he, and his horrific wife, did to Navot is legendary. But is it true? And does that scandal represent his entire legacy? We investigate. 

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The Book of Kings tells us how Israel tragically split after Solomon's death. But what is the reason? The stories of Jeroboam the first king of a separate Israel, and Rehoboam, the first king of Judah are instructive and fascinating. We analyze the narrative in the book and find the motivation behind the scribes who wrote it. We also look at what we can learn about religious worship at this time from the text and archaeology. Was polytheism practiced widely, or was society largely monotheist? 

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The days of Solomon are described as a golden age for a powerful and united Israel. However, some archaeologists doubt that and believe the stories are completely made up. We look at the stories of the Queen of Sheba, the splendor of the temple, and Solomon's marriage to Pharaoh's daughter for clues. 

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The stories of decadence and intrigue in David's court are legendary: how he lusted and schemed to win Bathsheba, how his son Amnon raped his daughter Tamar. Not to mention the rebellion of the handsome Absalom against his father. But is there any truth to these stories? What were the interests of those who wrote them? 

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Saul is a great her in the bible but is vastly eclipsed by David. However, we delve into the text and the historical evidence to find the real Saul. We find that he was a great hero, possibly betrayed by David. We also look into what we can learn about the relations between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin from this story, and what the motives of the scribes were in writing this narrative. 

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The books of Samuel and Kings tell us how a monarchy developed despite the fact that God had serious reservations about it. That led to the institution being ruled over by legendary figures like David and Solomon. But how did the monarchy actually develop? Are these stories historically based? The evidence shows a lot of historically valuable facts in Kings and Saul, particularly about how the authority of kings developed and the role of religion in public life. 

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Throughout the world, there are many groups claiming to be descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel.  They range from the Samaritans, the modern Jews, to the Mormons, Beta Israel, and others. How accurate are these claims? How have they changed over the years? And why do so many make this claim? 

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