586 BCE
The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the Kingdom of Judah and beginning the Babylonian Exile, one of the most consequential events in Jewish history.
Conflict & Governance
- Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire besieged and captured Jerusalem, destroying Solomon's Temple and the city walls after the Judean king Zedekiah rebelled against Babylonian authority.
- The destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem and the deportation of much of the Judean elite to Babylon marked the beginning of the Babylonian Exile, a transformative period in the development of Judaism.
- The Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II was the dominant power in the Near East, controlling territory from Mesopotamia through the Levant.
Culture & Society
- The Babylonian Exile forced the Jewish people to preserve their religious identity without a temple or homeland, contributing to the compilation and editing of biblical texts and the development of synagogue worship.
- Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar was one of the largest and most magnificent cities in the world, renowned for its Ishtar Gate, processional way, and the ziggurat known as Etemenanki.
Climate & Environment
- Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 280 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.
- The world population was approximately 130 million.