Initially, the Israelites formed a loose confederation of twelve tribes. National leaders, called judges, emerged to deal with particular crises from time to time. However, by 1000 BCE, the Israelites had established a kingdom under their famous king, David. He and his son, Solomon, established their capital in Jerusalem, which became the chief center of the Israelite religion after Solomon built the only permitted temple there.

The kingdom was shortly divided into two halves, and, thus weakened, the Israelites fell victim to the region's great powers. The Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE, and the southern kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians in 586 BCE.

The Ancient Israelites settled the land of Canaan sometime between 1300 and 1200 BCE. They traced their descent to a nomadic clan chief called Abram, several centuries before, who had migrated to Canaan from Mesopotamia. His descendants had then migrated on to Egypt. According to their ancestral records, they were mistreated and enslaved before escaping en masse and moving back to Canaan.

When they arrived in Canaan, the Israelites brought a unique cultural facet, monotheism. For the first time in history, religion had appeared that concerned the worship of only one God. By implication, this God was the universal God, the One who controlled all things.

The Israelite religion was not just unique at that time in recognizing a single god. It also promoted an ethical system that required high standards of behavior from the people. In short, they were required to treat each other – including women and foreigners – with respect and consideration.

An elaborate code of law would build up over time, constructed around ideas of fairness and justice. At the heart of this code lay the Ten Commandments, which have formed the foundation of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim ethics.

The Jews themselves remained in their homeland until the Roman period. Indeed, for a period, they ruled their independent kingdom (164-63 BCE). However, the Romans placed them under the control of the family of Herod, who, although Jewish by religion, was of foreign origin. This, and the fact that the Herodians lived lives more like pagan Romans than pious Jews, meant that they were never truly accepted by the Jews as their rightful rulers. Around 6BCE, Judaea was placed under direct Roman rule.

The Jews deeply resented being under Roman power and, in 66 CE, rose in revolt. This was an unmitigated disaster, leading to complete defeat and the temple's destruction in Jerusalem. Another revolt in 115 CE led to the Jews being prohibited from living in Judaea. There were many more Jews living outside Judaea than inside it; however, this prohibition marked the start of the "Diaspora," the scattering of the Jews amongst the nations.