Old Testament Timeline

United Monarchy

• c. 1010 BC — Start of David’s reign

• c. 970 BC — Start of Solomon’s reign.

• c. 931/930 BC — Death of Solomon and division of the kingdom 

  • Rehoboam in the South/Judah

  • Jeroboam I in the North/Israel

Divided Kingdom and Exiles

• 722 BC — Assyrian captivity of the Northern Kingdom

• 586 BC — Babylonian captivity of the Southern Kingdom

Persian Period and Return to Promised Land

• 539 BC — Persia (Cyrus the Great) conquers Babylon

• 538 BC — Decree of Cyrus allowing Jews to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple 

• 536–516 BC — Rebuilding of the Second Temple 

• 445 BC — Nehemiah arrives and rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem

Greek Period

• 336 BC — Beginning of the reign of Alexander the Great

• 334–331 BC — Alexander invades and conquers the Persian Empire (Macedonian, Father Philip, Aristotle) 

• 323 BC — Death of Alexander the Great in Babylon.

• 323 BC onward — Division of Alexander’s empire among his generals 

• c. 301–198 BC (and continuing) — Wars between the Seleucids and Ptolemies (the Syrian Wars) for control of Coele-Syria/Palestine; Judea changes hands multiple times, ending up under firm Seleucid control after the Battle of Panium (c. 200/198 BC).

Seleucid Crisis and Jewish Independence

• 175–164 BC — Reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Seleucid king)

• 167 BC — Antiochus desecrates the Temple; Maccabean Revolt ensues

• 164 BC — Rededication of the Temple (origin of Hanukkah)

• c. 142/141 BC onward — Hasmonean (Maccabean) dynasty established 

Roman Period

• 63 BC — Rome intervenes, captures Jerusalem during Hasmonean civil war; Judea becomes a Roman client state

• 40–37 BC — Rome appoints Herod the Great 

• 20/19 BC — Herod begins major renovation and massive expansion of the Second Temple