History of the Jews
History of the Jews is a narrative podcast that tells the story of Jewish people across more than three thousand years, from the ancient Near East to the present. It draws on archaeology, contemporaneous sources, and modern scholarship while keeping the focus on the lived experiences of Jews. Episodes explore how Jews navigated conquest, persecution, social and political change, as well as periods of peace and prosperity. The podcast aims to present Jewish history as the story of people adapting, surviving, and flourishing rather than reducing it to religion, antisemitism, or politics.
Episodes
Updates - September 2026
A few updates for the podcast (as of September 2026):Congratulations! We have finished Season 1: Israel's pre-history and the Iron Age kingdoms of Israel and Judah.The next season will (hopefully) cover the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman periods. But it will take me a couple of months of preparation before I can release episodes from Season 2.I may find time to do some bonus episodes before Season
Ancient Israelite Kingdoms: Israelite Identity and the Bible (Part 2)
How does the Bible relate to archeology from the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah? How do the Israelites change over time? And how do they think of themselves?Although we cannot fully answer these questions. In this reflection episode, we journey through 700 years of history and the books of Judges, Samuel, Kings, Jeremiah and Chronicles. Unlike the narrative and summary episodes of the podcas
Ancient Israelite Kingdoms: The History (Part 1)
When and where were the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah? Why did they rise and why did they fall?This summary episode tells the story of the ancient Israelite kingdoms based on archeology in 30 minutes.We begin by meeting the earliest Israelites who lived kingless in small rural villages for nearly 200 years (1200-1000 BC). Then we follow them change as they create two kingdoms - the kingdom
E13 - Judeans After the Fall: Survival and Exile
Babylonian reprisals against Judah's two failed rebellions depopulate the country, turning it into a ghost kingdom. An estimated 80% of the population, over 70,000 people, disappeared.But where did they go? What was the fate of Judeans post-destruction?As we answer these question, we must navigate the world faced by the Judean survivors. The difficult life in Judah. The destruction of the Judean-I
E12 - The Fall of Jerusalem
In 586 BC, Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah are destroyed by the Neo-Babylonian empire. It is estimated that Judah lost more than two-thirds of its population in what is one of the greatest tragedies of Jewish history.In this episode, we try to understand why this happened? How Babylonia came to power? And what did Judah do wrong to bring upon itself this calamity?Using the ancient records of im
E11 - The Twilight of Judah: Life Under Assyria
The 7th century BC is the twilight of the kingdom of Judah. After Hezekiah's failed revolt in 701 BC, Judah has been reduced to an Assyrian vassal state.How much does that change Judean lives?In this episode, we explore how Judah adapted post-701 and how Assyria shaped the Judean relationship with their Philistine and Edomite neighbors. Meanwhile, Judean culture survives this new world and we find
E10 - Hezekiah's Revolt
Judah navigates its destiny in the trying times of the late 8th century BC.The kingdom of Israel has been destroyed and divided. Tens of thousands of refugees flood into Judah. And Judeans ask themselves the hard question, what do they do about Assyria?Do they rebel and suffer the consequences? Or do they pay the price of quiet and submission?In this episode, we discuss Judah's choice, the fallout
E9 - Israel Falls
In the late 8th century, a new king takes the throne in Assyria and tensions rise across the Near East. They must choose total submission and pay tribute to Assyria. Or, they can try their luck against the might of the Assyrian empire.Twice, the kingdom of Israel rebels and loses it all. The repercussions change life in Israel and Judah forever.This episode continues our narrative history, explori
E8 - Life in Ancient Israel
What was life like for an Israelite nearly three thousand years ago? Did it make a difference if they lived in the kingdom of Israel or Judah? And who did they worship?In this episode, we immerse ourselves in ancient Israelite culture and try to answer these questions.We follow the archeology as Israel and Judah develop their own unique cultural nuances. We visit Israelite capitals - Samaria and J
E7 - Israel and Assyria
What do we know about the kingdom of Israel? When does it first appear in the historical record? And what is its place among the nations of the Eastern Mediterranean?In this episode, we explore the world of the Israelites in the 9th century and anxiously follow the resurgence of its greatest adversaries - Egypt and Assyria.The kingdom of Israel plays a leading part in the Anti-Assyrian coalition t
E6 - From Villages to Kingdoms: the Rise of Ancient Israel
After the Bronze Age Collapse, Canaan lay in ruins.The invading Sea Peoples emerge as a dominant power, asserting control over the coast of Canaan. But tucked away in the highlands, the Israelites slowly recover and adapt to a dangerous new world.During the late 11th and 10th centuries, this new reality forces them out of their defenseless villages and back into fortified cities. They reinforce th
The Israelite Origin Story: Memories (Part 2)
How did the Israelites remember their past? And how does that memory compare to the history uncovered by archaeology?The previous episode (The Israelite Origin Story: The History), told the Israelites origin story from the perspective of archeology. In this episode, we explore the Bible not as history, but as Israelite memory. From Abraham and the Patriarchs to Egypt, the Exodus and the conquest o
The Israelite Origin Story: The History (Part 1)
Who were the Israelites? Where did they come from?This episode tells the origin story of the Israelites based on archeology - condensing centuries of history into a coherent prequel and first chapter of Jewish history.Competition between Canaan and Egypt creates the conditions for a resurgent New Kingdom Egypt that will dominate the Canaanites for centuries. The Bronze Age Collapse changes the wor
E5 - The Early Israelites
Who were the early Israelites—and where did they come from?In this episode, the Bronze Age Collapse tears apart the eastern Mediterranean, and the Egyptian Empire loses its hold on Canaan. We trace what that collapse looked like on the ground—and the opportunities it created for the people living through it.Overlooking the ashes of the Canaanite cities, new communities take shape in the highlands.
E4 - Bronze Age Collapse
The Israelites enter recorded history around 1208 BC—right as the world of the Eastern Mediterranean unravels in what we call the Bronze Age Collapse.In this episode, we explore that collapse—the final piece of the puzzle before we can begin telling the story of the ancient Israelites.We trace its impact across the region, from the great powers of Greece and Anatolia to the empire of Egypt. Along
E3 - Canaan: An Egyptian Province
Did you know that Egypt ruled Canaan before the Israelites?After the Egyptians ravage the Hyksos, they integrate Canaan into their empire and rule there for hundreds of years. This episode follows the story of Lab'ayu, a corrupt Canaanite king, to show the chaos and corruption that pervaded Canaan under the Egyptians. We also examine the Habiru (Hapiru, Apiru), a mysterious group of outsiders ofte
E2 - Rise and Fall of the Hyksos
Who were the Hyksos—the “foreign kings” who once ruled Egypt—and why did they leave such a deep scar on Egyptian memory? And could they be connected to the origins of the Israelites?In this episode, we trace the long and bitter relationship between Egypt and its northern neighbors. As migrants from Canaan move into Egypt, they rise from traders and migrants to rulers of the Nile Delta, establishin
E1 - Where to Begin?
We begin our journey through Jewish history with the first explicit mention of Israel in the historical record: the Merneptah Stele. But on its own, it raises more questions than it answers—why are the Egyptians attacking Israel, and who are these Israelites in the first place?We turn to ancient accounts—from the Bible and Greek writers—but they don’t fully explain what we see. So instead, we step
E0 - Introducing Jewish History
This episode introduces History of the Jews.Through the story of Dmitrii Bogrov, a revolutionary assassin, we explore how Jewish history is often misunderstood—reduced to familiar themes like religion or antisemitism. This podcast takes a different approach: telling a full history, grounded in archaeology and contemporary sources, and focused on context rather than clichés.Check out Substack to se
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