Ancient Israel was populated by the Hebrews during c. 1200-540 BCE. The people of Israel existed primarily in the southern Levant and spread along northern Canaan, or modern-day Israel. This time in history is referred to as Iron Age Israel or the Old Testament Period.
National, state, regional and local governments have joined together to provide a comprehensive interactive map of Ancient Israel. The site covers all of the Old Testament sites in Israel in the holy books, the Old Testament and several archaeological sites in modern-day Israel.
Map of Old Testament Jerusalem
The Old Testament Sites In Israel are:
- Jerusalem
- The Temple Mount
- Mount Zion and the City of David
- The Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna)
- The Pool of Siloam
- The Sheep Gate and the Tower of David
- Gethsemane
- The Kidron Valley
- The Garden Tomb
The map below is a high-resolution version of the Map of Old Testament Jerusalem. The original file size is 3.2 MB and can be downloaded here (right-click and save). The resolution on this map is much higher than the one on our website, which means you can zoom in to see more details. The original image has been modified to make it easier to read.
The map above shows the territory of ancient Israel in the Old Testament. The modern state of Israel is just a small part of the larger area that was once known as Israel during biblical times.
The map below shows the extent of modern-day Israel, Palestine and Jordan.
Ancient Israel was divided into two kingdoms: Judah and Israel. The southern kingdom of Judah was centered on Jerusalem, while the northern kingdom of Israel had its capital at Samaria (2 Kings 17:3).
The map below shows the approximate locations of the most important cities mentioned in the Old Testament.
The Bible was written over a period of centuries and by many authors, so there are no exact dates for most events. Many of these cities were destroyed, rebuilt or resettled many times.
Jerusalem (called Jebus) was founded around 3000 B.C., destroyed around 1400 B.C., rebuilt around 1000 B.C., destroyed again by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C., but rebuilt soon after by King Cyrus of Persia and called “Zion” (Zion means “City of God”). The Temple was built on Mount Moriah later called Zion, where Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac and where Solomon built the first temple in 957 B.C..
The second temple was built by Herod between 19 and 11 B.C.. It stood until 70 A.D.. The third temple was built by Herod’s son Agrippa II and stood until 70 A.D..
Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the largest city in the country. It is located on a plateau in the Judean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. Jerusalem is also referred to as “Zion”, “City of David” (after its founder David), “Mount Zion”, “Mount Moriah”, or Al-Quds (Arabic). Jerusalem has been an important religious, cultural and political center for Judaism for 3,000 years, and has been called the “holiest city” for Jews, since about 200 CE.
Jerusalem was a small Jebusite town during Iron Age IIA (1000–961 BCE) under King David and Solomon. It grew to be a large city during Iron Age IIB (961–586 BCE), under Kings Saul, David, Ish-bosheth and Solomon. Its importance continued through the Achaemenid Empire when it became capital of Persia’s province of Yehud Medinata (‘region of Judah’). On May 19, 586 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar II sacked Jerusalem after a siege that lasted either 18 months or 3 years depending on its interpretation. This event marked the end of the First Temple Period; what followed is known as the Babylonian exile or Babylonian Capt
Map of Israel In Old Testament Times
The Land of Israel, also known as the Holy Land, has been home to many important events in Jewish and Christian history. The Old Testament contains tales that describe how God’s chosen people lived in this country prior to their exile by the Babylonians in 586 BC. After the exile ended, Jews returned to Jerusalem, where they rebuilt their temples and began living again in their homeland.
In Jesus’ time, there was a thriving Jewish community living in Jerusalem, which included people like Joseph of Arimathea, who donated his own tomb for Jesus’ burial after the crucifixion (Matthew 27:57–60).
Today we can visit some of these sites throughout Israel where we can see evidence of these Biblical events. Here is a list of some of these places:
Jerusalem: This was the capital city of Ancient Israel and still remains today as the capital of modern Israel. It is also considered one of the holiest cities for three major religions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. There are many Old Testament sites located here, including the Temple Mount where Solomon built his first temple (1 Kings 6:1-38). This site is now occupied by the Dome of the Rock Mosque which was built around 692 AD by Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan as a
The map above shows the approximate extent of the nation of Ancient Israel as described in the Old Testament. The four corners of this land (the northern, southern, eastern and western borders) are mentioned in the Bible.
As you can see from the map above, most of the events of the Old Testament took place in what is now called “Palestine.” The area is also known as the “Holy Land” because it was where God gave special promises to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:1–3).
The Holy Land has been inhabited since prehistoric times, but it was not until after Abraham left Ur that Israel became a nation under his descendants (Genesis 15:18–21). When they came out of Egypt at the Exodus, they were already organized into tribes with their own territory within Canaan (Joshua 1:6). They were eventually defeated by Assyria, then Babylon and finally Rome. The latter two empires did not allow Jews to return to their homeland until 1948, when Israel became a modern nation again.
The Bible is the sacred book of Judaism and Christianity. It is also the primary source for understanding the history and geography of ancient Israel and its neighbors. The first part of the Bible, which Jewish scribes wrote in Hebrew, is known as the Old Testament.
The following are some of the most important sites associated with Biblical history:
Jerusalem: This ancient city was one of the most important cities in all of ancient Israel. It is home to many of Israel’s most significant religious sites, including Solomon’s Temple, where Jews worshiped until it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., and Herod’s Temple, which was built on the same spot after Jerusalem was reconquered by Alexander the Great. Today there are numerous ancient ruins still visible in Jerusalem, including large sections of stone walls that once surrounded the city during biblical times.
Mount Nebo: According to tradition, this mountain overlooking Jordan is where Moses saw ‘the promised land’ before his death (Deut 34:1-4). The exact location is unknown but there are several candidates nearby including Jebel Musa and Jebel Madbah Al-Arrub.”
The land of Israel is the setting for many of the Old Testament books of the Bible.
The Hebrew Bible refers to the Land of Israel as “the Promised Land” or “the Holy Land”. The name Israel first appears c. 1209 BCE, during the reign of King Saul. It was used in reference to a kingdom ruled by God from the time of David, and later as a term for the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and its successor, Judah.
The term “Israel” was not originally used in this sense; it was applied to the southern kingdom in order to distinguish it from Syria (which included most of modern-day Jordan). The northern kingdom was called “Israel” only after Solomon’s death (about 930 BCE), when it split into two kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
In ancient times, all three areas were known simply as Canaan, but after Moses led his people out of Egyptian bondage they entered Canaanite territory and encountered hostility from its inhabitants (Exodus 15:23). After conquering Canaanite territory as far north as Dan (1 Samuel 3:20), they established themselves at Shiloh (Joshua 18:1) where they set up their first worship site at Gilgal (24:
The Land of Israel is the biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the modern State of Israel. The ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah were located on the upper Jordan River, in what is now the West Bank, south of Galilee.
Ancient Israel was divided into two kingdoms: Judah in the south, with Jerusalem as its capital; and Israel in the north, with Samaria as its capital.
The northern kingdom (Israel) was conquered by Assyria in 722 BCE and its inhabitants were exiled from their land. The southern kingdom (Judah) was conquered by Babylonia in 586 BCE and its inhabitants were exiled from their land.
In 538 BCE, Cyrus II, king of Persia, allowed Jews who had been exiled by Babylon to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. In 332 BCE, Alexander the Great conquered most of the eastern Mediterranean region, including Egypt, Syria, Phoenicia (Lebanon), Palestine (Israel), Syria and Iraq. In 63 BCE, Pompey conquered Jerusalem and made it a Roman colony known as Palestina.
Map Of Ancient Israel
The following map shows the locations of some of the most important sites in the Old Testament.
It is not a complete list, but it includes all of the places mentioned in the books of Genesis through Joshua.
The map also includes some other sites that are important to understanding Israel’s history, such as Mount Sinai and Mount Carmel.
The map above shows the topography of ancient Israel.
Ancient Israel (also called Canaan) was the name given to a region in the eastern Mediterranean and northern Arabia during the Iron Age (1200 BC–586 BC). It is also referred to as the Land of Israel, or simply as Canaan. The region came under the influence of the Neo-Assyrian Empire when it emerged in the 9th century BC and later became an independent state in 612 BC with its capital at Jerusalem. The Bible includes references to [1] Ancient Israel’s territory as extending from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, and from Kadesh Barnea in the east to Mt. Carmel and Masada in the west.[2] A number of other biblical passages, including 1 Kings 8:65–66, Amos 9:7-8, Isaiah 19:18–20; 30:13; 31:4; 34:14; Ezekiel 47:19–21; 48:28; Joel 3:4–7; and Zechariah 14:10, mention specific cities within this land.[3] During this period, Israel was divided into two kingdoms: Judah (in what is now southern Israel) and Israel (in what is
The map below shows the location of some of the major cities and places mentioned in the Bible.
The following list contains links to articles with information about each site:
Jerusalem, also known as Zion, was the capital city of ancient Israel and Judah. Around 1000 BCE, King David founded it. The city is located on a high hill between two valleys and has been inhabited since biblical times. Jerusalem is one of the most important cities in the world for Jews because it is where their religion began and where many Jewish holy sites are located. For Christians, Jerusalem is also important because it is where Jesus lived during his ministry and where he was crucified and resurrected from the dead (see map). Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II in 586 B.C.E., but rebuilt by King Herod between 22–15 B.C.E., who called it “Herod’s City.” Jerusalem was captured by Muslims in 638 and became known as al-Quds (Arabic for “The Holy”). From 1948 until 1967, Jordan controlled East Jerusalem during which time no Jews were allowed to enter or live there; however since 1967 Israeli control has been restored to this part of a
This map shows the various locations of the ancient Israelites, as well as many of the places mentioned in the Bible.
Ancient Israel was located in modern-day Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. The area is divided into two distinct regions: Galilee and Samaria.
Galilee is located in northern Israel, near the Sea of Galilee. It was here that Jesus spent much of his time preaching to the people. Galilee is also home to Nazareth, where Mary and Joseph lived before moving to Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth.
Samaria is located in central Israel and includes large cities such as Shechem (Nablus), Bethel (Al-Bireh) and Jerusalem (Hebron). Due to its strategic location on trade routes between Egypt and Mesopotamia, Samaria was home to many great empires throughout history including Assyria, Babylon and Rome.
The map below shows the locations of many of the important places mentioned in the Bible.
The map is based on a mosaic compiled by Dr. William Thatcher in the late 19th century. This map shows the locations of many of the important places mentioned in the Bible, including those mentioned only once or twice (e.g., Bethel, Mizpah). This map also includes some of the major cities and regions mentioned in Judges, Samuel and Kings, as well as those mentioned in other books of the Old Testament.
For example, Bethsaida was located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee; Capernaum was located on its northern shore; Chorazin was about six miles northeast of Capernaum; Magdala was about two miles south of Capernaum; and Tiberias was located about four miles south-southeast from Capernaum.