This fully illustrated study describes and illustrates the Jewish armies of the Near East and their evolving organization and tactics over more than six tumultuous centuries.
 
 From the first formations of nomadic shepherd warriors employed as mercenaries by the Egyptians and other major civilizations of the Near East, the Jewish people evolved into a nation, Israel, which became the central nucleus of the history of the Fertile Crescent. In this fully illustrated study, the authors chart the evolution of Jewish military organization and customs during the conquest of Canaan and the Jewish people’s conflicts with other neighbouring tribes and settlers, notably the Philistines, as the Jewish tribes gathered under the command of a monarch, Saul.
 
 The definitive Jewish victories over the Philistines were led by David, conqueror of the capital city of Jerusalem. David’s son Solomon reorganized the army, which became permanent with specialized troop types such as war chariots, as Israel’s military customs and armaments drew upon Egyptian, Hittite, Assyrian and Babylonian practice. The authors explain how after Solomon’s death, the kingdom split in two, with Judah in the south and Israel in the north. Israel fell under Assyrian domination in 721 BC, while Judah survived until the war with the Neo-Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar, who conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in 586 BC.