Jerusalem

==== Biblical account ====
This period, when Canaan formed part of the Egyptian empire, corresponds in biblical accounts to [[Joshua]]'s invasion,<ref>K. L. Noll, ''Canaan and Israel in Antiquity: An Introduction'', Continuum Publishing, 2002 p. 78.</ref> but almost all scholars agree that the Book of Joshua holds little historical value for early Israel.<ref>Ann Killebrew, ''Biblical Peoples and Ethnicity: An Archaeological Study of Egyptians, Canaanites, and Early Israel, 1300–1100 B.C.E,'', Society of Biblical Literature, 2005, p. 152</ref>
[[File:Solomons_Temple_10Century.JPG|thumb|Modern-day reconstruction of Jerusalem during the reign of [[Solomon]] (10th century BCE). [[Solomon's Temple]] appears on top.]]
In the Bible, Jerusalem is defined as lying within territory allocated to the [[tribe of Benjamin]]<ref>{{bibleverse||Joshua|18:28|NIV}}</ref> though still inhabited by [[Jebusite]]s. [[David]] is said to have conquered these in the [[siege of Jebus]], and transferred his capital from [[Hebron]] to Jerusalem which then became the capital of a [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|United Kingdom of Israel]],<ref>Nadav Na'aman ''Canaan in the 2nd Millennium B.C.E.'', p. 183.</ref> and one of its several religious centres.<ref>Israel Finkelstein, Neil Asher Silberman, ''The Bible Unearthed'', p. 238.</ref> The choice was perhaps dictated by the fact that Jerusalem did not form part of Israel's tribal system, and was thus suited to serve as the centre of its confederation.<ref name="MurphyOConnor" /> Opinion is divided over whether the so-called [[Large Stone Structure]] and the nearby [[Stepped Stone Structure]] may be identified with King David's palace, or dates to a later period.<ref name="nytimes">{{Cite news |title=King David's Palace Is Found, Archaeologist Says |last=Erlanger |first=Steven |date=5 August 2005 |access-date=24 May 2007 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/05/international/middleeast/05jerusalem.html |work=The New York Times |archive-date=12 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112203013/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/05/international/middleeast/05jerusalem.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Finkelstein & Mazar (2007), pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=jpbngoKHg8gC&&pg=PA113 113, 125–28, 165, 174] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130084628/https://books.google.com/books?id=jpbngoKHg8gC&&pg=PA113 |date=30 November 2022 }}. Accessed 30 November 2022.</ref>

According to the Bible, King David reigned for 40 years<ref>1 Samuel 31:1–13:2 Samuel 5:4–5; Finkelstein, Silberman, op.cit. p. 20.</ref> and was succeeded by his son [[Solomon]],<ref name="wwbible">{{Cite book |title=The Complete Book of When and Where: in the Bible and Throughout History |last=Michael |first=E. |author2=Sharon O. Rusten |author3=Philip Comfort |author4=Walter A. Elwell |publisher=Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. |isbn=978-0-8423-5508-7 |year=2005 |pages=20–21, 67}}</ref> who built the [[Temple in Jerusalem|Holy Temple]] on [[Moriah|Mount Moriah]]. Solomon's Temple (later known as the ''First Temple''), went on to play a pivotal role in Jewish religion as the repository of the [[Ark of the Covenant]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Merling, David |title=Where is the Ark of the Covenant? |publisher=Andrews University |date=26 August 1993 |url=http://www.andrews.edu/ARCHAEOLOGY/archive/merling/newpage3.htm |access-date=22 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060917132316/http://www.andrews.edu/ARCHAEOLOGY/archive/merling/newpage3.htm |archive-date=17 September 2006}}</ref> On Solomon's death, ten of the northern [[tribes of Israel]] broke with the United Monarchy to form their own nation, with its kings, prophets, priests, traditions relating to religion, capitals and temples in northern Israel. The southern tribes, together with the [[Kohen|Aaronid priesthood]], remained in Jerusalem, with the city becoming the capital of the [[Kingdom of Judah]].<ref>Richard A. Freund, {{Google books |id=3EWWup0o-o4C |page=9 |title= Digging Through the Bible: Modern Archaeology and the Ancient Bible}}, Rowman & Littlefield, 2009, p. 9.</ref><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://www.bu.edu/mzank/Jerusalem/p/period2-2.htm |publisher=Boston University |title=Capital of Judah (930–586) |last=Zank |first=Michael |access-date=22 January 2007 |archive-date=15 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715082013/http://www.bu.edu/mzank/Jerusalem/p/period2-2.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>