THIS MIGHT SURPRISE YOU
The answer
Assyria conquered the northern kingdom, Israel, and its capital Samaria around 722 BC — well over a century before Babylon took the southern kingdom, Judah.
Why it’s interesting
The scattering of the north is the origin of the legend of the 'ten lost tribes.' The south, Judah, survived longer — long enough to give us the word 'Jew.'
Scholarly consensus
You can know the Bible.
Not just the stories, but the history, authorship, and scholarship behind it.