Mapping the Rise and Fall of King David’s Israel
Whatever you call it: nation, empire, kingdom, domain, or republic, the world has been divided by these terms throughout most of known human history. While reading Karen Armstrong's chapter titled The City of David, I was struck by the arc of power that the Kingdom of Israel gained and lost during the rule of King David and later King Solomon. How did King David bring a small nation to its most prominent period? Similarly, how great was the kingdom’s power was in relation to the rest of history and similar trends in the creation and destruction of civilization?
To discover the affluence that Israel had with the rest of antiquity, I found a brilliant resource. The Histomap, an infographic designed by John B. Spark helps visually maps out each empire’s affluence from 2000 BC to 1900. It is important to note that The Histomap was published by Rand McNally during the Great Depression, a time of great social unease. It may have been used to warn of a possible future of the United States. The trend of creation and destruction of empires was relevant to this time in US history.
LINK to HistoMap
If we look at the infographic, we see that, excluding the Chinese empire (which was divided by many dynasties so in a sense did rise and fall many times), nearly all civilizations have a typical life cycle of growth, prosperity, and eventual destruction. The “Hebrew” empire follows the same life cycle, coming to prominence in 1000 BC with the leadership of King David.
Karen Armstrong succinctly summarizes the reign of both Kings David and Solomon. David solidified his role as King of Israel and Judah by conquering the Jebusite city of Jerusalem and unifying his kingdom. He incorporated the existing Jebusite population into the fold of Israelite culture, even marrying a Jebusite woman. Armstrong discusses how by working with the Jebusites, King David brought Jerusalem and his small kingdom to full fruition. Armstrong’s book and Spark’s infographic then tell us with the building of the temple of Solomon, King Solomon struggles to maintain control of his kingdom. His easily changeable religion worship and dept begin the process of weakening Israel.
I believe that the evidence about King David’s rule and the evidence supporting the infographic prove an important point. Not only does the geographic location of a kingdom matter in determining its affluence. In the ancient world, a leader could make or break their power.
Armstrong, Karen. Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths. Ballantine Books, 2005.
To discover the affluence that Israel had with the rest of antiquity, I found a brilliant resource. The Histomap, an infographic designed by John B. Spark helps visually maps out each empire’s affluence from 2000 BC to 1900. It is important to note that The Histomap was published by Rand McNally during the Great Depression, a time of great social unease. It may have been used to warn of a possible future of the United States. The trend of creation and destruction of empires was relevant to this time in US history.
LINK to HistoMap
Karen Armstrong succinctly summarizes the reign of both Kings David and Solomon. David solidified his role as King of Israel and Judah by conquering the Jebusite city of Jerusalem and unifying his kingdom. He incorporated the existing Jebusite population into the fold of Israelite culture, even marrying a Jebusite woman. Armstrong discusses how by working with the Jebusites, King David brought Jerusalem and his small kingdom to full fruition. Armstrong’s book and Spark’s infographic then tell us with the building of the temple of Solomon, King Solomon struggles to maintain control of his kingdom. His easily changeable religion worship and dept begin the process of weakening Israel.
I believe that the evidence about King David’s rule and the evidence supporting the infographic prove an important point. Not only does the geographic location of a kingdom matter in determining its affluence. In the ancient world, a leader could make or break their power.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/histomap/
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