Exile
After the time of the kings of Israel and Judah, the people were taken away by conquering nations. First, the northern kingdom of Israel was taken captive by Assyria, not to be heard of again. Then the Babylonians took the southern kingdom of Judah. Many of the Jews in Judah were taken away to Babylon for a period known as the Exile, or the Captivity, roughly 70 years.
Dates
The Babylonians held the Jews captive for most of this time. There were three times where the Babylonians came into Judah and took people away: in 605, 597 and 586 BC. The first of these was in the third year of King Jehoiakim's reign. In 539 BC the Medo-Persians conquered Babylon, and many of the Jews were allowed home after that, though some stayed in Babylon, or in the Persian capital Shushan, for a while afterwards. The main dates for the return are 538 BC, when Zerubbabel took many back to Jerusalem, 458 BC, when Ezra returned and 445 BC, when Nehemiah returned to build the walls of the city.
Rulers
When Babylon took Judah, it was Nebuchadnezzar who reigned. He was king for 43 years, after which Evil-Merodech took over. By the time the Medes and Persians invaded, Belshazzar had been co-reigning with his father for 14 years. Darius the Mede was put in charge of Babylon for a couple of years before the King of Persia, Cyrus, took over. Around 50 years later, Xerxes (Ahasuerus) was King of Persia, during the time of Esther.
Books
There are four historical books set in the time of the exile and return, and these are as follows:
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