Assyrian ruler Sargon II conquers Samaria and the Kingdom of Israel (i.e., the northern part of Palestine, not the Kingdom of Judah to the south). As per Assyrian policy, the population is forced to mix with other conquered peoples. Hezekiah remains in his post in Jerusalem; he is not taken prisoner to Nineveh, nor does he bother to pay tribute to Sennacherib, and Jerusalem is not sacked, and perhaps not even conquered. But the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel in 722-721 BC and the siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC will profoundly affect Jewish tradition. The old Israelite religion will disappear in favor of “Judaism.”
