This book illuminates the evolution of the Jewish nation, the forerunner of the modern State of Israel, from Saul, the first King of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah, to Herod Agrippa II, the last of the Herodians. It is the story of their lives and times in a Middle East arguably even more turbulent than it is today, and links those figures to key formative experiences of the Jews, including the dispersion of the Lost Tribes of Israel, the Babylonian Exile, the Maccabee uprising and the war with Rome. Including informative illustrations and maps, it is an accessible guide to the early history of the Jewish people.