The changes that occurred in the Middle East during the Iron Age
(1200–1100 BCE) had a significant effect on society in the Land of Israel, in the period of the
biblical judges. At this time, the empires ruling Syria and Canaan during the
late Bronze Period (1500-1300 BCE) collapsed, allowing for new nations and tribes
to infiltrate the region. Some engaged in battles over territory with the
Israelites, who settled on Canaan’s central mountain and in its surrounding
deserts. The Israelites sought a stable regime. While many argued that this
could be achieved by crowning a king, others objected to such a drastic change.
This study sheds light on these
changes by depicting the different forces which operated in the
Land of Israel and eventually paved the way to kingship, based on the story told in 1
Samuel chapters 1-12 and on a comparison with Ancient Near Eastern and Ancient
Greek literature.