c. 750 b.c.
Amos, a shepherd from the Judean town of Tekoa, prophesied during a resurgence of political power for Israel and Judah. Under Jeroboam II, Israel had captured much of Syria, though it is not certain how firmly they held it. Likewise, Judah captured several Philistine towns as well as other territory to the south. Within a couple decades, however, the rising Assyrian Empire would capture Syria, Galilee, and Gilead from Israel, and both Israel and Judah would become vassals of the empire.
