Mesopotamian Hebrews

deuterocanonical, apocryphal story about Tobit & Anna and their son Tobias and his adventures with Raphael

Jonah the son of Amittai or Jonas ( , ) was a Jewish prophet from Gath-hepher in the Northern Kingdom of Israel around the 8th century BCE according to the Hebrew Bible. He is the central figure of the Book of Jonah, one of the minor prophets, which details his reluctance in delivering the judgment of God to the city of Nineveh (near present-day Mosul) in the Neo-Assyrian Empire. After he is swallowed by a large sea creature () and then released, he returns to the divine mission.

Esther (; ), originally Hadassah (; ), is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible.

Ezra (fl. fifth or fourth century BCE) is the main character of the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible, he was an important Jewish scribe (sofer) and priest (kohen) in the early Second Temple period. In the Greek Septuagint, the name is rendered as ' (), from which the Latin name Esdras comes. His name is probably a shortened Aramaic translation of the Hebrew name ('), meaning "Yah helps".

period in Jewish history during which a number of people from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon

thumb|200px|Russian Orthodox [[icon of the Prophet Nahum, 18th century (Iconostasis of Transfiguration Church, Kizhi Monastery, Karelia, Russia).]]

thumb|right|Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem, illustration by Adolf Hult, 1919 Nehemiah (; ) is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in rebuilding Jerusalem during the Second Temple period as the governor of Yehud Medinata, the autonomous province of Judea within the Achaemenid Empire, under Artaxerxes I (465–424 BC).

Mordecai (; also Mordechai; , IPA: ) is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is the cousin and guardian of Esther, who became queen of Persia under the reign of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). The king's grand vizier Haman is offended by Mordecai because of his refusal to bow before him, and when confronted, Mordecai's excuse was simply that he was a Jew. Consequently, Haman plots to have all of Persia's Jews killed, and eventually convinces Ahasuerus to permit him to do so. Mordecai's loyalty and bravery are highlighted throughout the story as he convinces Esther

tribes of Israel that were said to have been deported from the Kingdom of Israel after its conquest by the Neo-Assyrian Empire circa 722 BCE

ancient Israelites relocated by the Neo-Assyrian Empire

Collection of archaeological artifacts