Archaeology · 11 · Haggai
'Judahville' in Babylonia
About two hundred tablets mention a town called Al-Yahudu, 'Judahville,' near Nippur. They reveal Judean exiles farming crown lands and doing business for generations.
Most exiles put down roots and stayed.
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Many kept names honoring Yhwh, a sign of enduring identity, but there's no evidence they knew biblical texts. Most returnees to Judah likely came from neighboring lands, not Babylon, so the 'return to Zion' wasn't a mass migration.
Bible reference: Jeremiah 29:5–7
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 180–183
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