After the Jews were exiled by the Babylonians, the neighboring Idumeans (Edomites) moved into the abandoned land. They occupied it until 112 BCE when the Hasmonaean (Maccabean) ruler, John Hyrcanus, conquered the Idumeans, and recaptured the land which the Edomites had stolen in Israel’s absence. Photo Credit: Richardprins – CC BY-SA 3.0)