the wake of the war's end, and remained increasingly divided until being destroyed by invaders in 586 BCE and 720 BCE respectively. Biblical narrative Jeroboam was the son of Nebat, a member of the Tribe of Ephraim of Zareda. His mother, named Zeruah (צרוע "lepros") was a widow. He had at least two sons—Abijah and Nadab, the latter of whom succeeded him on the throne of Samaria. While still a young man, King Solomon made him superintendent over his tribesmen in the building of the fortress Millo in Jerusalem and of other public works. Solomon's reign was characterized by extravagant projects that demonstrated the royal family's wealth, which caused widespread discontent among the people that Jeroboam naturally became conversant with. Solomon was apparently influenced by God's prophecy to him that his kingdom would be divided due to his idolatrous practices and that the ten northern tribes would be given to his servant (indeed Jeroboam had been seeking council with the prophet Ahijah), and he sought to kill Jeroboam, who fled to Egypt, where he remained under the protection of pharaoh Shishak until the death of Solomon. After this event he returned and participated in a delegation sent to ask the new king Rehoboam to reduce taxes. After Rehoboam rejected their petition, ten of the tribes withdrew their allegiance to the house of David, thus fulfilling the prophecies. Jeroboam traveled north and rebuilt and fortified Shechem as the capital of the northern kingdom. Fearing that pilgrimages to the Temple in Jerusalem prescribed by the Torah might be an occasion for his people to go back to their old allegiance, he built two state temples, with golden calves, one in Bethel and the other in Dan. Although criticized for his heretical activities, calf worship was not new in Israelite ritual, but a reintroduction of earlier ritual. Bethel and Dan were already established cultic sites. Jeroboam was engaged in offering incense at Bethel, when a "man of God" warned him that "a son named Josiah will be born to the house of David" who would destroy the altar. Four years later,<ref name=BAR>'Did Pharaoh Sheshonq Attack Jerusalem?' - Biblical Archaeology Review - 1 July 2014</ref> Jeroboam's former compatriot Pharaoh Shishak invaded Judah, leading an army of 60,000 horsemen and 1,200 chariots, in order to provide aid to Jeroboam. According to Josephus, his army met with no resistance throughout the campaign, taking Rehoboam's most fortified