Isralites in America

And if the ancient Israelites had colonized North America in alternate timeline? as the Mormons say in our timeline?
Note: this alternate history NOT is mormon propaganda.
 
An ancient Israelite King who for whatever reason goes by the name Amerigo leads a conquest of Samaria. In his honor, the region is renamed America, and is colonized by Jews, who push out the Samarians.
 
Just for fun, I'll bite.

A small group of Israelites (one of the 12 tribes) somehow, improbably, implausibly makes its way to the Americas, presumably by sea (don't ask). They come with virtually no supplies, a few domestic animals, and seeds of Middle Eastern grain crops. Their ship(s) follow prevailing currents and trade winds giving them landfall in the Yucatan peninsula. They stumble ashore only to find that the few crops they bring are ill-suited to the wet tropical climate and their sheep and goats do not flourish.

They come into contact with native peoples, who have not yet evolved high civilization but subsist in small farming villages ruled by local chieftains. These people are idol worshipers and the Israelites refuse to trade or assimilate with them. Because of relatively low population densities and the fact that the Israelites do not attempt to mix with them, the plagues of old world diseases that affected OTL natives in the Sixteenth Century do not occur. On the other hand the Israelites suffer many miscellaneous tropical ailments and their few sheep and goats die. Their grain crops produce poor yields. They take to raiding local villages for food.

Eventually one of the local chiefs tire of these interlopers and attacks them. The Israelites' bronze swords, slings, and bows are only marginally superior to the flint and obsidian tipped weapons of the native warriors, who greatly outnumber them. The colony is wiped out, some of the captured Israelite warriors are ritually sacrificed and eaten, other merely butchered and thrown into the sea, but a few women are taken as slaves.

Centuries years later, all evidence of these settlers is lost. The original settlement on the coast has eroded away, their copper and bronze tools and weapons have oxidized and decayed to the point that any remnants that might survive would be indistinguishable from eroded and decayed late Post Classic native cooper and bronze tools or Spanish metals. The native peoples retain no legends regarding these settlers and they have had no effect on the evolution of native cultures in the Americas.

In 2016, an archaeological survey undertaken for the "Crowns Point Harbor" expansion in Belize City uncovers the mass grave of several dozen Israelites killed and buried by the natives almost 3500 years ago. The skeletal remains are virtually gone, only teeth and scattered skull and long bone remnants are recognizably human. Ageing and sexing of the remains is virtually impossible, and since the skeletal remains are jumbled together it is impossible even to determine how many individuals are present. No artifacts are associated with the human remains. Radiocarbon dating places the burials at approximately 1100 BCE. The site is quite logically presumed by the Belizean antiquities authorities to be proto-Mayan, but otherwise it appears to lack the potential to provide much useful archaeological data warranting a full-scale excavation. Out of deference to contemporary Mayan sensibilities, the harbor expansion is revised to avoid destroying the site. Thus the site is not subjected to a detailed excavation. The remains are reburied and the sketchy discovery notes are filed away in the Office of Antiquities in Belmopan.
 
Just for fun, I'll bite.

A small group of Israelites (one of the 12 tribes) somehow, improbably, implausibly makes its way to the Americas, presumably by sea (don't ask). They come with virtually no supplies, a few domestic animals, and seeds of Middle Eastern grain crops. Their ship(s) follow prevailing currents and trade winds giving them landfall in the Yucatan peninsula. They stumble ashore only to find that the few crops they bring are ill-suited to the wet tropical climate and their sheep and goats do not flourish.

They come into contact with native peoples, who have not yet evolved high civilization but subsist in small farming villages ruled by local chieftains. These people are idol worshipers and the Israelites refuse to trade or assimilate with them. Because of relatively low population densities and the fact that the Israelites do not attempt to mix with them, the plagues of old world diseases that affected OTL natives in the Sixteenth Century do not occur. On the other hand the Israelites suffer many miscellaneous tropical ailments and their few sheep and goats die. Their grain crops produce poor yields. They take to raiding local villages for food.

Eventually one of the local chiefs tire of these interlopers and attacks them. The Israelites' bronze swords, slings, and bows are only marginally superior to the flint and obsidian tipped weapons of the native warriors, who greatly outnumber them. The colony is wiped out, some of the captured Israelite warriors are ritually sacrificed and eaten, other merely butchered and thrown into the sea, but a few women are taken as slaves.

Centuries years later, all evidence of these settlers is lost. The original settlement on the coast has eroded away, their copper and bronze tools and weapons have oxidized and decayed to the point that any remnants that might survive would be indistinguishable from eroded and decayed late Post Classic native cooper and bronze tools or Spanish metals. The native peoples retain no legends regarding these settlers and they have had no effect on the evolution of native cultures in the Americas.

In 2016, an archaeological survey undertaken for the "Crowns Point Harbor" expansion in Belize City uncovers the mass grave of several dozen Israelites killed and buried by the natives almost 3500 years ago. The skeletal remains are virtually gone, only teeth and scattered skull and long bone remnants are recognizably human. Ageing and sexing of the remains is virtually impossible, and since the skeletal remains are jumbled together it is impossible even to determine how many individuals are present. No artifacts are associated with the human remains. Radiocarbon dating places the burials at approximately 1100 BCE. The site is quite logically presumed by the Belizean antiquities authorities to be proto-Mayan, but otherwise it appears to lack the potential to provide much useful archaeological data warranting a full-scale excavation. Out of deference to contemporary Mayan sensibilities, the harbor expansion is revised to avoid destroying the site. Thus the site is not subjected to a detailed excavation. The remains are reburied and the sketchy discovery notes are filed away in the Office of Antiquities in Belmopan.

Entirely plausible (assuming somehow they got there in the first place).
 
Silly scenario, but...

Theo Vennemann is right. Amber trade becomes such big money, late amounts of Semites began collecting it themselves rather than paying a local gatherer. This develops into a series of Phoenecian colonies across the northern and Western European coasts. History is radically changed by this, the Phoenecians do not simply dissapear.

At some point, some big bad comes along, conquers Israel and bans the 12 Tribes. A significant amount of them head off to the Phoenecian colonies where an already size able minority of Jewish shipwrights and merchants live. Among the banished, an Enochian and startlingly Christian Apocalyptic sect arises.

Just as Irish monks did IOTL, some Celts and Semites sail to Iceland from time to time, but only hermits and seal trappers. These Enochian Jews settle on Iceland. Then they became Jewish Vikings. And at some point, they stumble upon North Maerica, and make it as far as the hill of Cumorah at Rochester New York. And they get on with the evangelizing.
 
Just for fun, I'll bite.
(Detailed explanation follows)

That's probably the most likely outcome. I personally think that there's a decent chance that something like this actually happened at least once, maybe more than once, in ancient times. Almost certainly not with Israelites, though, probably Phoenicians/Carthaginians.
 

Vahktang

Donor
So, Moses and his Jews get to the Red Sea, it gets parted and they all go in.
Now, instead of just crossing to the other side it turns south. The partition continues through the Indian Ocean and on to the Pacific.
On the way, the parting goes up on land so Moses and crew can trade, farm, write the Ten Commandments, gather the Pentateuch (though probably not called that), etc.
This goes on for many years (forty?) until they get to the Los Angeles basin. California has a very Mediterranean climate. Moses dies on Santa Catalina island, having seen but not be able to cross over to the Promised Land.
The Jews settle and thrive in the desert type area, bringing their tech, knowledge, metals, religion, organization, eventually expanding through the Americas making villages, towns and, later on, cities.
Solomon gets born, as well as David, as well as Jesus, who gets sacrificed, as it should happen. The Grand Canyon becomes a sacred area as it reminds the Jews about the years they spent with 3000 to 5000 m+ walls of water around them. Many hymns get written about this experience.
Christianity spreads but Judaism stays relevant.
Islam continues strong in the old world, as does Buddhism in Asia. Europe becomes Islamic.
Who discovers who, old world vs new, is up to somebody else.
But I see a religious cold war, eventually.
 
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