What turns a regional kingdom into an empire - and why does it matter that Assyria, not Egypt, is the one that changes everything? This tour traces the shift from local kingdoms to imperial powers through Judah’s encounters with Assyria and Babylon, using the Bible Lands Museum’s new exhibition “As Soon as the War is Over” - built around the battles of Kadesh, Lachish, Troy, and the Pax Romana - alongside the permanent collection’s Assyrian, Babylonian, and Egyptian galleries. Along the way: the Lachish reliefs, the fall of Samaria, Hezekiah’s stand against Sennacherib, and how a single word - empire - reshaped warfare, trade, and the fate of Jerusalem.