Solomon was a monarch of the united Kingdom of Israel who ruled during the 10th century BCE. As the successor to his father, David, he presided over a period characterized by significant commercial prosperity and the expansion of military strength. He is traditionally identified as a wise ruler and a prophet, credited with the authorship of several biblical books including Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. While his reign is celebrated for its opulence and the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, biblical accounts also note that his later life was marked by the introduction of foreign religious practices.