A biblical kingdom in the past of the Jordan and the Negev, located south of Moab, southeast of the Kingdom of Judah, west and north of the Arabian desert. Most of its former territory is now divided between southern Israel and present-day Jordan. Edom appears in written sources relating to the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age.

The Edomites appear in several written sources, among others in the Bible, a list of the Egyptian pharaoh Seti I from 1215 BC as well as in the chronicle of the campaign of Ramses III (1186-1155 BC). Archaeological studies have shown that the nation flourished between the 13th century and the 19th century 8 BC and was destroyed after a period of decline in the 6th century BC by the Babylonians. After the fall of the kingdom of Edom, the Edomites were pushed west towards southern Judea by nomadic tribes that came from the east; among them were the Nabateans, who first appeared in the historical chronicles of the 8th century -4 BC and already established their own kingdom in what was Edom in the first half of the 2nd century BC.

Their relationship with the people of Israel was controversial. In the Bible, the Edomites are described as relatives of the Israelites (descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother) but also as their bitter enemies, with whom there were many conflicts.

The ferrous copper industry in Pinan and Timana is attributed to the kingdom of Edom.