The Israelites (/ˈɪzriəˌlaɪts, -reɪ-/) were a Semitic people of the Ancient Near East, who inhabited part of Canaan during the tribal and monarchic periods (15th to 6th centuries BCE), and lived in the region in smaller numbers after the fall of the monarchy. In the biblical narrative, the term "Israelites" refers to the direct descendants of the patriarch Jacob, who was also called Israel; historians use the term to refer to the historical populations of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah.