Ahab was the son of Omri and king of Israel 869-850 BCE He married Jezebel, a Phoenician princess, who promoted idolatry and persecuted the prophets of Israel. Jezebel’s Phoenician priests spread the cult of the god Baal and the goddess Astarte. During Ahab’s reign Elijah brought about a drought that ended after the defeat of the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. Later, Elijah confronted Ahab for killing a man named Naboth in order to seize his vineyard. Ahab was killed in a battle against the army of Aram (Syria).