Lost Tribes, an Encarta Encyclopedia Article Titled "Lost Tribes"
Lost Tribes , in Jewish history, ten tribes that inhabited the kingdom of Israel and many of whose members were exiled by Sargon II, king of Assyria (reigned 722-705 BC), after the Assyrian conquest (722 BC) of http://encarta.msn.com/index/conciseindex/4B/04B22000.htm?z=1&pg=2&br=1
Thanks, I'm familiar with the article and most others in the "popular" media.
That article, like most, makes the critical mistake of leaving the history of The Lost Tribes of Israel to Jewish tradition. Aside from writers usually just copying what they read somewhere else, there seems to be a Jewish self-interest in making sure the Lost Tribes remain lost. Most articles presume the Lost Tribes were Jewish, which is wrong right out of the gate, thus everything which follows is wrong.
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