Historical Background
The story of Esther is set within the Persian Empire. Large Jewish communities lived outside the land of Israel during this period because many Jews had remained in the lands of the former Babylonian Empire after the exile.
The king called Ahasuerus in Esther has traditionally been identified with Xerxes I, who ruled the Persian Empire from 486 to 465 BC. The book describes a vast empire governed through royal officials, written decrees and provincial administration.
Some details of the story fit what is known about the Persian world. At the same time, no surviving Persian source independently confirms Esther, Mordecai, Haman or the deliverance described in the book.
Scholars therefore disagree about how the book should be understood historically. Some allow for a historical core behind the story, while others understand Esther primarily as a Jewish literary work set in the Persian period.
Whatever conclusion is reached about those questions, the book itself became part of Jewish Scripture and Purim became an established Jewish celebration. By the later Second Temple and rabbinic periods, its place in Jewish life was firmly established.