When Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem in 597 BCE, he pillaged the city and took many of the treasures of the Temple of Jerusalem. He also took over 10,000 Jewish people and transported them to Babylon. This effect was very demoralizing on the Jewish people and was highlighted in the Book of Ezekiel in the Bible. In effect it also left only the poorest people behind in Judea and was a moment of great despair for them.
