A few years ago, there was a question in the Hebrew part of “Quora” about the origins and the founders of Judaism. This was the translation of my answer:

The historical information at our disposal – based on a wealth of evidence, including ancient texts, archaeological findings, linguistic analyses, and more – provides a good picture of the gradual development of what is known today as “Judaism”. It points to several key stages and milestones that shaped Judaism into what it is today:

• Approximately 200,000 years ago: The emergence of Homo sapiens (modern humans) from Homo erectus or its close relatives.
• Approximately 60,000 years ago: The gradual migration of human tribes from Africa toward the Middle East.
• Approximately 10,000 years ago: The gradual end of the last Ice Age and the development of the Agricultural Revolution, leading to the creation of agricultural festivals and associated rituals.
• Approximately 3,000 years ago: A cultural divergence among Canaanite tribes, occurring alongside the migration of tribes from the south (the Arabian Desert) and/or the north (Assyria). This period saw the crystallization of various cultic centers in locations such as the City of David, Beit El, and Shilo.
• About 2,650 years ago: A religious reform during the reign of King Josiah, which reshaped many rituals and established numerous commandments – including the initial committing to writing of extensive texts that would eventually become the Old Testament.
• About 2,450 years ago: Significant influence of Babylonian culture on the content of Judaism, followed by another religious reform during the time of Ezra, which involved the rewriting of many of the aforementioned texts.
• About 2,100 years ago: The gradual consolidation of the idea of the “Pharisees” and the concept of the “Oral Torah.”
• About 1,600-1,900 years ago: The gradual formation of the bulk of the Jewish Talmud (“Mishnah” and “Gemara”), which effectively serves as the ritualistic foundation for contemporary Orthodox Judaism.
• About 800 years ago: The consolidation, elaboration, and dissemination of Talmudic laws by Maimonides (“Rambam”).
• About 500 years ago: The consolidation, elaboration, and further dissemination of Talmudic law through the “Shulchan Aruch” (“Set Table” by Joseph Karo).
• Over the last few centuries: A significant influence of European cultures on Jewish cultural elements, such as holidays, attire, language, and more.
• About 150 years ago: The gradual emergence of secular and other streams within Judaism, and subsequently, what might be termed “Abraham Isaac Kook’s followers” or “Knitted Kippah” (a.k.a. Religious Zionists) Judaism.

This is merely a brief overview, omitting important topics such as the Samaritans, the ancient Egyptians, Christianity, and much more.