Assyrian Military Camps Used For Historic Sieges to Jerusalem and Lachish Identified, Scholar Claims

A scholar claims that the military camps that the Assyrian king Sennacherib used were found.

This king had exploits of sieging Jerusalem and Lachish that have been noted in the Hebrew Bible.

Assyrian Military Camps

Both sieges took place in roughly B.C. 701. Back then, the Assyrians had control over a growing empire that spanned from the Persian Gulf all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.

The two sieges were noted frequently in the Hebrew Bible. These were noted to end in Jerusalem, where an "angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp" (2 Kings 19:35).

However, based on ancient Assyrian inscriptions, there is a different story to this. These claims that Hezekiah, Judah's King, paid a huge tribute to prompt Assyrians to leave.

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Siege of Lachish

A relief that depicts the Lachish siege can be found in the British Museum in London. Independent scholar Stephen COmpton, who is a Near Eastern Archaeology specialist, compared the relief to photos of the early to mid-20th century period that depict Lachish.

He then identified an area in Lachish's north that has a structure with an oval shape and walls that could have been an Assyrian camp.

He explained that Assyrian camps were usually oval. The proposed camp site's Arabic name is "Khirbet al Mudawwara." The term "Mudawwara" could mean an area where a military camp was placed by a sultan.

This suggests that individuals who lived close to the site during later times knew that it was used as a prehistoric Assyrian camp. This was noted in the "The Trail of Sennacherib's Siege Camps" report.

Moreover, an early 20th century archaeological survey also found pottery shard remains with styles that are from the time that Sennacherib carried the siege to Lachish.

Camp For Jerusalem

As for the Jerusalem camp, the specialist made use of some aerial photographs as well as archaeological excavation reports from the 19th century in order to examine the landscape.

He said that from 1881 to 1882, the PEF (Palestine Exploration Fund) discovered walls at the Jebel el Mudawwara site in the Temple Mount north.

Archaeologists from the 19th century thought that the area was a Roman camp. However, based on excavation records, the camp had an oval shape.

Compton explained that Roman camps were usually rectangular. However, given that the photos show that the camp's shape was oval-like, this aligns with an Assyrian camp.

If this area was set up by the king to carry out a siege to Jerusalem, it may have also been a Nob, which is a site that used to hold the Tabernacle.

The 20th-century history of the site makes it hard to carry out new excavations.

Mixed Reactions

Experts who did not participate in the study held mixed opinions and reactions towards the claims. According to some experts, it is possible that the Lachish site of Khibet al Mudawwara could be an Assyrian camp.

However, others are also doubtful. Archaeology professor emeritus David Ussishkin from Tel Aviv University said that he believes that the siege camp was in Lachish's southwest.

As for the Jebel el Mudawwara, this claim has garnered negative responses. According to Assyriology professor Eckart Frahm from Yale University, Assyrian inscriptions posit that while the king blockaded Jerusalem, he did not try taking it by storming it or using siege engines.

Overall, further investigation is necessary. While the landscape may show that the site is ideal for such encampments, more excavations need to be carried out.