The Lakhish (Lachish) ewer, discovered by James L. Starkey in a rubbish heap outside a temple at Lakhish. Dates to about 1220 BCE, the time when scholars believe the Israelites were first emerging in Canaan. Found in 1934. “Understanding Asherah—Exploring Semitic Iconography,” BAR Sept/Oct. 1991. See also- BiblePlaces.com- Lachish Bible History Online- Lachish Letters […]
Sennacherib, king of the world, king of Assyria, sat upon a nimedu throne and passed in review the booty from Lachish (Notation on Sennacherib’s throne room relief) Date- c. 700 BCE Current Location- British Museum, London, England Language and Script- Assyrian?; cuneiform Biblical Verses- 2 Kings 18-13–14, 17; 19-37; 2 Chronicles 32-21 General Information- • […]
The First Mention of the God of Israel YHWH — “Omri was the king of Israel, and he oppressed Moab… And…I took the vessels of YHWH I am Mesha, son of Kemosh[-yatti], the king of Moab, the Dibonite. My father was king over Moab for thirty years, and I became king after my father. And […]
“[I killed Jeho]ram son of [Ahab] King of Israel… And [I] slew [the king] of the house of David” Date- c. 840 BCE Current Location- Skirball Museum, Jerusalem, Israel Language and Script- Aramaic; alphabetic Tel Dan Stele 1 Tel Dan Stele 2. Photo courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority. General Information- The Tel Dan Stele was […]
The Lion of Hazor (15th to 14th Century BCE) was found by Amnon Ben-Tor. Yigael Yadin found a life-size lion statue at Hazor in 1958, this one is possibly is his mate, used to flank the entrance of a Canaanite Temple. “Strata- The Pride of Hazor,” BAR Nov-Dec 1997. “Prize Finds; Big Game Hunting- The […]
Megiddo was one of the most important cities in Canaan and Israel in the biblical period. It was at Megiddo that the Canaanite city-states gathered to rebel against Egyptian domination. According to the Bible, Joshua captured Megiddo (Josh. 12-21) and King Solomon built up Megiddo (1 Kings 9-15). In 732 BCE it was captured by […]
REDIRECT The Battle of Kadesh at the Ramesseum, 1274 BCE
The King of Babylon Captures the Capital of Judah “He (Nebuchadnezzar) encamped against the city of Judah (Jerusalem) and on the second day of Adar, he seized the city and seized the king. He appointed a king of his own pleasure over it [the city]. He took . . . tribute and conveyed it to […]
The Destruction of Samaria “On the twenty-fifth day of the month of Tebet Shalmaneser (V) ascended the throne in Assyria <and Akkad>. He ravaged Samaria.” Date- 722 BCE Current Location- British Museum, London, England (BM 92502) Language and Script- Neo-Babylonian?; cuneiform General Information- Shalmaneser V succeeded Tiglath-Pileser III but ruled the Neo-Assyrian Empire for only […]
Assyrian king appoints Hoshea “Israel (lit- Omri-land Bit-Humria)… All its inhabitants (and) their possessions I led to Assyria. They overthrew their king Pekah (Pa-qa-ha) and I placed Hoshea (A-u-si) as king over them. I received from them 10 talents of gold, 1,000 (?) talents of silver as their [tri]bute and brought them to Assyria.” Date- […]