The shoals in the sea of archaeology are treacherous indeed. Take the case of Marie-Louise Buhl. Ms. Buhl, a Keeper of the National Museum of Denmark, recently wrote part of the final report on the Danish excavations at Shiloha. Ms. Buhl’s task was admittedly complicated by the fact that the Shiloh excavations had been carried […]
Archaeologists have discovered a tomb they believe was the burial place of Ramesses II’s sons, in the Valley of the Kings, the necropolis at Karnak some 300 miles south of Cairo. The huge tomb complex, dubbed Tomb 5, is many times larger than any other tomb so far discovered and the only one known to […]
Sennacherib Ravages Judah “As for Hezekiah, the Judean, he did not submit to my yoke. I laid siege to 46 of his fortified cities, walled forts and to the countless small villages in their vicinity …. I led off 200,150 people, young and old, male and female, horse, mules, donkeys, camels, big and small cattle […]
A handle from a Late Bronze Age store jar (13th century BCE) containing three incised letters in Proto-Canaanite script, the earliest known alphabet. Found during the 1976 pilot season at Tell Halif. “How a Dig Begins,” BAR Jun 1977. See also- In the Path of Sennacherib, Oded Borowski, BAR 31-03, May-Jun 2005.
The Re-population of Samaria “I repopulated Sameria more than before. I brought into it people from countries conquered by my hands. I appointed my eunuch as governor over them. And I counted them as Assyrians.” Nimrud Prism “The king of Assyria brought [people] from Babylon . . . and he settled them in the towns […]
Bringing Water Inside Jerusalem’s Walls When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, intent on making war against Jerusalem, he consulted with his officers and warriors about stopping the flow of the springs outside the city, and they supported him. (2 Chronicles 32-2-3) Translation- [The day of] the breach. This is the record of how the […]
Hebrew University professor Yigal Shiloh uncovered a house in the City of David opposite the Kidron Valley. It is the most complete house excavated to date within the city. It is known as the House of Ahiel because it contained a pottery sherd with the name Ahiel scratched on it. This is a four-room house, […]
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 […]