Assyria, the Plague of Israel
Assyria and Biblical
Archaeology
Assyria, the Plague of Israel
The above relief is a close up of king Jehu of Israel doing homage to Shalmaneser III of Assyria. This is the same Jehu as mentioned in Scripture. The stone relief was excavated among the ruins of ancient Assyria.
Ancient Assyria
The Bible says that the land of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians. Assyria was the country of Asshur, the son of Shem and grandson of Noah. Assyria was located on the northern Tigris River. According to history and the Bible in 722 BC Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and took away the 10 tribes. Assyria was located east of Israel, in the far northern area of the Tigris river. The main cities of ancient Assyria were Asshur, its chief and first capital city, Nineveh (Kuyunjik), Kalhu (Nimrud), and Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad). When a new king of ancient Assyria would come to power he would relocate to a new city and make it his capital. The most famous kings of the Neo-Assyrian Empire were Tiglath-pileser III also known in the Bible as "Pul," who made Kalhu (Nimrud) his capital city. Sargon II made Dur- Sharrukin (Khorsabad) his capital. Later Sennacherib made Nineveh his capital city. All of these monarchs invested great wealth in their building projects and these cities have all been discovered and excavated by archaeologists. A multitude of remains can be seen today at the British Museum, the Louvre, the Oriental Institute and other museums. Its interesting that Assyrian annals mention the names of ten Hebrew kings: Omri, Ahab, Jehu, Menahem, Hoshea, Pekah, Uzziah, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manasseh.
Biblical Archaeology and Ancient Assyria
Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
Close up of Jehu - Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
Assyrian Royal Guard Soldiers of Sennacherib
Lachish Captives Being Skinned Alive
Israelite Captives from Lachish
Taylor Prism (Sennacherib Hexagonal Prism)