Archaeological evidence of Assyrian military campaign against Kingdom of Judah discovered near Jerusalem

An archaeological excavation in Arnona, Jerusalem, has uncovered what appears to be evidence of the economic impact of Sennacherib’s military campaign on the Kingdom of Judah, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Wednesday.

The excavation discovered “two superimposed administrative buildings,” as well as “more than 180 stamp impresses store-jar [sic] handles with Hebrew script.”

These findings were described by the IAA as “indirect traces” of the Assyrian military campaign which began in 701 BC.

While prior archaeological excavations across the Judean lowlands have revealed evidence of Sennacherib’s military campaign against Judah, this announcement is the first of such discoveries to be made so close to ancient Jerusalem.

“The original Judahite administrative structure that existed on this site was completely destroyed and the Assyrian invaders built a new structure over it," according to the IAA statement.

“We discovered remains of a significant royal administrative center from the days of King Hezekiah, and perhaps even from the reign of his father, King Ahaz,” said the directors of the excavation, Neria Sapir, Natan Ben-Ari and Benyamin Storchan.

“The center functioned in the last third of the 8th century BCE but was destroyed down to its foundations and buried under a massive heap of stones. The stone pile formed a platform upon which subsequent structure was erected…large building stones originating from the early structure were deliberately incorporated into the heap.”

The excavation directors said they “interpret these dramatic changes as a statement by the Assyrian imperial government, intended to convey a political-diplomatic message to the surrounding region and make it clear ‘who is really in charge’ by overhauling the administrative structure and its function.”

The Assyrian King Sennacherib is mentioned in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles and Isaiah.

The Book of Isaiah states that “in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them” (Isaiah 36:1 ESV).

While the Assyrian empire successfully captured these cities, they ultimately did not attack Jerusalem, as both the scriptures and Sennacherib’s annals attest.

The Assyrian account states that Sennacherib relented once King Hezekiah paid tribute to him, however, the scriptures say that “the angel of the LORD” destroyed much of the Assyrian army, which had gathered outside of Jerusalem, before they were able to attack.

“And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh” (Isaiah 37:36-37).

This deliverance came after King Hezekiah had interceded on Israel’s behalf, and a prophecy was given by God to the prophet Isaiah: “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David” (Isaiah 37:33-35).