Image Details

Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY

The Assyrian king Sennacherib (705–681 B.C.E.) sits high on his throne in a relief depicting his conquest of the Judahite town of Lachish in 701 B.C.E. In that year Sennacherib rampaged through Judah, destroying Jewish towns but failing to capture Jerusalem. His invasion was a catastrophe for Judah but a boon for archaeologists like author Oded Borowski, who uses the destruction layer to piece together important details about life in the time of King Hezekiah, ruler of Judah during Sennacherib’s invasion. In the accompanying article, Borowski examines the remains of the Judahite town uncovered at Tel Halif, one of the cities vanquished by the Assyrians. Several areas of excavation yielded important finds, including field IV, on the northwest side of the site, where ancient building walls and pillars were found.