History

The Lachish Reliefs

an historical horror, from another POV

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg

Dec 16, 2024 • 18 min read

Bas-relief of Assyrian slingers and archers ascending up a brickwork ramp to the city walls of Lachish in the Lachish Reliefs. They are being led and protected by a spear man, who holds a large rounded shield. The slingers and archers wear pointed, conical helmets and the spear man wears a rounded helmet with decoration on top and ear flaps; all are bearded, with matching boots, skirted tunics with sashes the torso, and other indications of professional military uniforms.

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“Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass: that you should turn fortified cities into heaps of ruins, while their inhabitants, shorn of strength are dismayed and confounded” (2 Kings 19:25–26)

Last week we talked, in passing, about the Assyrian invasion of Israel and then Judea.

I thought that this week might merit a few more words about the latter, both because it's a fascinating case wherein sources outside the Bible both confirm and extend a biblical account– and, especially, because it's a stark ancient addition to our ongoing conversations about occupation, invasion, and the price of war.

So, as we've discussed previously, Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE. (Sources vary as to why: A result of political double-dealings? Punishing reluctant vassals? To establish a military stronghold in the region? A combo of reasons?)

Sîn-ahhī-erība, ("Sîn has replaced the brothers,"), 𒀭𒌍𒉽𒈨𒌍𒋢, better known as Sennacherib, was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 705 BCE until 681 BCE.

Here's what Sennacherib looked like, allegedly. Power to the Empire?(Close-up view of a bas-relief carving featuring a ruler with a prominent nose, almond-shaped eyes, and a long, curly beard with ringlets, wearing a tall, conical crown. His hair is shoulder-length, and his curls are tightly ringleted. One hand is held up with a raised closed fist, and the other is down at a comfortable 90 degree angle, holding a staff. His clothing is detailed with what seem to be ornamental patterns or bands, visible on the chest and shoulders.)

In 705 BCE, a number of Near Eastern states– Sidon, Ashkelon, Moab, Edom, and others, including Judea– rebelled against the Assyrians, trying to throw off their vassal state status.

Would you like to guess if the Assyrians thought this was cute?

They did not.

Sennacherib came in with the full force of an imperial army in 701 BCE.

They hit a bunch of cities in Judea more or less at once. We'll talk about two:

The Siege of Jerusalem, and the Siege of Lachish.

Jerusalem is... the navel of the universe, as Jews understand it. Al-Quds, in Arabic– "The Holy."

Lachish is what’s known today as Tell ed-Duweir or Tel Lachish. It’s about 33 miles southwest of Jerusalem.

Ammon and its neighbors, around 830 BCE — The Ancient Near East during the First Temple Period, ca. 830 BCE, before the Assyrian conquest of Israel. My 12yo observes that Edom should be colored red, not yellow, since *adom* is “red” in Hebrew. (Yes, hence adamah, earth, and *adam*, human.) Yes, people have observed that the Gaza Strip-- established in 1948-- bears similarities to the Philistine city-states, tho a) NB the Roman decision to change the region's name of Judea to Palestina, that of their historic enemies, was a conscious decision to try to erase the Jewish connection to the region after the Bar Kochba revolt failed in 136 CE and b) the map between 700 BCE and, say, the 20th c. CE looked like a bunch of different things at different times. So... 🤷(An illustrated map of the ancient Near East around the time of the divided Kingdom of Israel and Judah. The map displays various kingdoms and tribes of the region, including the Philistine city-states, the Kingdom of Israel, the Kingdom of Judah, the Kingdom of Moab, the Kingdom of Ammon, the Aramean Tribes, the Nabatean Tribes, and the Assyrian Empire. The map is colored-coded to distinguish different territories.)

Here’s the story:

Sennacherib sent part of his massive imperial army to block exits to the walled city of Jerusalem, thus trapping those inside and making it impossible for supplies to enter. At the same time, he brought other troops to attack the nearby city of Lachish.

"Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them." (Isaiah 36:1–2)

As the Book of Chronicles tells it:

"Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there. “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? When Hezekiah says, ‘God our God will save us from the hand of the King of Assyria,’ he is misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst. Did not Hezekiah himself remove this god’s high places and altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar and burn sacrifices on it’? (2 Chronicles 32:9-12)

So, that's a harsh dig at Hezzie, there, for his subjects: "You're gonna trust this schmuck to keep you safe? The one who smashed all your altars?? Really??"

We'll come back to our friends trapped in Jerusalem in a moment.

This is one of 2 cuneiform inscriptions which were carved on one of the reliefs. These 4 horizintal lines read "Sennacherib, the mighty king, king of the country of Assyria, sitting on the throne of judgment, before (or at the entrance of) the city of Lachish (Lakhisha). I give permission for its slaughter". From Nineveh (modern-day Mosul Governorate, Iraq), Room XXXVI of the South-West Palace, panels 11-13. The British Museum, London. Photo © Osama S. M. Amin. — **“Sennacherib, the mighty king, king of the country of Assyria, sitting on the throne of judgment, at the entrance of the city of Lachish. I give permission for its slaughter.”***So reads one of the two cuneiform inscriptions carved on one of the Lachish Reliefs. More about what those are below. (Cuneiform inscription in clay bas relief, above Assyrian figures)*

We know from a number of different sources that Lachish siege was Very Bad.

The Assyrian Empire’s army was ginormous and professional; in addition to the usual warriors with spears and archers, they had hired mercenaries throwing stones ("slingers,") and, critically, they had cavalry and chariots and more big Empire stuff. Like: they built a massive ramp (or "siege mound," cf 2 Kings 19:32) up to a weaker part of the wall to better get it with a battering ram–probably built using stones and a lot of enslaved people.

The Judean military force was puny in comparison, and not nearly as organized or professional. Just some local guys, maybe some mercenaries (though if The Sennacherib Prism– below– is to be believed, sounds like some of the latter bailed when they saw how outmatched they were.)

This was such a victory for the conquering army that they made a bunch of gloating commemorative art about it.

In 1850, a white guy in his 20s was literally just digging around [[1]] Iraq (he was British, of course) and uncovered—to Western eyes—the existence of what are now called the Lachish Reliefs; a vivid depiction of the Assyrian army’s siege of the city—one of several non-biblical confirmations of this event.

We see the slingers:

The beginning of the attack on Lachish in 701 BCE. This is a detail of a large stone wall panel which shows that Assyrian solders (part of a large-range artillery, not shown here) are slinging small rounded stones (so-called slingers), aiming at the enemy soldiers, defending the city walls towers. From Nineveh (modern-day Mosul Governorate, Iraq), Room XXXVI of the South-West Palace, panels 5-6. The British Museum, London. Photo © Osama S. M. Amin. — And, here, are slingers from the Lachish Reliefs, and actual slingshot and shots slung from the actual siege of Lachish, found on site. Gives you new perspective on the David and Goliath story, eh? The kid was using a weapon, not a toy. (First image: Bas-relief carving of figures from an ancient Assyrian narrative, in a battle scene, in a shallow relief against a textured background. The figures hold slingshots above their heads. The colors are muted, mostly earth tones.) (Second image: Close-up view of a museum display case. A collection of smooth, light brownish-gray, spherical stones or balls of various sizes are displayed on a light beige or cream-colored textured surface, likely linen or fabric. Some are piled directly on the surface, others are stacked slightly higher atop a small, light beige/cream-colored box. A slingshot-like device, consisting of a woven pouch or bag in dark reddish-brown and black colors, and a coiled length of light beige/tan rope, rests on the same textured surface near the bottom of the display case.)

And, here, are slingers from the Lachish Reliefs, and actual slingshot and shots slung from the actual siege of Lachish, found on site. Gives you new perspective on the David and Goliath story, eh? The kid was using a weapon, not a toy. (First image: Bas-relief carving of figures from an ancient Assyrian narrative, in a battle scene, in a shallow relief against a textured background. The figures hold slingshots above their heads. The colors are muted, mostly earth tones.) (Second image: Close-up view of a museum display case. A collection of smooth, light brownish-gray, spherical stones or balls of various sizes are displayed on a light beige or cream-colored textured surface, likely linen or fabric. Some are piled directly on the surface, others are stacked slightly higher atop a small, light beige/cream-colored box. A slingshot-like device, consisting of a woven pouch or bag in dark reddish-brown and black colors, and a coiled length of light beige/tan rope, rests on the same textured surface near the bottom of the display case.)

We see the spears:

The beginning of the attack on Lachish in 701 BCE. This is a detail of a large stone wall panel which shows Assyrian soldiers in action, holding their long spears and rounded shields. From Nineveh (modern-day Mosul Governorate, Iraq), Room XXXVI of the South-West Palace, panels 5-6. The British Museum, London. Photo © Osama S. M. Amin. — (Bas-relief carving depicting figures in military attire from ancient Assyrian culture. The figures are carved in low relief on a stone surface, clad in what appear to be tunics and possibly some form of armor, holding spears and shields.)

We see ramps with the battering rams, breaking down the city walls:

Here, we seethe ramp that the Assyrian army built to reach a high, weak point of the city wall, and the battering ram breaking the wall down, with archers climbing the ramp after the battering ramp. We see other fighters, both Assyrian and Judean, around the field, and, behind the ramp, we see the towers from which the soldiers of Lachish attempted to defend their position.

We see the torture after the army won:

Finally, Lachish has fallen. The city will be damaged and ransacked. Head of the rebellion will be executed on the spot while ordinary soldiers and people will be deported into exile within the Assyrian Empire. This detail of the stone wall panel shows Assyrian soldiers are flaying two naked prisoners from Lachish. On the left, Lachish's people are being deported. From Nineveh (modern-day Mosul Governorate, Iraq), Room XXXVI of the South-West Palace, panels 9-10. The British Museum, London. Photo © Osama S. M. Amin. — Here, we see Lachish after its defeat, as the city deals with conquest and pillage. Those in charge will be executed on site, but most soldiers and other people will be sent into slavery and exile elsewhere in the Assyrian Empire. In this panel, Assyrian soldiers are flaying two naked prisoners from the city, while other prisoners are forced to witness the torture. (Bas-relief Assyrian panel. The foreground is dominated by figures in dynamic poses; two are naked, bearded, on their sides, arms out as if tied up, while being struck by Assyrian soldiers. Others, in non-military dress, look on. The figures are depicted in a style characteristic of ancient Near Eastern art, with a degree of stylized representation rather than photographic realism.)

We see families from Lachish forced into exile.

A century and a quarter later, the Neo-Babylonian Empire would destroy the First Temple and forcibly deport about 18,000 people. The Babylonians would just move all the Judeans together– and, as such, even though the whole thing was traumatic and disorienting, Judeans were able to keep their language, social structures and myths. And they were, eventually, able to return back to Judea as Judeans.

But that's not how the Assyrians rolled; they spread out their deportees, tried to make them assimilate into their new regions and lose any particular collective identity that a community may have had. (II Kings 17:6) So the Israelites who were conquered in 722 BCE and exiled / deported largely vanished– hence the "ten lost tribes." (Though, indeed, some refugees did pour down into Judea, creating an important cultural cross-pollination that might have been a key moment in the development in the Torah.) Presumably, many denizens of Lachish suffered a similar fate.

An Assyrian soldier watches a deported family form Lachish. A man holds a large box on his shoulders. A young woman guides a 2-wheeled cart pulled by a bullock while another women holds a boy and a girl. The family tried to bring with them as much as they could of their household belonginngs. From Nineveh (modern-day Mosul Governorate, Iraq), Room XXXVI of the South-West Palace, panels 8-9. The British Museum, London. Photo © Osama S. M. Amin. — In the center of the bas-relief, you see a man holding a box on his on his shoulders. In the two-wheeled cart, there's one woman driving the bull pulling it, while another woman holds a child (presumably a girl?) and another rides behind her (presumably a boy?). It looks like they brought as much as they could with them. You see the Assyrian soldier behind them, weapons at the ready, escorting them along.

Caption: Ben Gvir: Netanyahu showing ‘some openness’ to encouraging Palestinian migration from Gaza

We see the prisoners forced to make supplications before the king:

The finale scene! The Assyrian King Sennacherib sits on his luxurious chair. His commander-in-chief stands before the King (in a very close proximity) and greets him after conquering the city of Lachish. Four high "soldiers" stand behind their leader; they wear their exquisite military uniform and carry their weapons. Prisoners from Lachish are being reviewed and presented to the King. One prostrates, another two kneel; they seem to ask for mercy to save their lives. Most likely, they were beheaded later on. The British Museum, London. Photo © Osama S. M. Amin. — It's an awkward side angle because it's hard to catch everything in one image.(Bas-relief panel photographed at an angle. Several figures are crouched or kneeling before one figure, seated in a chair, and others, standing near that figure. The lighting and the material of the stone result in variations in light and shadow.)

Assyrian soldiers parading the prisoners of ward before Sennacherib (on the right, not shown here). Most likely those represent the heads of the rebellion. All of them are bare-footed and wear nothing on their head; a sign of humiliation. All of them seem to ask for mercy. One prostrates, two kneels and the other 3 stand before the king. Most likely, they were executed later on. From Nineveh (modern-day Mosul Governorate, Iraq), Room XXXVI of the South-West Palace, panels 11-13. The British Museum, London. Photo © Osama S. M. Amin. — Here's the front image of much of the other image, above.We see Assyrian soldiers pushing prisoners of war before Sennacherib (on the right and not shown here). They are all barefoot and bare-headed, the latter especially may have been a sign of humiliation.They appear to be asking for mercy or "accepting servitude," per the quote we'll see below. One bows, two kneel and the others stand with hands in supplication before the king. Some speculate that they may have been executed later.

And then here are Sennacherib’s own words (allegedly); they’re found on what’s called The Sennacherib Prism, an Assyrian Empire document (well, clay tower, of sorts) written in Akkadian cuneiform and originating, as far as we know, in what’s now Iraq:

The Sennacherib Prism, so the below is written on the above. (Six-sided clay tower with lots of tiny cuneiform written on each side.)

¹⁸As for Hezekiah the Judahite, ¹⁹who did not submit to my yoke: [I took] forty-six of his strong, walled cities, as well as ²⁰the small towns in their area, ²¹which were without number, by leveling with battering-rams ²²and by bringing up seige-engines, and by attacking and storming on foot, ²³by mines, tunnels, and breeches, I besieged and took them. ²⁴200,150 people, great and small, male and female, ²⁵horses, mules, asses, camels, ²⁶cattle and sheep without number, I brought away from them ²⁷and counted as spoil.

(Hezekiah) himself, like a caged bird ²⁸I shut up in Jerusalem, his royal city. ²⁹I threw up earthworks against him— ³⁰anyone coming out of the city-gate, I turned back to his misery....

³⁷As for Hezekiah, ³⁸the terrifying splendor of my majesty overcame him, and ³⁹the Arabs and his mercenary troops which he had brought in to strengthen ⁴⁰Jerusalem, his royal city, ⁴¹deserted him.

In addition to the thirty talents of gold and ⁴²eight hundred talents of silver, gems, antimony, ⁴³jewels, large carnelians, ivory-inlaid couches, ⁴⁴ivory-inlaid chairs, elephant hides, elephant tusks, ⁴⁵ebony, boxwood, all kinds of valuable treasures, ⁴⁶as well as his daughters, his harem, his male and female ⁴⁷musicians, which he had brought after me ⁴⁸to Nineveh, my royal city. To pay tribute ⁴⁹and to accept servitude, he dispatched his messengers. (Sennacherib Prism 3:18-49)

He shut them up in Jerusalem "like a caged bird."

Sennacherib starved them into surrender.

We so often hear stories of glory when one is the winner of war, and of horrors when one is on the receiving end of those same "glories." The Maccabees or the Babylonian Exile. The American Revolution or 9/11.

Fewer people consider the Maccabees from the perspective of the Idumeans and ofthers whom the Judeans conquered after they ousted the Selucids, or that King George III's Proclamation of 1763 reserved the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains for Native Americans.(The US' abject refusal to face its own role as harmdoer is exactly why we're in this historical moment, I think– as I explained at length in my most recent book.)

Though the technology of war has changed drastically in some ways, in many ways– so much really hasn't. And maybe in another season it may have felt like heresy to write this (not terrifically subtle) piece, today it just feels morally urgent to tell the truth as I understand it.

I think the only lesson here is about the abhorrent choices some human beings are capable of making when they have power. Especially if they're desperate to keep it, or want more of it.

Watch the film here for the receipts to what you read in Life is a Sacred Text a year ago.

"Abuse Of Power Comes As No Surprise." One of Jenny Holzer's "Truisms" (1982)(Full outdoor photograph of New York City, early 1980s. Tall, light-gray/beige buildings line both sides of the street. A large electronic billboard displaying the words "ABUSE OF POWER COMES AS NO SURPRISE" in bold, capital letters is mounted on one of the buildings, lit up with a yellow/gold color. Traffic is present—cars, taxis (including a yellow cab), and pedestrians are visible on the roadway.

And what we lose when we forget the essential truth at the heart of every teaching:

That every human life is sacred.

That we should wish only for others what we might wish for ourselves.

Everything else is commentary.

Let's close with a piece to which I've returned regularly since I first read it in 2016 by the Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard:

It manages to be (as I am, in my way) both sardonic and hopeful:

One day the occupation will end. It will probably happen in one fell swoop. And when it happens, it will suddenly emerge that everyone was against it. That the politicians had actually worked to end it, that the journalists strove indefatigably to expose its injustices, that the cultural institutions condemned it courageously...

One day the occupation will end, because regimes of this kind are not viable. They are bound to fall, because regimes of suppression, almost by definition, are unstable.

The world is driven by diverse forces. We vividly see and feel the political, economic and military forces daily. But there are also less visible forces, whose mode of operation is less overt.

One of them is actually an idea:

that all human beings are equal and that all deserve rights because they are human beings.

That idea is responsible for the greatest and most important revolutions in history.....

And it will bring about the end of the occupation.

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[[1]] His bio– here– is a portrait of the kind of life that could only happen if one is born an upper-class English gent in the 19th century (or the contemporary scion of South African emerald mines, maybe). Apropos of some things, perhaps, this has been on my TBR for a while.

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Here’s the story:

We see the slingers:

We see the spears:

We see ramps with the battering rams, breaking down the city walls:

We see the torture after the army won:

We see families from Lachish forced into exile.

We see the prisoners forced to make supplications before the king:

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And, once again, a reminder that you can gift everyone on your list nourishment for their heart, soul and noggin:

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