The Discovery of Ancient Assyrian Military Camps
The Assyrian King Sennacherib laid siege to both Lachish and Jerusalem, which are detailed in the Hebrew Bible. At this time around 701 B.C., the Assyrians had a powerful and growing empire from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.
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These two sieges conducted by Sennacherib have left scholars looking for possibly two different military camps from ancient times.
The End of Sennacherib’s Conquests
In the Hebrew Bible, the end of Sennacherib’s conquests and sieges occurred at Jerusalem, when “the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp” (2 Kings 19:35).
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Meanwhile, Assyrian inscriptions from this time state that the King of Judah Hezekiah gave a huge tribute to encourage the Assyrian army to leave Jerusalem.
Searching for the Ancient Military Camps
Many researchers have been searching for where these ancient Assyrian military camps mentioned in the Bible may have been located.
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Now, Stephen Compton, a scholar focused on Near Eastern Archaeology, believes that he may have finally found where two different camps were located thousands of years ago.
Finding the Lachish Camp
First, Compton looked at an old relief that details the siege of Lachish in ancient times. This relief can be found in the British Museum in London.
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Compton paid extra attention to the relief’s depiction of the Assyrian military camp, then compared this art to mid-20th century photos of Lachish.
Discovering Oval Structures
Upon looking at both the relief and these older photos, Compton revealed that he believes the military camp was north of Lachish.
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In this location, an oval structure with walls can be seen. According to Compton, many ancient Assyrian military camps were oval-shaped.
Looking at Language
Compton focused on oval structures to find these military camps. However, he also looked at language and the names of some of these areas in Lachish.
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Compton has explained that the Arabic word “Mudawwara” was used in the Middle Ages to connote that this was a place where a sultan or leader had placed a military camp. Interestingly, this area was called “Khirbet al Mudawwara.” Compton has suggested that those who lived in this region later on knew that the Assyrians had once camped there.
The Discovery of Pottery
Perhaps most notably, Compton points to the fact that an archeological survey from the early 20th century found pottery shard remains that seem to be from around the same time that Sennacherib had a camp when laying siege to Lachish.
Source: Benno Rothenberg /Meitar Collection / National Library of Israel / The Pritzker Family National Photography Collection/Wikimedia Commons
The pottery found at this site has the same style seen on 700 B.C. pottery. However, future excavations in the area may help find more pottery to further support Compton’s theory.
Finding the Ancient Jerusalem Camp
While Compton feels confident in his findings of the Lachish camp, he also wanted to identify where Assyria’s old Jerusalem camp may have been located.
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Compton referenced the 1880s findings of the Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF) which discovered walls at a site north of the Temple Mount called Jebel el Mudawwara.
Another Oval Camp
Back in the 1880s, the PEF theorized that this camp was an old Roman camp. However, Compton has explained that these old excavation records state this camp had oval walls — similar to what was found in Lachish, and what ancient Assyrian camps looked like.
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Compton also pointed out the use of the word “Mudawwara” again. Unfortunately, conducting new excavations in this area could be difficult thanks to the many battles and buildings this specific area has seen in the past 100 years. Today, a museum is located in the area.
What Other Scholars Think of These Findings
Scholars are mixed on these findings. Some have supported these discoveries and think that Compton could be right, though they believe more research should be done in these areas.
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However, other scholars remain doubtful that these areas are truly the sites of two ancient Assyrian camps.
Pushing for Future Excavations
Though some scholars may disagree with Compton’s findings, they do agree with the independent researcher on one thing: future excavations of these areas should be done.
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If archeologists in both these Lachish and Jerusalem sites can excavate the area further, they may be able to find out, once and for all, if these truly are the ancient sites of Assyria’s military.