Summary: A clay tablet from Jerusalem contains a 2,700-year-old message from Assyria threatening Judah for withholding payments – a remarkably fit to the Bible.
In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me. Whatever you impose on me I will bear.” And the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. – 2 Kings 18:13-14 (ESV)
A Rare Assyrian Artifact
This fall, an amazing first of its kind discovery was made in Jerusalem. A tiny 2,700-year-old clay artifact was found inscribed in cuneiform script and bearing a royal Assyrian court communication to the king of Judah.
The message on the 2.5 cm pottery sherd addresses a delayed payment from Judah to Assyria, and may vividly connect to one of the Bible’s most dramatic accounts.
The discovery occurred in the 2,000-year-old Second Temple drainage canal, below the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, where a section of the canal ran next to an earlier First Temple period building, allowing older material to be eroded into the canal. It was found in Davidson Archaeological Park in an excavation run by the Israel Antiquities Authority, along with the City of David Foundation. The City of David organization and National Park seeks to explore and preserve the core of ancient Jerusalem located southwest of the Temple Mount.
A statement put out by the City of David quoted Excavation Director, Dr. Ayala Zilberstein, “The inscription provides direct evidence of official correspondence between the Assyrian Empire and the Kingdom of Judah. The discovery strengthens our understanding of the depth of the Assyrian presence in Jerusalem, and the extent of its influence on and involvement in the conduct of the affairs of the Judean kingdom. In addition, it expands knowledge about the status of the new neighborhood that developed at that time on the slopes of the hill to the west of the Temple. It appears that this area served as a focus for the activities of high-ranking ministers and persons.”
Petrographic analysis reveals that the sherd is composed of clay from the Tigris River basin in Mesopotamia, rather than local clay from the southern Levant. According to the researchers, it was most likely sent to Jerusalem from one of the administrative centers of Assyria such as Nineveh, Ashur, or Nimrud/Kalḫu.
Part of the message of the inscription in the Akkadian language reads, “Dear king of Judah, send the payment quickly, by the first Av. And if not, the consequences will be severe.” This is the first Assyrian inscription ever found in First Temple Jerusalem (pre-586 BC, when the first Temple was destroyed).
The inscription was deciphered by a collaborative effort between Dr. Filip Vukosavović and Dr. Anat Cohen-Weinberger of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and Dr. Peter Zilberg of Bar-Ilan University. They believe the fragment of the inscription was part of a seal impression (bullae) intended to seal a letter or an official dispatch on behalf of the Assyrian royal court. “Bullae or sealings of this type bore an impression that was sometimes accompanied by a short inscription in Assyrian cuneiform script noting the dispatch’s contents or its destination. These differ in size and shape from the local Judahite impressions,” the Assyriologists explain.
The Assyriologists add, “This is a small fragment of great significance. The find opens a window into understanding the political and administrative ties between Judah and Assyria. It is the very first evidence of its kind of the official, and perhaps even tense, communication that took place between Jerusalem and the world’s most powerful superpower during the period we are discussing.”
A video about this amazing artifact was put out by The City of David, you can watch it HERE.
Finding the Seal
The wet sifting technique was responsible for the discovery of the tiny fragment. Adding to its historical significance is the fact that it was found in a known context as part of an organized excavation, ensuring authenticity.
Moriah Cohen, described the great excitement during the moments of discovery.
I was sifting through the dirt and suddenly noticed a sherd with a strange decoration. Examining it closely, it looked to me to be cuneiform, but that seemed totally unreasonable. Even though so many fascinating finds have been discovered here over the years, we’ve never, ever found anything like this. I examined it yet again. After decidedly determining that this was no decoration, but really was cuneiform, I screamed out of excitement. Everyone raced to gather around me and I phoned Ayala, the excavation director, who was thrilled. For me personally, the thought that after 2,700 years, I am the first person to actually touch this pottery with my hands is a very exciting thought. This is a once-in-a-lifetime find.
The pottery sherd was dated to the 8th or 7th centuries BC. Finding evidence of what may be a deliberate tax revolt during his span, may produce a startling connection to the Biblical narrative.
Strong Confirmation of the Bible
The date given for the seal impression corresponds to the reigns of kings Hezekiah, Manasseh, or early in the reign Josiah of Judah. During this period, Judah was a vassal state of Assyria, meaning they paid Assyria large amounts of tax or tribute to keep their semi-independence. At times, Juidah would test this relationship by withholding payment, so the Assyrian seal demanding payment to avoid severe consequences is a strong support of the Biblical account, no matter which king it was threatening.
If it was during the reign of King Hezekiah, it would produce one of the most remarkable Biblical alignments.
The Assyrian Empire had long been the preeminent power in the region and the chief enemy of God’s people when they destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel in the 6th year of King Hehekiak of Judah. They carried many of Israel’s residents into exile to the land of Assyria, and continued to expand their empire.
Apparently, Judah initially avoided Israel’s fate by paying tribute (bribes) to Assyria. However, the Bible states that Hezekiah ultimately would not serve the Assyrians.
And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done… And the LORD was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. – 2 Kings 18:3, 7
In preparation for the coming onslaught, Hezekiah had the famous water channel constructed that bears his name. Built near the end of the 8th century BC, “Hezekiah’s tunnel” was cut through solid bedrock right under the City of David. It brought water from Gihon spring to the Siloam pool at the southern tip of the city so defenders inside the city walls would have access to water during a siege. When the channel was finished, the entrance to the spring was covered over with rubble to prevent the Assyrians from discovering the water. A Hebrew inscription near the mouth of the tunnel cites Hezekih’s orders and the amazing construction process to complete the tunnel.
Hezekiah’s fears about retribution for withholding the required tribute were realized when the army of Sennacherib, King of Assyria invaded Judah. These events are recorded in 2 Kings 18:13-19:37. The mighty Assyrian army was undefeated. They took every stronghold in neighboring lands and then in Judah, destroying the cities and torturing to death the subjects of all who refused to submit.
King Hezekiah tried to buy them off with a large tribute of silver and gold (see verse at the top of the article) so they would not destroy Jerusalem. When the Assyrians advanced anyway, besieging Jerusalem and mocking Israel’s God, Hezekiah knew their only hope was deliverance by the Lord. He put on sackcloth as a sign of grief, repentance, self-humiliation, and submission to God. He went into the house of the Lord and laid before the Lord the Assyrian message demanding surrender, praying for mercy. The Lord answered Hezekiah’s prayer and delivered Judah by an amazing miracle. By the next morning, 185,000 of Sennacherib’s troops lay dead and the king of Assyria had fled back to Nineveh.
Conclusion
The tiny seal with a tense message from Assyrian authorities threatening Judah’s king fits perfectly in the history recounted in the Bible. The finds of Hezekiah’s tunnel and other evidence from the time weave a consistent story of evidence supporting the Bible’s account. Archaeology is a bold witness to the reality that the Biblical narrative is not just a myth. Keep thinking!
TOP PHOTO: An example of cuneiform writing in the earlier Old Assyrian dialect from the 19th century BC. The clay tablet is a legal debt-note on silver to be paid to a creditor. (credit: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons – zoomed in on the clay tablet.)
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