Lachish falls and its people are deported
About this date: The siege belongs to Sennacherib's 701 BCE campaign. The Nineveh reliefs commemorate it afterward.
Assyrian reliefs depict siege engines, defenders, and people leaving Lachish for exile. They provide a local view of the devastation accompanying the campaign against Judah.
Historical context
The attack on Lachish is a separate episode from the confrontation at Jerusalem. The scenes adorned Sennacherib's palace in Nineveh.
Key points
- Siege ramps and engines appear in the surviving panels.
- The displaced include men and women carrying possessions.
- Victory imagery makes ordinary people's displacement visible while celebrating the conquering king.
People
- Sennacherib
Sources and further reading
- Lachish assault panel 124906
Identifies siege engines, ramps, and people departing for exile. - Discover the Arab World: Lachish
Dates the campaign to 701 BCE.