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Archaeologists have found evidence of an Assyrian military campaign against Judaea that resulted in the siege of Jerusalem.The campaign was launched in 701 B.C., when Sennacherib was king of Assyria and Hezekiah was king of Judaea. Sennacherib launched the campaign because he considered Hezekiah a vassal king who should obey the Assyrians, but Hezekiah refused and rebelled against him.The Assyrians conquered much of Judaea and laid siege to Jerusalem but, for reasons that are unclear, failed to take the city. The Hebrew Bible claims that the "the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and...

The stone ring indicates a multi-national culture thriving in ancient Jerusalem "The figure of a winged man in a distinct Neo-Assyrian style is unique and very rare in the glyphic styles of the late First Temple period," he added. "The influence of the Assyrian Empire, which had conquered the entire region, is clearly evident here." The seal depicts a winged genie in the style of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, which the excavating team argued showed the influence of the empire in the region in the 7th and 8th centuries. The press release said the "figure raises one arm forward, with an...

Archaeologists in Israel uncovered a stone seal they believe to be around 2,700 years old from the First Temple period, a find that strengthens the biblical heritage of Jerusalem. The seal, discovered at the City of David National Park in Jerusalem, contains a winged figure with one arm raised forward with an open palm, the Israeli Antiquities Authority announced. The seal was discovered during excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the City of David Foundation near the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount in the Davidson Archaeological Garden. On either side of the figure is an inscription in...