![\"Cyrus](\"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Cyrus-Cylinder-Display-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Sargon](\"http:\/\/dotb.tc0bblfg2d81v7kurec.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Sargon-II-Palace-Gate-300x186.jpg\")
<\/a>Date of Artifact:<\/strong> 7th century BCE![\"Kurkh](\"http:\/\/dotb.tc0bblfg2d81v7kurec.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Kurkh-Stela-of-Ashurnasirpal-II-181x300.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Kurkh](\"http:\/\/dotb.tc0bblfg2d81v7kurec.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Kurkh-Stele-of-Shalmaneser-III-150x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Date of Artifact:<\/strong> 8th century BCE\n
7. THE MESHA STELE (MOABITE STONE)<\/h2>\n
\n
The Mesha Stele is often called the Moabite stone because it was clearly a Moabite creation and it recounts the history of Moab\u2019s subjugation to Israel. It is prized as being one of the oldest artifacts to mention the \u201chouse of David\u201d, referring to King David, who united all of Israel under his military leadership. The stone also mentions YHWH, King Omri, and the Moabite revolt against Israel. Since it\u2019s a record of history it covers a number of biblical events and names.<\/p>\n One interesting thing about the stone is that it creates a mythological story about why Moab was defeated in battle by Israel. The story is designed very similar to the battle stories of Israel in the OT. According to the author of the Moabite stone, the Moabites did wrong in the sight of their god (Chemosh) and he sent them into a time of punishment.<\/p>\n Omri was the king of Israel,<\/strong> The stone goes on to tell of the Moabite revolt against Israel which is recorded in the Bible as well.<\/p>\n Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep, and he had to pay the king of Israel a tribute of a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams.<\/span> 5 <\/span>But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.<\/span> 6 <\/span>So at that time King Joram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel.<\/span> 7 <\/span>He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: \u201cThe king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?\u201d <\/span>(2 Kings 3:4-7 NIV)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n For a full decoding of the stone in the original language, modern Hebrew, and English, download this short PDF providing a detailed breakdown of the stela. [The Moabite Stone A Facsimile of the Original Inscription<\/a>]<\/p>\n Similar to the later Kurkh Monolith, the war annals of Shalmaneser III were recorded all over his palace and various monuments. Like some of his predecessors, Shalmaneser wanted make sure the world knew of his greatness for generations to come. Perhaps the most important of Shalmaneser\u2019s constructions was a black, 4 sided, monument that recorded his military exploits as well as pictures of certain events.<\/p>\n The Black Obelisk is important to the field of Old Testament archaeology because it verifies events in the Bible that are not well covered outside of the Bible. It is also the most complete Assyrian obelisk yet to be discovered.<\/p>\n The Obelisk also contains images of Israel paying tribute to the Assyrian empire as well as other conquered nations. This coincides with the biblical accounts of Shalmaneser in the book of Kings.<\/p>\n Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser\u2019s vassal and had paid him tribute. 4 But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to Soa king of Egypt, and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison. 5 The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes. (2 Kings 17:3-6)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The prism that is know as Sennacherib\u2019s Prism, or Taylor\u2019s Prism, contains the war annals of Assyrian Sennacherib\u2019s. It\u2019s significance to Christianity and Judaism is that it records the siege of Jerusalem and even includes King Hezekiah\u2019s name in the war annals.Date of Artifact:<\/strong> 690 BCE Sennacherib was one of multiple Assyrian leaders that attempted to take Judah in battle. However, siege against the cities of Judah would take decades to complete and would ultimately fall to the next would power, Babylon, rather than to Assyria.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The siege(s) of Jerusalem was one of the most catastrophic events in Jewish history. It should be of no surprise that it was recorded in the war annals of the opposing forces. It also demonstrates that Jerusalem was a city of great size and importance by the 7th century BCE, despite the claims that Jerusalem\u2019s size and importance was over-stated in the Bible. While it may be hard to know exactly how large of a city it was, one thing is for sure, Jerusalem was big enough to warrant it\u2019s place in the list of accomplishments by Sennacherib\u2019s annals, though it appears that it took multiple attempts. The attempt recorded in the Prism is not of the final battle which lead to the defeat of Jerusalem. That is recorded in later annals of Sennacherib.<\/p>\n Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,a was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 \u201cSay to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, \u2018Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.\u2019 (2 Kings 19:9-10)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n While the Jewish account was a bit more favorable to the Jews, Sennacherib\u2019s account was much different. In the Assyrian account, Jerusalem is not really besieged. In fact, Sennacherib seems to show some type of vassal alliance with Hezekiah.<\/p>\n I besieged, I conquered, I carried off their spoil. The officials, nobles, and people of Ekron, who had thrown Padi, their king, bound by lord of oath and curse of Assyria, into fetters of iron and had given him over to Hezekiah, the Jew, \u2013 he kept him in confinement like an enemy. (lines 72-77 of Sennacherib\u2019s Prism)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n For a full translation of nearly all of the known annals of Sennacherib, use this link to download the PDF form. Annals of Sennacherib<\/a><\/p>\n The ancient city of Lachish was just a bit south west of Jerusalem and was characterized as place where pagan worship took place. In fact, when King Hezekiah took the throne in Judah, he tore down the shrine located at the gate of Lachish. In 2016, archaeologists not only discovered the gate at Lachish but also a shrine, most likely similar to the one torn down by Hezekiah.<\/p>\n He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles\u2026\u201d (II Kings 18:4)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The fact that this shrine still exists is most likely because shortly after it was torn down, Judah became under siege by the Assyrians and eventually the Babylonians. The final siege against Lachish, by the Babylonians, was recorded by Jeremiah as well as the historical writers. It is believed to have been destroyed by Sennacherib, in 701 BCE. Reliefs of this destruction and subjugation exist still today.<\/p>\n while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out\u2014Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities left in Judah. (Jeremiah 34:7)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n However, Lachish is a very ancient city. Joshua lead an attack against Lachish, some 600-800 years before Hezekiah.<\/p>\n Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish; he took up positions against it and attacked it. (Joshua 10:31)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The site, which is still being uncovered, has produced clay fragments, seals, personal items, weapons, and even public toilets.<\/p>\n The Nuzi tablets are a collection of 6,500 cuneiform texts and fragments that have been discovered in northeastern Iraq. They deal with the social, economic, religious and legal institutions of the Hurrian people. The importance of these tablets is summed up best by biblicalarchaeology.org.<\/p>\n The tablets tell of practices similar to those in Genesis such as adoption for childless couples (Genesis 15:2) children by proxy (Genesis 16; 21:1), inheritance rights (Genesis 25:29), marriage arrangements (Genesis 28) and levirate marriage (Genesis 38 & Deuteronomy 25:5). They also demonstrate the significance of the deathbed blessing (Genesis 27; 48) and household gods (Genesis 31:14 30). Some Nuzi tablets, called \u201ctablets of sistership agreements in which a man adopted a woman as a sister. In the society of the Hurrians, a wife enjoyed both greater protection and a superior position when she also had the legal status of a sister. In such a case, two separate documents were drawn up, one for marriage and the other for sistership. This may explain why both Abraham (Genesis 12:10 20:1) and Isaac (Genesis 26:7) said their wives were their sisters. It is possible that they had previously adopted them to give them higher status, in accordance with the custom of the day. (Source<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The culture of the OT patriarchs is believed by many to be strange yet history teaches us otherwise. The Nuzi tablets demonstrate that the biblical customs of the OT were normal and common.<\/p>\n Egyptian king, Merneptah, reigned from 1213 to 1203 BCE. The stele associated with King Merneptah records military records and victory booty. It\u2019s often referred to as the \u201cIsrael Stele\u201d because it\u2019s the oldest known mention of the nation of Israel. The time frame of Merneptah would have been just 200 years after the exodus even or immediately after it, depending on the exodus dating method. Thus, it\u2019s mention of Israel is remarkable.<\/p>\n The Canaan has been plundered into every sort of woe:<\/span> Note that the nation listed right after Israel was Hurru of the Hurrians, which were the peoples that gave us the Nuzi tablets. The Hurrians were Israel\u2019s neighbors directly to the North, just east of the Hittites. The fact that Egypt\u2019s conquest ranged from southern cities like Gezer all the way to Hurru is a good indicator that \u201cIsrael\u201d is the correct translation of the text in line 27, though some have disputed it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 10. THE CYRUS CYLINDER Date of Artifact: 6th century BCE Location of Creation: Persia Date of Finding: 1879 Location Found: Iraq Biblical passages related: Isaiah 44:28 | Ezra 1:1-4 | 2 Chronicles | 36:22-23 | Ezra 6:4-5 | Daniel 10:1 | Daniel 6:28 The Cyrus Cylinder dates from the 6th century BCE and was discovered … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5735,1258,7156,5809,1259,1353,1707],"tags":[1263,7237],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13305"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13305\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Mesha](\"http:\/\/dotb.tc0bblfg2d81v7kurec.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Mesha-Stela-194x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Date of Artifact:<\/strong> 8th century BCE
\nLocation of Creation:<\/strong> Moab
\nDate of Finding:<\/strong> 1868
\nLocation Found:<\/strong> Dhiban, Jordan
\nBiblical passages related: <\/strong>1 Kings 16:23 | 1 Kings 16:29 | 2 Kings 1 | 2 Kings 3 |<\/p>\n\n
\nand he oppressed Moab for many days,
\nfor Kemosh was angry with his land.
\n(Mesha Stele, lines 5-7a)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n6. THE BLACK OBELISK<\/h2>\n
\n![\"Black](\"http:\/\/dotb.tc0bblfg2d81v7kurec.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Black-Obelisk-of-Shalmaneser-III-127x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Date of Artifact:<\/strong> 825 BCE
\nLocation of Creation:<\/strong> Nimrud (Iraq)
\nDate of Finding:<\/strong> 1846
\nLocation Found:<\/strong> Dhiban, Jordan
\nBiblical passages related: <\/strong>1 Kings 20:31-34 | 1 Kings 22 | 2 Kings 1:1; 3:4, 5<\/p>\n
\n5. SENNACHERIB\u2019S PRISM<\/h2>\n
\n![\"Sennacherib](\"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Sennacherib-prism-167x300.jpg\")
<\/a>
\nLocation of Creation:<\/strong> Nineveh
\nDate of Finding:<\/strong> 1830
\nLocation Found:<\/strong> Nineveh
\nBiblical passages related: <\/strong>2 Kings 19:9-10 | Isaiah 37:1-38 | 2 Kings 18:1-19:37 | 2 Chronicles 32:33<\/p>\n![\"Hezekiah](\"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Hezekiah-of-Judah-in-cuneiform-on-Sennacheribs-Prism.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Jerusalem](\"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Jerusalem-in-cuneiform-on-Sennacheribs-Prism.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n3. LACHISH GATE SHRINE<\/h2>\n
\n![\"Lachish](\"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Lachish-toilet-from-Israel-Antiquities-Authority-300x239.jpg\")
<\/a>Date of Artifact:<\/strong> 1200?-690 BCE
\nLocation of Creation:<\/strong> Ancient city of Lachish
\nDate of Finding:<\/strong> 2016
\nLocation Found:<\/strong> Ancient city of Lachish
\nBiblical passages related: <\/strong>2 Kings 14:19 | <\/strong>2 Kings 18:4 | Joshua 10 | Joshua 12:11 | Joshua 15:39 | Isaiah 36:2 | Jeremiah 34:7 | Micah 1:13<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n2. THE NUZI TABLETS<\/h2>\n
\n![\"Selection](\"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Selection-of-tablets-discovered-in-Nuzi-300x220.jpg\")
<\/a>Date of Artifact:<\/strong> 1450-1350 BCE
\nLocation of Creation:<\/strong> northern Iraq
\nDate of Finding:<\/strong> 1925-1933
\nLocation Found:<\/strong> northern Iraq
\nBiblical passages related:<\/strong> Genesis 15:2 |<\/strong> Genesis 38 | Deuteronomy 25:5<\/p>\n
\n1. THE MERNEPTAH STELE<\/h2>\n
\n![\"Merneptah](\"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Merneptah-Israel-Stele-Cairo-192x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Date of Artifact:<\/strong> 1213 to 1203 BCE
\n<\/span>Location of Creation:<\/strong> Egypt
\nDate of Finding:<\/strong> 1896
\nLocation Found:<\/strong> Thebes
\nBiblical passages related:<\/strong> Genesis | Exodus<\/p>\n
\nAshkelon has been overcome;<\/span>
\nGezer has been captured;<\/span>
\nYano\u2019am is made non-existent.<\/span>
\nIsrael is laid waste and his seed is not;
\nHurru is become a widow because of Egypt. (Merneptah Stele, lines 27-28)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"Merneptah](\"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Merneptah-Stele-line-27-Israel-laid-to-waste.png\")
<\/a> ![\"Israel](\"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Israel-segment-on-the-Menerptah-Stele.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Ancient](\"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Ancient-Near-East-Circa-2300-BCE.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n