The Neo-Assyrian Empire was the terror of the biblical world, and it left an unusually rich paper trail. Its kings — Shalmaneser, Sargon, Sennacherib — appear in the Bible and on their own monuments alike. Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC and carried its people away; a generation later Sennacherib devastated Judah but, famously, failed to take Jerusalem. Here the biblical and Assyrian records can be laid side by side, agreeing on the events even as each spins them its own way.
- Assyria ended the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC.
- Sennacherib's 701 BC campaign devastated Judah but did not take Jerusalem.
- Cross-attested by the Black Obelisk, Taylor Prism and Lachish reliefs (in the Archaeology section).
What the evidence showsThe Assyrian empire, its kings, and its campaigns against Israel and Judah are among the best cross-attested history in the Bible — confirmed by the Black Obelisk, the Taylor Prism, the Lachish reliefs and more.
Where it stopsAgreement on events (a siege, a tribute, a deportation) is not agreement on their meaning; the Assyrian and biblical texts each interpret the same facts for their own ends.
Sources & further reading