From:
http://www.bibleplaces.com/newsletter/2002july.htm
Free Photos, July 2002
-a special feature of the BiblePlaces newsletter-
The following photos are of the famous Lachish Reliefs of Sennacherib at the British Museum. The photographs on this page were all taken by Mark Borisuk. We thank him for allowing us to share these excellent images.
-Because of a shortage of server space, the high-resolution images will only be available here through August. Subscribers who miss these may contact Todd Bolen to get these images.-
Slab 1
Advancing columns of Assyrian infantry are shown here marching against Lachish. The background of this and all of the reliefs is that of scale armor or fish scales, probably representing the rocky hills of Judah. Though designated Slab 1, originally there was a short wall of slabs that have not been preserved. The excavator, Layard, remarked that this portion consisted of horsemen and charioteers.
Slab 2, left
Spearmen compose this portion of the attack on the city. These warriors advance one-by-one instead of the pairs of archers and slingers. Each spearmen carries a round shield, probably made of twigs or reeds upon a circular frame. Such a shield was both light and resistant to arrows.
Slab 2, right
The left side of Lachish is depicted here and the artist reflected the elevated position of the fortified city as well as the steep slope ascending to the base of its walls (by showing a break in the scale background). A double fortification is evident, and the walls were strengthened by towers placed at regular intervals.
Slab 3, left
Slab 3 depicts the center part of Lachish. The city gate is pictured in the center of this slab, but isolated and without connecting walls. The gate is represented as a single, simple doorway. The best preserved Judean warriors in these reliefs are those atop the gatehouse. Two earthen ramps covered with wooden logs are shown, with the right one reaching to the base of the gate. One of the most feared weapons of the day, the Assyrian battering ram ascends the ramp.
Slab 3, center
The main assault on the city takes place just to the right of the gate and includes multiple tree-covered ramps (five total including the right portion of this slab). Four women and two men are shown being deported from the city, while three naked Judeans were impaled on stakes. The deportees each carry a bag over their shoulders. The impaled captives are depicted as already dead, as can be seen by the forward tilt of their heads. Two Assyrian spearmen affix the stake of the right man into the ground.
Slab 3, right
The main assault is visible here also. At the bottom of the ramps are pairs of archers. At the top of the ramps are the siege engines with their rams pounding against the city’s defenses. A total of seven battering rams are visible in the entire attack scene, the largest number depicted in any Neo-Assyrian battle relief.
Slab 4, left
This slab shows the right-most portion of the battle against Lachish. Another line showing the slope of the city is visible. In the city walls and towers visible at the top, fighting has apparently ceased. Assyrian arrows stick out of the battlements, but no Assyrians are depicted attacking and the defending Judeans appear to have their arms raised in the air. The wheels of two carts or chariots are in mid-air having been thrown down on the attackers. The six spokes of each wheel can be seen as well as portions of their yokes.
Slab 4, right
The end of two lines of people begin in this scene. Assyrian soldiers bring up the rear of the top column. They are dressed with conical helmets with earflaps, scale armor, a short tunic, and high boots. Their dress resembles that of earlier archers, but they carry only swords. They carry items captured from the city, probably from the palace of the governor of Lachish. Two soldiers pull a chariot, probably that of the Lachish ruler. This is the only known Judean chariot to date from any extrabiblical source.
See the rest of the Lachish reliefs!
From:
http://www.bibleplaces.com/newsletter/2002julyb.htm
Free Photos, July 2002
-a special feature of the BiblePlaces newsletter-
The following photos are of the famous Lachish Reliefs of Sennacherib at the British Museum. The photographs on this page were all taken by Mark Borisuk. We thank him for allowing us to share these excellent images. All of these pictures are linked to the high-resolution version and can be used freely for personal and educational use.
Slab 5, left
The procession continues on this scene with more Assyrian soldiers carrying booty. Here the first three Assyrian soldiers follow the deportees. The first Assyrian soldier carries a scepter deliberately upside down. The next two hold large ceremonial chalices, similar to much smaller vessels found in the excavations. More deportees are shown in the bottom register. Two women lead two girls who are followed by a man directing two oxen hitched to a cart. The cart is filled with the family’s possessions and two small children sit on top. The oxen’s ribs are visible, probably reflecting the desperate situation of the Lachishites.
Slab 5, right; Slab 6 left
At the top right another man with an ox-pulled cart is shown. Riding on the cart are two women, one holding an infant. The lower column includes two Judeans stretched out on the ground. Their ankles are grasped by Assyrian soldiers who apparently just flayed these men alive.
Slab 6, right, Slab 7
Trees are depicted at the top, including what may be schematized olive trees and a grapevine. The upper column shows Assyrian soldiers leading three Judeans without headdresses. These men have curly hair and curly beards who may have incited the city’s inhabitants to resist Assyria until the end. Some of these men are shown being tortured, and one man on the bottom tier is being stabbed in the shoulder while the Assyrian soldier grabs his hair.
Slabs 7, 8, 9
This scene focuses on King Sennacherib. These three slabs made up the northern side of the room and measure about 15 feet altogether. Slabs 1-6 filled the western wall and Slabs 10-12 the northeastern portion. No slabs have been preserved of the southern or southeastern walls.
Slab 8
The procession leads to King Sennacherib who is seated on his royal throne in front of his tent and facing the city. The procession is likely led by the Tartan, the commander-in-chief of the army. Above the officials’ heads is an inscription identifying Lachish as the object of this campaign: “Sennacherib, king of all, king of Assyria, sitting on his nimedu-throne while the spoil from the city of Lachish passed before him.” Behind the king two eunuchs hold fans made of feathers.
Slab 8, right
Sennacherib’s face was destroyed in antiquity and his wrists, which were probably adorned with bracelets, were carved out (now restored with gypsum). The bracelets signified his kingship and the rosette decorations on them were official Assyrian emblems. The defacing of the king’s image was thus intended to symbolically reject his right of rule and may have occurred at the time of his assassination by his sons in 681 B.C. (cf. 2 Kings 19:37).
Slab 8, right
Sennacherib’s throne was mentioned in the inscription and obviously transported to Lachish from Assyria. The throne was decorated with ivory (cf. Solomon’s “throne of ivory”; 1 Ki 10:18), a fashion imported originally from Syria and Phoenicia. Twelve identical men support the throne and each have long hair and long beards. The throne also has a footstool which enables the king in his elevated position to rest his feet comfortably.
Go to the beginning of the Lachish reliefs!
Related Web Sites
Sennacherib’s Reliefs – the official page of the British Museum, which houses the reliefs. Includes a picture of Slabs 10-12 (not depicted on this website).
The Assyrian Reliefs from “The Palace With No Equal” – On the website of the University of Lethbridge with a general description of the reliefs and links to some drawings of the slabs.
Art History, University of Wisconsin – some images of the reliefs, apparently only available to users on the school’s network.
Siege of Lachish – brief description of the battle from Norwich University.
Nineveh – with mention of the possibility of these reliefs depicting something other than Sennacherib’s 701 campaign. By the University of Texas.
A Brief Reexamination of the Degree of Specificity in Sennacherib’s Battle Reliefs of Lachish – by Paul Ash. This detailed and well-illustrated article was submitted to the Israel Exploration Journal for publication (but not accepted). The paper’s conclusion: “the details in topography and clothing have not in any way been drawn to depict specifically ancient Lachishites or Judahites.”
Assyrian Campaigns in Israel and Judah – an illustrated survey
Related Books
Ussishkin, David. The Conquest of Lachish by Sennacherib. Tel Aviv, Israel: Tel Aviv University Publications, 1982. Excellent work describing the reliefs as well as the archaeological excavations which correspond to the ancient Assyrian depictions. This book was the source for the descriptions on this page.
Russell, John Malcolm. Sennacherib’s “Palace without Rival” at Nineveh. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.