World
Newly found Assyrian camp supports epic biblical account, expert says
A recent discovery in Israel may corroborate an epic biblical account of an angel of the Lord wiping out 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, an independent scholar claims.
Stephen Compton, an independent scholar specializing in Near Eastern archaeology, utilized a modern mapping technique to find the discovery of, what he believes, are ancient Assyrian military camps, from circa 700 B.C.
The discovery, which is also detailed in Assyrian texts, Greek histories and the Hebrew Bible, could verify the biblical account of 2 Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37: 36-38 and 2 Chronicles, 32:21.
WORLD’S OLDEST WINE DISCOVERED IN ANCIENT ROMAN BURIAL SITE
And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
Stone panels from the walls of the Assyrian Emperor Sennacherib’s palace show his military camp. The 24 guard towers along the camp’s perimeter wall, each with three windows visible, indicate a substantial fortification. (Steve Compton)
The scholar detailed his finds in the journal Near Eastern Archaeology and shared with Fox News Digital the historical significance.
“One of the important cities that he conquered, which is mentioned in the Bible as well as in Assyrian documents, is Lachish,” he said. “And on the wall of Sennacherib’s palace he had a relief depicting, in stone carving, the conquest of the city of Lachish, and then after one side his military camp. And his military camp was a large oval. This image from the wall of his palace is now on the wall of the British Museum. But it’s never been found.”
Matching the landscape to the relief in Assyrian King Sennacherib’s palace and using early aerial photographs of Lachish prior to modern development, Compton created a virtual map to pinpoint the site of the military camp.
Bottom: The entire scene from Sennacherib’s palace wall as drawn by its excavator, Austen Henry Layard, in 1849. Top: The same landscape as photographed from a plane in 1945, prior to modern alterations to the landscape. Correlating the two indicated a likely location for the ruins of Sennacherib’s camp. (Steve Compton)
The earliest aerial photograph of Jerusalem, lower left, with an oval fortification visible on a hill in the upper right. From the collection of the Library of Congress. (Steve Compton)
The oval shape of Assyrian King Sennacherib’s military camp helped narrow down Compton’s research.
“We knew it was an oval. What I did was I took the image of the relief and match it up with recognizable features in the landscape with the actual landscape and overlayed the two,” he said. “I used earlier photographs of the landscape from World War II, right before major changes were made.”
LOKICERATOPS, A ‘REMARKABLE’ NEW DINOSAUR SPECIES, HAS BEEN FOUND IN MONTANA, RESEARCHERS SAY
“And it was a match,” he said.
Compton said the military camp’s location, position, dates and name fit into the historical context of Sennacherib’s invasion camp.
The site of Sennacherib’s Jerusalem camp, now known as Ammunition Hill. (Steve Compton)
Ruined walls are visible today at the site of Sennacherib’s Lachish camp. (Steve Compton)
Compton shared that he hopes an archaeological excavation team will investigate the site to provide additional information.
“I think it’s exciting to have found the spot, and I hope that we’ll soon see archaeological excavations there that can give us more information about the site,” he said.
PodcastPodcast, The Take
Argentina’s lower house votes on Javier Milei’s package of economic reforms. How will this affect ordinary Argentinians?
Argentina’s lower legislative house is set to approve President Javier Milei’s package of economic reforms. Despite signs of economic improvement on the macro level, the consequences of Milei’s spending cuts for the average person have been profound. How have everyday Argentinians been faring under Javier Milei?
In this episode:
- Teresa Bo (@TeresaBo), Al Jazeera correspondent
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Tamara Khandaker, Chloe K. Li, and Sonia Bhagat with Amy Walters, Duha Mosaad, Manahil Naveed, Veronique Eshaya, and our host Malika Bilal.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.
Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
Sixty-eight people, including sick and injured patients and their escorts, crossed the border to get treatment, the Israeli military said. The evacuation was carried out in coordination with the U.S., Egypt and the international community.
The Taiwanese government warned its citizens not to travel to mainland China on Thursday after Beijing threatened to execute residents who support the island’s independence.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council spokesman Liang Wen-chieh issued the warning during a routine press conference. The Chinese government announced a new policy targeting “separatists” last week, and said it would pursue the death penalty for “diehard” supporters of Taiwanese independence.
“I want to stress: Democracy is not a crime; it’s autocracy that is the real evil. China has absolutely no right to sanction Taiwan’s people just because of the positions they hold. What’s more, China has no right to go after Taiwan people’s rights across borders,” Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said Wednesday.
“I also want to call on China to face up to the existence of the Republic of China and have exchanges and dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected, legitimate government,” he said, using Taiwan’s formal name. “If this is not done, relations between Taiwan and China will only become more and more estranged.”
FBI DIRECTOR WARNS OF JIHADIST ATTACK IN US, SIMILAR TO RUSSIAN CONCERT HALL: ‘HEIGHTENED TERRORIST THREAT’
The Taiwanese government warned its citizens not to travel to mainland China on Thursday after Beijing threatened to execute residents who support the island’s independence. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
China has long considered Taiwan to be its territory, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has threatened to take the island by force in recent years.
IRAN CAPABLE OF BUILDING NUCLEAR BOMB IN ONE WEEK, REPORT FINDS AS MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS FLARE
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office clarified on Wednesday that the threat of execution applies only to a small number of Taiwanese independence “diehards’ evil words and actions.”
China has long considered Taiwan to be its territory, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has threatened to take the island by force in recent years. (Szilard Koszticsak/MTI via AP)
The move is the latest escalation of tensions between Taipei and Beijing. Recent months have also seen China conduct extensive military drills surrounding the island. China has used the drills as intimidation, typically following events connecting the U.S. and Taiwan.
EUROPEANS AWAIT CHINA’S RESPONSE TO NEW EU TARIFFS ON CHINESE CARS
China first conducted live-fire drills in 2022 after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. D-Calif., traveled to Taiwan. It was the first time a U.S. speaker visited the island in over 25 years.
Recent months have also seen China conduct extensive military drills surrounding the island, typically following events connecting the U.S. and Taiwan. (Lin Jian/Xinhua via AP)
Beijing’s execution threat comes just days after the U.S. approved the sale of $360 million in drones, missiles and other equipment to Taiwan.
Reuters contributed to this report.
New Parkinson's drug could slow or reverse progression of disease, researchers say: 'Big step forward'
USMNT, down a player after Timothy Weah red card, falls to Panama in shocking Copa América match
California lawmakers advance tax on Big Tech to help fund news industry
Princess Diana's iconic gowns, letters sell for $1.5 million-plus at Beverly Hills auction
Trump Debates Stormy Daniels With Biden, 'I Didn't Have Sex With a Porn Star'
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
At least 2 dead as tornadoes hit Alabama, damage homes across Southeast
The Take: How is Argentina faring under Javier Milei?
'Babbling' and 'hoarse': Biden's debate performance sends Democrats into a panic
The many faces of Donald Trump from past presidential debates
Serbian police shut down cultural exchange festival with Kosovo
At the border, migrants ‘wait and see’ as encounters with Border Patrol dip 40%
-
News1 week agoNYC pastor is sentenced to 9 years for fraud, including taking a single mom's $90,000
-
Crypto1 week agoIdris Elba Promotes Cryptocurrency in West Africa – BORGEN
-
News1 week agoRead the Ruling by the Virginia Court of Appeals
-
Politics1 week agoTrump targets House Freedom Caucus chair in intra-party Republican primary feud
-
News7 days agoTracking a Single Day at the National Domestic Violence Hotline
-
Politics7 days agoTrump classified docs judge to weigh alleged 'unlawful' appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith
-
News7 days agoSupreme Court upholds law barring domestic abusers from owning guns in major Second Amendment ruling | CNN Politics
-
World1 week agoConcentration camp museum director joins campaign to ban AfD