How Assyria Turned Hunger Into a Weapon — The Siege of Lachish

How did Assyria turn hunger into a weapon at Lachish? In 701 BC, Sennacherib’s army besieged the fortified city, and its ruins preserve the physical marks of the assault while palace reliefs frame the fall as a royal triumph. At the defenses, an earthen ramp gave Assyrian soldiers and battering rams a way up to the walls. Its base is estimated at about 70 metres wide and the ramp about 16 metres high. Inside the city, dwindling food would have sharpened the choices facing its defenders, though the remains cannot tell us exactly how they rationed supplies. The reliefs show captives leaving Lachish as Sennacherib sits enthroned above them. The Taylor Prism records the king’s claim that he captured 46 fortified towns in Judah and received tribute from Hezekiah, while Jerusalem remained uncaptured. Together, the city’s remains and the royal records show two measures of the campaign: the pressure of a siege and the image of conquest presented to the court. Sources: • Israel Nature and Parks Authority, “Tel Lachish National Park” (n.d.): https://en.parks.org.il/reserve-park/tel-l... • British Museum, “Sennacherib watches the capture of Lachish” (n.d.): https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/i... • British Museum, “The Taylor Prism” (n.d.): https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/i...