See Sennacherib’s biblical invasion of Judah in the British Museum

The Bible describes Sennacherib’s invasion of Hezekiah’s Judah in three different books. Sennacherib dedicated a central room in his palace to this same event. Clearly, it made an impression all around.

All three biblical accounts describe Sennacherib’s army coming to Jerusalem after conquering the city of Lachish. Take a look at 2 Kings 18:13-17, 2 Chronicles 32:9, Isaiah 36:2 and 37:8 then view this video showing Assyria’s “graphic novel” of the war. The biblical and Assyrian versions end at different places, but both are dramatic.

Sennacherib’s wall panels describing the attack are in the British Museum in London. Admission is free and the museum’s resources are amazing, so plan a few hours to enjoy the visit. When you go, I recommend taking an occasional break to sit down and refresh your mind & body with drinks and food from the museum’s cafes. You can also have fun browsing its extensive and varied gift shop items. There’s something for everyone.

If you visit the British Museum by February 24, 2019, I highly recommend the special exhibit “I am Ashurbarnipal, King of the World, King of Assyria.” It is a well done, insightful look at the Assyrian Empire at its zenith. You will enjoy a number of items not normally shown at the museum plus technological displays that highlight details you will never forget.

HT: Barnea Selavan for posting his own video of these panels on Facebook a few months ago, and for recommending the special exhibit. It was worth the visit.

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About LukeChandler

Luke holds an M.A. in Ancient and Classical History and has been an adjunct professor at Florida College in Temple Terrace, Florida. Luke and his wife Melanie have five children. He serves as a minister with the North Terrace Church of Christ and has participated in multiple archaeological excavations in Israel. Luke leads informative, meaningful tours to Europe and the Bible Lands.
This entry was posted in Ancient Battles, Assyria, Bible comments, Biblical Archaeology, Inscriptions and Manuscripts, Interesting places to visit, Lachish, Museums, Publications & Study Materials, Short videos, Travel and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to See Sennacherib’s biblical invasion of Judah in the British Museum

  1. Wayne Stiles says:

    Really enjoyed this virtual tour, Luke! I’ll be heading to the museum in a few months and I look forward to seeing these reliefs again. Thanks.

  2. israebest says:

    It is sad that the British colonialists robbed historical cultural treasures from the Middle East and don’t return them to their rightful, cultural, historical owners.

    • LukeChandler says:

      Except that most of the artifacts you speak of were not robbed. The Ottoman Empire governed most of the Middle East in colonial days and gave the British, et al. legal ownership of many archaeological treasures. Blame the Ottomans before anyone else. And we should note that many of those treasures would be damaged or destroyed by now had they been left in the region.

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