Archaeological Evidence Supports Biblical Account of Assyrian Army's Defeat

Written By C.D. Langston // EEW Magazine Online

The earliest aerial photograph of Jerusalem (lower left) with an oval fortification visible on a hill in the upper right. (Credit: Library of Congress)

Archaeologists have uncovered compelling evidence that may corroborate a biblical account of an angelic intervention against an Assyrian army 2,700 years ago, lending potential historical support to Scripture.

According to 2 Kings 19:35, "That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!"

Recent findings by archaeologist Stephen Compton suggest the existence of an ancient military base linked to this event. Utilizing modern mapping techniques, Compton identified a site matching descriptions from carvings in King Sennacherib's palace. These carvings depict the layout of the military base used during the Assyrian invasion of Jerusalem, around 701 BC.

Bottom: Scene from Sennacherib’s palace wall drawn by Austen Henry Layard in 1849. Top: Aerial photo of the same landscape taken in 1945, before modern alterations. Correlation suggests the likely location of Sennacherib’s camp. Created from two public domain images: Layard’s 1849 drawings of the Lachish relief and a 1945 British Mandate aerial photograph.

Compton's research indicates that this site, located near Jerusalem, was abandoned after Sennacherib's failed invasion and has remained uninhabited for over 2,600 years. His work compares the layout of the discovered camp to both historical records and photographs from the early 20th century, revealing ruins consistent with Assyrian military architecture.

The Assyrian Empire, active from 1365 to 609 BC, was known for its extensive military campaigns. Sennacherib's invasion aimed to dominate trade routes to the Mediterranean. Previous research had identified scenes in Sennacherib's palace celebrating the conquest of Lachish, a city near Jerusalem. These scenes helped pinpoint the location of the military camp through comparisons to early photographs.

Compton's discoveries have paved the way for identifying other Assyrian military sites in the region. His findings have enabled researchers to locate ancient cities besieged by the Assyrians, providing a clearer understanding of the empire's military strategies.

Stephen Compton’s paper on tracking down Sennacherib's military camps (including the famous one at Jerusalem) has been peer-reviewed and published in the journal Near Eastern Archaeology.

In a 2021 post on X (formerly Twitter), Compton detailed his discovery of Sennacherib's military camps. He described the sites as round and located just over a mile north of ancient city walls, all bearing the Arabic name "Mudawwara," meaning "the ruins of the camp of the invading ruler."

Prior to Compton's work, only one other ancient military campsite had been discovered in the area, dating to the Roman siege of Jerusalem. Comparing the layouts, Compton noted that Roman camps were rectangular, while the Assyrian camps were oval, a characteristic shape for Assyrian military encampments.

Stone panels from Sennacherib’s palace depict the military camp during the conquest of Lachish. The camp’s perimeter wall features twenty-four guard towers, each with three visible windows, indicating substantial fortification. (Credit: S. C. Compton)

Compton's methodology has led to the discovery of other Assyrian camps, potentially identifying the locations of ancient cities besieged by the Assyrians. These findings align with biblical accounts in Isaiah 37:36-38, 2 Kings 19:35, and 2 Chronicles 32:21, which describe the divine intervention that decimated the Assyrian army.

The biblical narrative attributes the mass death of the Assyrian soldiers to an angel of the Lord, known in Hebrew as "malak Yahweh," sent to protect Jerusalem after King Hezekiah's prayer for deliverance.

The site remained undisturbed until the 1930s, when the British military used it as an ammunition depot. It later became a battlefield during the Six-Day War in 1967. Today, it serves as a memorial and museum, commemorating the historic battle and the lives lost.