Archaeologists Stunned to Find Evidence of a Town Supporting a Biblical Tale of Angels Killing 185,000 Soldiers
Biblical tales have been a prominent aspect of many people's upbringings. Several experts for years have been trying to verify the validity of these stories. In 2024, evidence of one biblical story was revealed leaving archaeologists stunned, stated Archaeology Magazine. Findings regarding this discovery have been published in Near Eastern Archaeology.
The evidence was spotted in Israel by researchers. The Biblical story in focus centers around the divine intervention that protected Jerusalem against Assyrian invasion some 2,700 years ago. The tale has been narrated in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament. In the book 2 Kings 19:35, Isaiah 37:36-38, and 2 Chronicles 32:21, it is mentioned that an "angel of the Lord" miraculously defeated 185,000 Assyrian soldiers who laid siege in Jerusalem, all in the span of one night, according to Fox News. "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."— 2 Kings 19:35. This intervention was a result of prayers done by King Hezekiah to Yahweh, the Israelite deity.
The team associated with the study has found what they believe to be ancient military camps, that were used in King Sennacherib’s siege, stated Archaeology Magazine. If their assertion is true, then at least portions of the tale have been verified. For the study, the experts utilized modern mapping techniques.
The areas they found aligned with what has been described regarding Sennacherib’s campaign. The team compared the carvings found at Sennacherib’s palace in Nineveh, which is present in Iraq, and compared them with aerial photographs taken of Lachish in Israel during the 20th century. "One of the important cities that he conquered, which is mentioned in the Bible as well as in Assyrian documents, is Lachish," said Stephen Compton, an independent scholar specializing in Near Eastern archaeology, stated Fox News. "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." The carvings detailed the siege of Lachish which took place in the Bible.
During the examination, researchers spotted an oval-shaped structure in Lachish. The structure was important because its features aligned with the design of Assyrian military camps. Moreover, the site's name Khirbet al Mudawwara translates to "The ruins of the camp of the invading ruler," which further sheds light on its historical value. Similar structures were found in Jebel el Mudawwara or Ammunition Hill. Initially, experts thought the structure was a Roman military camp which is rectangular, but analysis showcased it was more like an Assyrian military camp and had an oval appearance. Though the archaeological evidence does not verify the presence of an angel, it does give evidence for the assertion that Assyrian military forces were possibly stationed near Jerusalem during Sennacherib’s reign.