Biblical Archaeology

Assyrian Timeline from 1000 BC - 609 BC

Timeline of events from the time of king David of Israel to the fall of Assyria in 609 BC....

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The Text on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III

Face A [1] Assur, the great Lord, the King of all [2] the great gods; Anu, King of the spirits of heaven [3] and the spirits of earth, the god, Lord of the world; Bel [4] the Supreme, Father of the gods, the Creator; [5] Hea, King of the deep, determiner of destinies, [6] the King of crowns, drinking in brilliance; [7] Rimmon, the crowned...

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British Museum Excerpt on The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III

The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III. Neo-Assyrian, 858-824 BC From Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), northern Iraq The military achievements of an Assyrian king The archaeologist Henry Layard discovered this black limestone obelisk in 1846 during his excavations of the site of Kalhu, the ancient Assyrian capital. It was erected as a public monu...

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Paul Emile Botta and Assyria

In 1841 Paul Emile Botta became famous for his discovery of Sargon's Palace in the ruins of ancient Khorsabad. He was appointed the Consular Agent in the city of Mosul, which was an Ottoman province in Mesopotamia. He was part of a secret project to discover the ruins of ancient Nineveh. Botta began excavating at the mounds of Kuyunjik, and later m...

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British Museum Excerpt Jehu Relief

"The archaeologist Henry Layard discovered this black limestone obelisk in 1846 during his excavations of the site of Kalhu, the ancient Assyrian capital. It was erected as a public monument in 825 BC at a time of civil war. The relief sculptures glorify the achievements of King Shalmaneser III (reigned 858-824 BC) and his chief minister. It lists ...

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Shalmaneser III

Shalmaneser III came to the throne of Assyria in 859 BC and reigned until 824 BC. He was the son of the mighty conqueror Ashurnasirpal II and the first Assyrian king to go to war with Israel. In fact his nearly 35 year reign was filled with almost continual warfare in the north and to the west (Syria-Israel), as recorded on stele’s, statue...

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Antiochus IV Epiphanes Bust

Bust of Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus IV usurped the throne of his brother Seleucus IV who died. Antiochus was determined to hellenize Israel and make them a people who were worthy of bordering Egypt, he needed a loyal hellenized population there. The Jews were quickly becoming more Greek than any other time in history. A group of Jews came to Ant...

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Alexander the Great Coin

This coin reveals scenes of Alexander the Great's life. The top image depicts Alexander being crowned by Nike, the goddess of victory. The bottom image depicts Alexander on his horse Busephalus at the Jhelum River attacking Porus on his war elephant. Porus was trying to stop Alexander from crossing the river until the monsoon, which would delay him...

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Arch of Titus

Which Roman Emperor Erected the Arch of Titus? A triumphal monument with scenes in history depicting Titus as the Roman conqueror of the Jews, who some believe are seen here carrying the Roman spoils of the Jewish Wars under the view of their cruel conquerors. Most scholars believe that it was actually soldiers carrying the ornaments of the Jerusal...

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Alexander the Great Coin

This coin reveals scenes of Alexander the Great's life. The top image depicts Alexander being crowned by Nike, the goddess of victory. The bottom image depicts Alexander on his horse Busephalus at the Jhelum River attacking Porus on his war elephant. Porus was trying to stop Alexander from crossing the river until the monsoon, which would delay him...

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