BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Sennacherib’s Administration in Jerusalem

Stamp seals shed new light on Jerusalem’s changing administration

A lmlk stamp impression – ‘(belonging) to the king’ from the Judahite administration in the aftermath of the Sennacherib campaign. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

Excavators with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have uncovered two large administrative buildings in the Mordot Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem. Constructed one on top of the other, the two buildings date to immediately before and after the conquest of Judah by Sennacherib in 701 BCE. According to the directors of the excavation, the buildings and the finds inside of them may shed important new light on the administrative impact of Sennacherib’s campaign in the area immediately surrounding Jerusalem.

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Administering a Kingdom

Until now, evidence of changes to Judah’s administrative structure after the Assyrian conquest came mainly from the Judean foothills (the Shephelah) to the west. This discovery, however, provides new information about administrative changes in the area of Jerusalem following the campaign.

In addition to the two administrative buildings, the team also uncovered nearly 200 stamped storage jar handles that would have been used to store important agricultural produce collected as taxes, a primary interest of both the Judahite and Assyrian administrations. These agricultural commodities would have included grains, but also wine and olive oil. Many of these handles bear the famous lmlk (“for the king”) impression that clearly marks them as belonging to the central administration. Other jars, however, bear what appear to be personal names that could have been wealthy estate owners or local officials.

A lmlk stamp impression bearing the name mmšt – ‘(belonging) to the king, mmšt’. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

“We discovered remains of a significant royal administrative center from the days of King Hezekiah, and perhaps even from the reign of his father, King Ahaz,” said the IAA excavation directors. “The center functioned in the last third of the eighth century BCE but was destroyed down to its foundations and buried under a massive heap of stones. The stone pile formed a platform upon which a subsequent structure was erected.” Furthermore, the archaeologists said, “We interpret these dramatic changes as a statement by the Assyrian imperial government, intended to convey a political-diplomatic message to the surrounding region and make it clear ‘who is really in charge’ by overhauling the administrative structure and its function.”

Although Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah—mentioned in numerous biblical books and contemporary Assyrian sources—did not succeed in conquering Jerusalem itself, the Assyrians did conquer much of Judah’s territory. This led directly to King Hezekiah pledging fealty to the Assyrians and paying them tribute as a vassal kingdom.

Related reading in Bible History Daily:

Sennacherib’s Siege of Lachish

The Assassination of Sennacherib

Sennacherib’s Siege Camp Discovered?

All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library:

Sennacherib’s Siege of Jerusalem: Once or Twice?

In the Path of Sennacherib

“And His Brothers Were Jealous of Him”: Surprising Parallels Between Joseph and King Esarhaddon of Assyria

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