ANCIENT JEWISH PALACE AT LACHISH 

Ground plan of the royal palace of Assurnasirpal II at Nimrud

'Palace' is perhaps the wrong word to use for the building excavated at Lachish. 'Palace complex' might be better, since the palace of a king or governor was a multi-purpose building. It housed

• a residence for the king or governor, and his extended family
• reception rooms for affairs of state, meetings, etc
• storage areas for goods received as tax
• living quarters for the king/governor's staff, both official and personal
• kitchens, laundries, etc.

There is no clearly delineated ground plan of the palace at Lachish, but there are plans of other palace to draw on. The ground plan of Assurnasirpal II's palace clearly shows the separation of the public area (left) from the private area (right).

The palace was usually fortified, so that it became a citadel in which the defenders could make a last stand when they were under attack.

This meant that there was a separate area for the regular garrisons quartered in the towns, as well as arsenals of weapons for the population in times of trouble.

The citadel/palace's elevated position and towers served as command posts for the direction of the overall defence.

Palaces were often several storeys high. Space within the walls of a city was at such a premium that every inch of land had to be used.

 Aerial photograph of the palace of Knossos,
showing administrative areas at left
and royal living quarters and audience chambers at right