HOW DO WE KNOW? THE WALL RELIEF

Sennacherib's conquest of Lachish was the climax of his campaign against Judah. He used it as the subject of a magnificent series of carved wall reliefs in the most important room in his palace at Nineveh.

The reliefs are extraordinarily vivid. There on the wall are the massive siege ramps, the battering-rams, the foot soldiers throwing themselves at the city, executed captives hanging from hooks on the walls, defenders pleading for mercy, dismembered corpses, and terrified captives being led off to slavery and exile.

As well, there is an image of Sennacherib himself, sitting on an ivory throne and watching the city as it burns.

The wall reliefs match the archaeological excavations at Lachish. There is the ground plan of the city as it actually was; there are the fortifications drawn by the artist who created the wall reliefs.

The traveller to Lachish can stand on the spot where Sennacherib's throne stood, three hundred meters from the city - though unfortunately it is now the site of a turkey farm... 

The traveller can also stand on the spot where the artist made his sketches of the city, and see the outline of the earthen ramp as this man saw it long ago.

Two drawings (above and below) of one section of the Lachish siege reliefs
from Sennacherib's palace in Nineveh. The city wall and towers are visible, as are important civic buildings. 
These reliefs are now in the British Museum in London.

The reliefs tell a lot about the people who produced them.

The Assyrians cut through their enemies like a hot knife through butter. The questions is, how did they do it?

The answer, as far as we can judge, is that they seem to have been interested in few things other than war and glory. War was their vocation, their joy, their constant preoccupation. This comes across in the decoration of their palaces: the paintings and wall reliefs depict little else.

We can also see the development of weapons and military techniques, and the different branches of their army - cavalry and infantry.

Slingers were an important part of the light infantry of Sennacherib's army

Most of the kings of Assyria were excellent field commanders, backed up by capable generals. They understood logistics, and showed an application to detail that meant that the machinery of war ran smoothly.

All adult males had to do a period of military service, so the whole population was conversant with war (though admittedly a rich man could buy his was out of military service by substituting a slave or paying a fee).

Their armies were soundly organized and well disciplined. They also had an efficient intelligence system. Psychologically they were in good shape, because they knew that their king would direct all the resources of the state to military ends.