11/18/2024
Archeology of the Bible
Written Assignment #4
The Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian kingdoms had similar methods by which they
conquered Palestine land; however, the methods by which they controlled and maintained
their empires showed similarities and differences. The Assyrians divided their conquered
land into four divisions: provinces under direct Assyrian control, autonomous vassal
kingdoms, Phoenician and Philistine harbor towns, and nomadic tribes. Furthermore, each
governor was headed by a governor who also had control of a small army unit. There is
evidence of large-scale deportations to populate cities in Assyria, strengthening their
armies, and further weakening their surrounding enemies. Large-scale deportation is also
supported by 2 Kings as interactions with Shalmaneser were described. Then, the
Assyrians would replace these mass deportees with Assyrians to populate these new
towns. To populate these towns that underwent mass destruction, an influx of construction
occurred, evident through the distinct Assyrian building formula marked by elevated
podiums, shallow niches in walls, horn-shaped thresholds, and vaulted openings and
roofs. Also, these architectural styles were mixed with local styles as local builders
incorporated the Assyrian style. The Persians adopted a similar policy to the Assyrians,
however, with further complexities to represent the success and vastness of this empire.
After utilizing similar raiding methods and technologies such as archery, battering rams,
siege ramps, siege engines, and specialized units, the Persians pushed for reconstruction.
For example, Cyrus gave the Jewish exiles the proclamation to return to Jerusalem and
rebuild the Temple, representing the overall pursuit of Persians to restore the exiles to their
homelands and support the Persian empire. Then, the empire was organized into twenty
satrapies, much like the division of provinces and autonomous vassals under the
Assyrians, with a sophisticated road and postal system. Adding to this element of
administrative complexity, during Darius’ reign, governors conducted reforms of laws in
satrapies and initiated a new system of tax collection. Meanwhile, the Babylonians heavily
contrasted the forms of government established by the Assyrians and Persians as their goal
was to only benefit the welfare of Babylon without any consideration to their surroundings.
Archaeological evidence shows mass destruction layers from the Babylonian empire,
which resulted in a major gap in the archaeological record. There is major evidence of the
Babylonian focus on Judah with the siege of Jerusalem with the discovered remains of a
destroyed gate and a small section of the city wall. Furthermore, there was a layer of ash
with Judean and triangular Babylonian arrowheads (possibly shot with torches tied to
them). Then, there are biblical references in 2 Kings 25:8; 2 Chronicles 36:18-19 and
Nehemiah’s account of the ruins of the city of David 140 years after Jerusalem’s conquest.
(Nehemiah 2:13-14). In Philistia, the Babylonians quickly conquered Ashkelon, took the
king captive, destroyed the city, and deported locals; however, there was no recovery for
towns until the Persian period. Although the Babylonians deported the locals of conquered
towns, like the Assyrians and Persians, there would be no replacement for this population.
Also, there were no biblical sources of Babylonian domination except for after the fall of
Jerusalem when Gedaliah son of Ahikam tried to establish an autonomous government at
Mizpah. Despite mass destruction and deportation occurring, the Babylonians kept groups
of the exiled together. Through the examination of administrative documents, it was evident
that regular deportees lived in settlements named after hometowns- Philistines in
“Ashkelon” and Phoenicians in “Arvad” and Judeans in “Judah.” Meanwhile, deportees of
royal families received fixed rations from the Babylonian royal treasury and were held all
members of royal families either as hostages or as candidates to replace active kings.
While there is little archaeological record of the cultural and economic impact of
the Babylonians on the basis that their only goal was pure destruction, there is evidence of
economic and cultural progress with the Assyrians and Persians. Under the Assyrian rule,
Phoenician cities became autonomous trading centers with the Egypt and North African
coasts, new harbor towns were built for international trade, and the desert nomads kept
their attention on incense and spice trade. Under the Persians, there has been
archaeological evidence of coins to which governors or priests would be inscribed on the
surface. Therefore, there was an economy to which these coins were essential. Culturally,
both empires had a significant cultural impact. Under the Assyrians, areas had their own
alphabet script, but Aramaic and cuneiform or Neo-Assyrian became the common
language. However, this represented a greater the transition from Israelite-Phoenician
tradition to the Mesopotamian-Assyrian tradition as there was a long-lasting influence on
local artisans and new architecture, burial customs, temples, and glyptic art on stone, clay,
and metal objects. Within the Persian empire, their cultural impact is shown from the
Biblical account of Ezra and Nehemiah as they are approved by Artaxerxes to repair the
Temple and establish the laws of the Torah in the Jewish community in Judah. Shown by
their initial governing structures, these two empires desired to develop the cultural and
economic state of the Palestine region and its local population.
References
Langgut, Dafna, Gadot, Yuval, Poratb, Naomi, Lipschits, and Oded. “Fossil Pollen Reveals
the Secrets of the Royal Persian Garden at Ramat Rahel, Jerusalem.” BioOne Complete,
2013. https://doi.org/10.1080/01916122.2012.736418.
Lecture Content
Stern, Ephraim. Archaeology of the Land of the Bible. Vol. II. N.Y: Doubleday, 2001.