If you have been a regular church-goer at any point in your life, you may have heard the story of the siege of Jerusalem in the book of Kings. Whether or not many bible stories are true is hotly debated among scholars, however, an archaeological discovery made in 2019 shows that this bible story really did happen. (1)
Story From The Bible Really Did Happen
In the second book of Kings 25:9, the writer describes a scene in which Babylonian soldiers attack Jerusalem (the city of Judah) and burn it to the ground. Any Jewish people who were not killed were captured and taken to Babylon, and the king of Judah was blinded and imprisoned until his death. (2) The passage is as follows:
“So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of King Zedekiah [the Babylonian king]. On the ninth day of the [fourth] month, the famine was sore in the city so that there was no bread for the people of the land. Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war [fled] by night by the way of the gate between the two walls… And he [Nebuzaradan, the Babylonian captain of the guard] burnt the house of the Lord, and the King’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great man’s house, burnt he with fire.” (1)
In 2019, archeologists from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte were excavating Mount Zion in Jerusalem. They found clear evidence of the siege, which occurred between 587 and 586 BCE, from the Bible really did happen. (1)
What The Researchers Found
In a deposit of layers of ash, the researchers found several items of interest. These items include (1):
- Arrows dating from that period
- Pieces of pots
- Lamps
- A significant piece of gold jewelry from that period
- Remains of a building from that period
- Burnt wood
Though the layers of ash aren’t conclusive evidence of the burning of the city (ash can be from ovens or burning of trash), the artifacts found in the layers are. (1)
“in this case, the combination of an ashy layer full of artifacts, mixed with arrowheads, and a very special ornament indicates some kind of devastation and destruction. Nobody abandons golden jewelry and nobody has arrowheads in their domestic refuse.” says co-director of the Mount Zion Archaeological Project Shimon Gibson. (1)
This Really Did Happen and What The Findings Mean
The archaeologists believe that the site is one of the “great man’s houses” that the verse mentions. (1)
“I like to think that we are excavating inside one of the ‘Great Man’s houses’ mentioned in the second book of Kings 25:9,” Gibson said. “This spot would have been at an ideal location, situated as it is close to the western summit of the city with a good view overlooking Solomon’s Temple and Mount Moriah to the north-east. We have high expectations of finding much more of the Iron Age city in future seasons of work.” (1)
The researchers say that the arrows and jewelry are the main tip-offs that this is from the siege of Jerusalem. The arrows, which archaeologists have found in other locations, indicate a battle or attack. Arrows are not something that non-warriors had in their homes. (1)
The jewelry is significant because people wouldn’t have left something so valuable behind if they were leaving peacefully. (1)
“Frankly, jewelry is a rare find at conflict sites, because this is exactly the sort of thing that attackers will loot and later melt down,” Gibson explained. “[it] is a unique find and it is a clear indication of the wealth of the inhabitants of the city at the time of the siege.” (1)
Why The Siege Is Important
The Babylonian siege of Jerusalem is a critical event in Jewish history. The Hebrew Bible explains that the siege took place over a period of several months. It ended in the death or capture of the people of the city. The residents of the city suffered greatly and experienced extreme famine during this time. (1)
Jewish people gather in synagogues each year to commemorate this siege and the destruction of God’s temple. They also commemorate another siege that took place at the hands of the Romans in 70 CE. (1)
They are making many more exciting discoveries at this site and the Mount Zion Archaeological Project is ongoing. (3)
This discovery shows that a significant story from the Bible really did happen – who knows what they will uncover next.
Keep Reading: A Dyson Sphere Could Bring Humans Back From the Dead, Researchers Say
Sources
- “Evidence of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem found in Mount Zion excavation.” Eurekalert. August 11, 2019.
- “Zedekiah.” Britannica
- Dig Mount Zion