Lachish Captives Being Skinned Alive

Could these be Hebrews that the Assyrians were skinning alive?

This alabaster wall panel was part of a series of panels that decorated the walls of the mighty king Sennacherib of Assyria, who's capital was Nineveh.

It shows the Assyrian soldiers brutally abusing the captives of the conquered city of Lachish in 701 BC. The prisoners are being skinned alive. Lachish was a strongly fortified city located about 25 miles SE of Jerusalem. The amazing discovery of this panel is important in the study of Biblical Archaeology because it reveals the horrifying cruelty of the Assyrians and the brutal treatment of their prisoners. The Assyrians were raised up by God to punish Israel for their rebellion against Him. Never in history were a people so brutal. Their awesome warfare tactics are still studied today.

"Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them." - Isaiah 36:1-2

Material - Alabaster Panel
Neo Assyrian
Date: 700 BC 
Height: 197.85 cm (77.8937008 inches)
Width: 45.08 cm (17.7480315 inches)
Depth: 
Nineveh, northern Iraq
Excavated by: Henry Layard 1845-1849
Location: British Museum, London

British Museum Excerpt

Stone panel from the South-West Palace of Sennacherib (Room 36, no. 10)

Nineveh, northern Iraq
Neo-Assyrian, about 700-681 BC

The siege and capture of the city of Lachish in 701 BC.

This alabaster panel was part of a series which decorated the walls of a room in the palace of King Sennacherib (reigned 704-681 BC). The story continues from the previous panel (no. 9) of the relief. This section decorated a corner of the room.

Having been exiled from their city, the people of Lachish move through the countryside to be resettled elsewhere in the Assyrian Empire. Below them high officials and foreigners are being tortured and executed. It is likely that they are being flayed alive. The foreigners are possibly officers from Nubia. The Nubians were seen as sharing responsibility for the rebellion. Much of Egypt at this time was ruled by a line of kings from Nubia (the Twenty-fifth Dynasty) who were keen to interfere in the politics of the Levant, to contain the threat of Assyrian expansion. As Sennacherib's forces laid siege to Lachish, an Egyptian army appeared, led by a man called Taharqa, according to the Old Testament. He may be the later pharaoh of Egypt with the same name (690-664 BC). Sennacherib's account claims that the rebels had called on the support of the kings of Egypt (Delta princes) and the Kings of Kush (Nubia). The armies clashed on the plain of Eltekeh. While Sennacherib claimed victory, he was still not able to capture Jerusalem.

The story continues on the next panel (no. 11) of the relief. 

Length: 269.24 cm 
Width: 180.34 cm 
Length: 256.54 cm 
Width: 101.6 cm 

ANE 124909

Room 10, Khorsabad Palace reliefs & Assyrian sculpture

The British Museum

Related Pages:

Lachish Letters

Lachish in Easton's Bible Dictionary

Biblical Archaeology: Assyria

Archaeology of Ancient Assyria - Archaeological Discoveries

Ancient Near East - Images and Art

Bible History Online - Fallen Empires (Biblical Archaeology)

Bible History Links - Ancient Near East : Art & Images

Bible History Online - Ancient Art

Assyria and Bible Prophecy - Timeline of Events

Ancient History Timeline

The Destruction of Israel - Kings of Israel, Judah and Assyria

Archaeology of Ancient Assyria - Khorsabad

Timeline 800 - 700 BC

The Assyrians

The Captivity

Archaeology of Ancient Assyria - Calah

Ancient Babylonia - Nimrud

Archaeology of Ancient Assyria - Austen Henry Layard

Archaeology of Ancient Assyria - Ancient Assyria

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Calah

Ancient Sketches