| Sennacherib's Annals | |
|---|---|
 Taylor Prism, London  ISAC Prism, Chicago .JPG) Jerusalem Prism, Israel Sennacherib's Annals of his military campaign (704–681 BC), including his invasion into theKingdom of Judah | |
| Material | Clay |
| Size | Varies |
| Writing | Akkadian cuneiform |
| Created | c. 690 BCE |
| Discovered | From 1830 |
| Present location | Final editions in theBritish Museum,[1]Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, and theIsrael Museum |
Sennacherib's Annals are theannals ofSennacherib, emperor of theNeo-Assyrian Empire. They are found inscribed on several artifacts, and the final versions were found in three clay prisms inscribed with the same text: theTaylor Prism is in theBritish Museum, theISAC orChicago Prism in theInstitute for the Study of Ancient Cultures and theJerusalem Prism is in theIsrael Museum inJerusalem.
The Taylor Prism is one of the earliest cuneiform artifacts analysed in modernAssyriology. It was found a few years before the modern deciphering ofcuneiform.
The annals are notable for describing Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem during the reign of kingHezekiah. This event is recorded in several books contained in theBible includingIsaiah 36 and37;2 Kings 18:17; and2 Chronicles 32:9. The invasion is mentioned byHerodotus, who does not refer to theKingdom of Judah and says the invasion ended atPelusium on the edge of theNile Delta.[2]
The prisms contain six paragraphs ofAkkadian, written in cuneiform. They are hexagonal, made of red baked clay, and stand 38.0 cm high by 14.0 cm wide. They were created during the reign of Sennacherib in 689 BC (Chicago) or 691 BC (London, Jerusalem).
The Taylor prism is thought to have been found by Colonel Robert Taylor (1790–1852) in 1830 atNineveh, which was the ancient capital of theNeo-Assyrian Empire under Sennacherib, before its initial excavation[clarification needed] byBotta andLayard more than a decade later. Although the prism remained inOttoman Iraq until 1846, in 1835 apaper squeeze was made by the 25-year-oldHenry Rawlinson, and a plaster cast was taken byPierre-Victorien Lottin in c.1845.[3] The original was later thought to have been lost, until it was purchased from Colonel Taylor's widow in 1855 by the British Museum.[4] (Colonel Taylor may have been the father ofJohn George Taylor, who, himself, became a noted Assyrian explorer and archaeologist.)[5]
Another version of this text is found on what is known as the Sennacherib Prism, which is now in the ISAC. It was purchased byJames Henry Breasted from a Baghdad antiques dealer in 1919 for the Institute.[6] The Jerusalem prism was acquired by the Israel Museum at a Sotheby's auction in 1970.[7] It was only published in 1990.[8]
The three known complete examples of this inscription are nearly identical, with only minor variants, although the dates on the prisms show that they were written sixteen months apart (the Taylor and Jerusalem Prisms in 691 BC and the ISAC prism in 689 BC). At least eight other fragmentary prisms, all in the British Museum, preserve parts of this text, most of them containing just a few lines.
The Chicago text was translated byDaniel David Luckenbill and the Akkadian text, along with a translation into English, is available in his bookThe Annals of Sennacherib (University of Chicago Press, 1924).[9]
It is one of three accounts discovered so far which have been left by Sennacherib of his campaign against theKingdom of Israel-Samaria and the Kingdom of Judah, giving a different perspective on these events from that of theBooks of Kings in theHebrew Bible.
Some passages in2 Kings 18–19 agree with at least a few of the claims made on the prism. The Hebrew Bible recounts a successful Assyrian attack on Israel-Samaria, as a result of which the population was deported, and later recounts that an attack onLachish was ended byHezekiah suing for peace, with Sennacherib demanding 300talents of silver and 30 talents of gold. Hezekiah gave him all the silver from his palace and from theTemple in Jerusalem and the gold from doors and doorposts of the Temple.[10] Compared to this, the Taylor Prism proclaims that 46 walled cities and innumerable smaller settlements were conquered by the Assyrians, with 200,150 people, and livestock, being deported. The conquered territory was dispersed among the three kings of thePhilistines instead of being given back. Additionally, the Prism says that Sennacherib’s siege resulted in Hezekiah being shut up in Jerusalem "like a caged bird", Hezekiah's mercenaries and 'Arabs' deserting him, and Hezekiah eventually buying off Sennacherib, having to give himantimony, jewels,ivory-inlaid furniture, his own daughters,harem, and musicians. It states that Hezekiah became atributary ruler.
As for the king of Judah, Hezekiah, who had not submitted to my authority, I besieged and captured forty-six of his fortified cities, along with many smaller towns, taken in battle with my battering rams. ... I took as plunder 200,150 people, both small and great, male and female, along with a great number of animals including horses, mules, donkeys, camels, oxen, and sheep. As for Hezekiah, I shut him up like a caged bird in his royal city of Jerusalem. I then constructed a series of fortresses around him, and I did not allow anyone to come out of the city gates. His towns which I captured I gave toMitinti, king ofAshdod; Padi, ruler ofEkron; and Silli-bel, king ofGaza.
The tribute given by Hezekiah is then mentioned but in this account, nothing is said of Sennacherib capturing the city of Jerusalem.
