|
Assyria
 |
|
Panel from the Black Obelisk |
THE KINGDOM OF Israel
under David and Solomon had been divided in the days of Solomon's son
Rehoboam, and had become two kingdoms - the kingdom of Israel in the north,
made up of ten of the original twelve tribes, with Samaria as its capital
city; and the kingdom of Judah in the south, made up of the other two tribes
with Jerusalem still as the capital.
In the northern kingdom of
Israel there were no good kings at all and during the reigns of kings like
Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel, idolatry flourished and corruption
increased. Eventually the kingdom fell before the might of Assyria.
The Black Obelisk was
discovered by Henry Layard in 1845 and describes the campaigns of
Shalmanezer 111 of Assyria who reigned at about 850 B.C. The oblesisk was
erected as a public monument to the might of
Shalmanezer
in 825 BC.
The relief sculptures on
this great obelisk highlight the military triumphs of King Shalmaneser III
(reigned 858-824 BC) and his chief minister. It portrays their military
campaigns over a span of thirty-one years.
The inscription above the scene shown in the
picture of a panel from the Black Obelisk, is written in Assyrian cuneiform.
When translated it reads:
The tribute of Jehu, son of Omri: I
received from him silver, gold, a golden bowl, a golden vase with
pointed bottom, golden tumblers, golden buckets, tin, a staff for a king
[and] spears.
The scenes depicted on the obelisk show tribute being paid
to the great Assyrian monarch and actually show Jehu, (2 Kings 10:31-33)
bowing before the king in the presence of his officers. The tribute as the
translation notes consisted of silver, gold, a golden bowl, a golden vase
and cups, gold buckets, tin, a royal staff and fruit. Such tribute was an
expression of the Assyrian kings power over a vassal state.
It was during the reign of
Hezekiah who was one of the good kings of the southern kingdom of Judah,
that Sennacherib invaded and conquered Israel. Following this the Assyrians
then came against Judah and attempted to conquer and turn Judah into a
vassal state as well.
Hezekiah, in consultation
with his ministers decided to make sure that if the invaders came against
Jerusalem, they would find difficulty in getting an adequate water supply.
At the same time, it was important to ensure that Jerusalem did have a good
water supply. |
Contact
Bible Basics: