Editing Tel Lachish (section)

==History==
[[File:LachishPalace053011.jpg|thumb|Commander's palace]]
[[File:LachishRamp053011.jpg|thumb|Assyrian siege ramp]]
[[File:Lachishsiege1.PNG|right|thumb|Judean captives being led away into slavery by the Assyrians after the siege of Lachish in 701&nbsp;B.C. This relief is important for the knowledge of Judean dress.]]

===Neolithic===
Occupation at the site of Lachish began during the [[Neolithic|Pottery Neolithic]] period (5500–4500 BCE). Flint tools from that period have been found.

===Early Bronze===
Major development began in the Early [[Bronze Age]] (3300–3000 BCE).<ref name=King/> By the end of the Early Bronze, Lachish had become a large settlement. Most of the recovered pottery is of [[Levantine pottery#Khirbet Kerak ware|Khirbet Kerak Ware]].

===Middle Bronze (Levels VIII–IX)===
The MBA period has not been extensively excavated at the site. During the Middle Bronze (2000–1650 BCE), the settlement developed.

In the Middle Bronze I, the mound was resettled. Remains of a cult place and an assemblage of votive cultic vessels were found in Area D.

In the Middle Bronze IIA, the development continued.

In the Middle Bronze IIB-C, Lachish became a major city in the Southern Levant. An impressive [[glacis]]-like structure was constructed around the city, which shaped its present steep slopes and sharp corners. The proposed glacis fronted a city wall built of massive stones. In Area P, a large mudbrick fortress was excavated. Finds from the fortress include 4 scarabs and a number of scarab sealings. These were of "both the local Canaanite MB IIC style and the Hyksos style". Radiocarbon dating produced a date in the mid-16th century BCE. By the end of Middle Bronze IIC the city was destroyed by fire. Some features originally ascribed to the Iron Age by the early excavators have now been redated to the MBA and LBA.

===Late Bronze (Levels VI–VII)===
[[File:Amarna letter. A letter from Shipti Ba'al (ruler of Lachish), who reassures the Egyptian pharaoh (Amenhotep III or his son Akhenaten) of his loyalty. Akkadian cuneiform text. 14th century BCE. From Tell el-Amarna, Egypt. British Museum.jpg|thumb|Amarna letter EA 330. A letter from Shipti Ba'al (ruler of Lachish), who reassures the Egyptian pharaoh (Amenhotep III or his son Akhenaten) of his loyalty. 14th century BCE. From Tell el-Amarna, Egypt. British Museum]]

{{hiero|1=rkjšꜣ<ref name=Gauthier129 /><ref name=Hannig1361/> |2=<hiero>D21:Z1-V31:Z4-M8-G1-T14-N25</hiero>|era=nk|align=right}}
In the Late Bronze Age (1550–1200 BCE), Lachish was re-established and developed slowly, eventually becoming one of the large and prosperous cities of the Southern Levant. It is first attested as [[:wikt:rkjšꜣ|rkjšꜣ]] (''Lakisha'') in a [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]] text, the [[List of ancient Egyptian papyri|Papyrus Hermitage 1116A]].<ref name = Gauthier129>{{cite book |last1=Gauthier |first1=Henri |title=Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques Vol. 3 |date=1926 |page=129 |url=https://archive.org/details/Gauthier1926/page/n67}}</ref><ref name = Hannig1361>{{cite book |last1=Hannig |first1=Rainer |title=Großes Handwörterbuch Ägyptisch-Deutsch (2800 – 950 v. Chr.) |date=1995 |publisher={{ill|Philipp von Zabern|de|Verlag Philipp von Zabern}} |isbn=3-8053-1771-9 |page=1361}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Webster |first1=Lyndelle |last2=Streit |first2=Katharina |last3=Dee |first3=Michael |last4=Hajdas |first4=Irka |last5=Höflmayer |first5=Felix |title=Identifying the Lachish of Papyrus Hermitage 1116A Verso and the Amarna Letters: Implications of New Radiocarbon Dating |journal=Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections |date=2019 |volume= 21 |access-date=7 April 2020|url= https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jaei/article/view/23234}}</ref>

Lakhish came under the [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt]], which expelled the [[Hyksos]] and established an empire that was most powerful following the military campaigns of [[Thutmose III]]. During the [[Amarna Period]] ({{Circa|1350 BCE}}), several letters were written to the [[pharaoh]] and were discovered as part of the Amarna archive. It is mentioned in the Amarna letters as Lakisha/Lakiša (EA 287, 288, 328, 329, 335).

During the [[20th Dynasty of Egypt]], the empire of the New Kingdom of Egypt started to lose its control in the [[Southern Levant]]. A bronze object bearing the cartouche of Ramesses III may be associated with the city gate.<ref>Ussishkin 1983:123-124, 168-169</ref> While Lachish had prospered under Egyptian hegemony, fire destroyed it around 1150 BCE. It was rebuilt by Canaanites, who built two temples. However, this settlement was soon destroyed by another fire around 1130 BCE (cf. nearby fortified [[Eglon, Canaan]]). The site then remained sparsely occupied for a long time (Level V). The reasons for this may have been rebellions and invasions by the [[Sea Peoples]].

Four mass graves were found at the site with over 1500 individuals interred, about half women and children. The tombs themselves dated to the Late Bronze Age but the burials contained few dateable elements so it is uncertain if the burials date to the LBA or later.<ref>Boyes, Philip J. "The Impact and Legacy of Alphabetic Cuneiform." ''Script and Society: The Social Context of Writing Practices in Late Bronze Age Ugarit'', Oxbow Books, 2021, pp. 261–76</ref><ref>Israel Eph'Al, ''The City Besieged: Siege and Its Manifestations in the Ancient Near East'', Brill, 2009, ISBN 9789004174108</ref>

===Iron Age (Levels II–IV)===
Rebuilding of the city began in the [[Early Iron Age]], during the 10th and 9th centuries BCE, when it was part of the [[Kingdom of Judah]]. The unfortified settlement may have been destroyed {{Circa|925 BCE}} by the pharaoh [[Shoshenq I]], founder of the [[Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt]].<ref name=King /> In the first half of the 9th century BCE, under the Judahite kings [[Asa of Judah|Asa]] and [[Jehoshaphat]], Lachish became an important city in the kingdom. It was heavily fortified with massive walls and ramparts. A royal palace was built on a platform in the center of the city.<ref name=King /> Lachish was the foremost among several towns and fortified strongholds guarding the valleys that lead up to Jerusalem and the interior of the country against enemies who usually approached from the coast.

====Siege by Sennacherib, Assyrian rule====
{{main|Siege of Lachish}}
[[File:Lachish inscription.jpeg|left|thumb|The single inscription which identifies the location depicted in the reliefs reads: "Sennacherib, the mighty king, king of the country of Assyria, sitting on the throne of judgment, before (or at the entrance of) the city of Lachish (Lakhisha). I give permission for its slaughter"]]

In 701&nbsp;BCE, during the revolt of [[Hezekiah]], king of Judah, against the Neo-Assyrian Empire, it was besieged and captured by [[Sennacherib]] despite the defenders' determined resistance.<ref>David Ussishkin, ''The Conquest of Lachish by Sennacherib'', Tel Aviv University Institute of Archaeology, 1982, {{ISBN|965-266-001-9}}</ref> Some scholars believe that the fall of Lachish occurred during a second campaign in the area by Sennacherib ca. 688&nbsp;BCE.<ref>William H. Shea, "Jerusalem under siege: Did Sennacherib attack twice?", ''Biblical Archaeology Review'', vol. 25, iss. 6, pp. 36–44, Nov/Dec 1999</ref> The site now contains the only remains of an Assyrian siege ramp discovered. Sennacherib later devoted a whole room in his "Palace without a rival", the southwest palace in [[Nineveh]], for [[Lachish relief|artistic representations]] of the siege on large [[alabaster]] slabs, most of which are now on display in the [[British Museum]]. They hold depictions of Assyrian siege ramps, battering rams, sappers, and other siege machines and army units, along with Lachish's architecture and its final surrender. Combined with the archaeological finds, they give a good understanding of siege warfare of the period.<ref>William H. Shea, "Sennacherib's Description of Lachish and its Conquest," ''Andrews University Seminary Studies'', vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 171–180, 1988</ref><ref name=BritMus>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishmuseum.org/visiting/galleries/middle_east/room_10_assyria_lion_hunts.aspx|title=Room 10: Assyria: Lion hunts|publisher=British Museum}}</ref> Modern excavation of the site has revealed that the Assyrians built a stone and dirt ramp up to the level of the Lachish city wall, thereby allowing the soldiers to charge up the ramp and storm the city.<ref>GARFINKEL, Y., CARROLL, J. W., PYTLIK, M., & MUMCUOGLU, M., "Constructing the Assyrian Siege Ramp at Lachish: Texts, Iconography, Archaeology and Photogrammetry", ''Oxford Journal of Archaeology'', 40(4), pp. 417–439, 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/ojoa.12231</ref> Excavations revealed approximately 1,500 skulls in one of the caves near the site, and hundreds of arrowheads on the ramp and at the top of the city wall, indicating the ferocity of the battle. The city occupied an area of {{convert|8|ha}}.{{when|date=October 2020}}<ref name=rocca>{{cite book|last=Rocca|first=Samuel|title=The Fortifications of Ancient Israel and Judah 1200–586 BC|year=2012|publisher=Osprey Publishing|location=Oxford|isbn=9781782005216|page=32|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lepkNC_gqs4C&pg=PA32}}</ref>

====Babylonian occupation====
{{main|Babylonian captivity}}
Lachish fell to the Neo-Babylonian emperor [[Nebuchadnezzar II]] in his campaign against Judah in 586&nbsp;BCE.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} The city was finally destroyed in 587&nbsp;BCE.<ref name=rocca /> Residents were exiled as part of the Babylonian captivity.<ref name=King /> During Babylonian occupation, a large residence was built on the platform that had once supported the Israelite palace. At the end of the captivity, some exiled Jews returned to Lachish and built a new city with fortifications.

Under the [[Achaemenid Empire]] (Level I), a large altar known as the Solar Shrine on the east section of the mound was built. The shrine was abandoned after the area fell in the hands of [[Alexander the Great]]. The tell has been unoccupied since then.<ref name=King />