In the first century BC King Herod the Great, the baddie from the Bible who ordered the execution of all male children at the time of Jesus’ birth, built himself a hilltop desert fortress to serve as his refuge in case of trouble. Herod never needed it, but a century later, some Jewish extremists holed up there and fought a last stand that made that fortress forevermore. Centuries later, Israeli archaeologists uncovered its mysteries. Below are twenty one facts about that and other biblical and biblical era archaeological finds.
21. The Assyrian King and the Jews
A nineteenth century archaeological dig uncovered the library of Ashurbanipal (reigned 668 – circa 627 BC). Assyria’s last great ruler, Ashurbanipal makes a few appearances in the Bible. He is referred to in the Hebrew Bible’s Book of Ezra as “Osnapar”, the king who deported the people of Samaria and settled them across the Euphrates River. In the Hebrew Bible’s 2 Chronicles 33:10, Ashurbanipal is sent as a punishment to King Manasseh and his people for ignoring God’s commands.
In that account, Ashurbanipal captures Manasseh, puts a ring through his nose, places him in shackles, and takes him to Babylon as a prisoner. He is freed after he repents. In the Septuagint, the Catholic Old Testament, Ashurbanipal appears in the Book of Judith as the mighty Assyrian King Nebuchadnezzar, who sets out to destroy the Jewish people, who are saved when Judith seduces then assassinates his key general.
