The reign of Hezekiah

The reign of Hezekiah probably should be from 729 to 686 BC, some 43 years. The offset reignal years come about probably because the personalities (kings, prophets, priests, scribes) which play apart in the biblical and secular (Assyrian) records may have used more than one name for a given person. Thus Sargon / Sennacherib are the same king, Azuri of the records of Tiglath-Pileser III and Shalmaneser V = Uriah, high priest, of the Bible; Yatna-Yamani of the records of Sargon II/ Sennacherib = Shebna of Isaiah 22; and Akhi-Miti of the records of Sennacherib = Eliakim of Isaiah 22, 2.Kings 18.

The Reign of Josiah

During the reign of King Josiah (638-607 BC), who became king at the age of 8 years, Judah had a prophetess by the name of Huldah (2.Kings 22:14-20; 2.Chron. 34:20-28). When Josiah asked her concenrning the will of God, she prophesied judgment and disaster upon Jerusalem and its people but this judgment was not to come in the days of Josiah; his eyes were not to see the evil because he humbled himself before the Lord. It is interesting that Huldah was consulted even though the prophets Jeremiah and Zephaniah were living at the same time.

List of some of the more impressive Tafel images

Tafel 1: View from the top of Eanna-ziggurat in Warka to the SW.
T. 3: a) The long ascending stairway to the `White Temple' in Ururk and b) the inner sanctuary with the altar.
T.14: a) An aerial view of the traces of the city wall of Uruk. b) A B&W reconstruction drawing of the entrance gate to the temple oval of Chafadji.
T. 15: a) An aerial view of the completely excavated location of Chafadji. b) A great B&W drawing of the recosntructed Temple oval of Chafadji.
T. 57: An aerial view of the ruins of the ziggurat of Urnammu in Ur.
T. 59: A philological cuneiform text of the `Isin-Larsa Period' from Nippur.
T. 74 & 83: Base of a throne with Tukulti-Ninurta I from Assur.
T. 75: Two B&W drawings of a total aerial view of the Anu-Adad Temple in Assur and standing in its court. From the time of Shalmaneser III.
T. 84 & 86: A stele and reliefs of Ashurnasirpal II from Kalak.
T. 91: A relief of Shamsi-Adad in fair condition with some damage to the face of the king.
T. 93: A good quality relief of Sargon II of Assur from Dur-Sharrukin.
T. 94: a) An artists B&W drawing of Assur with its main cultic gate opening up to the quay of the Tigris River. b) An interesting B&W photo of the rising quader bastion of Sennacherib in Assur.
T. 95: a) The facade of the Temple of Sin at Dur-Sharrukin. b) An artist's reconstruction drawing from an above view of the entire complex of the same temple.
T. 98: An image of the good quality victory relief of Esarhaddon from Sinjirli.
T. 105: The readable cuneiform inscribed stele of Ashurbanipal carrying a wicker basket.[10]

01) 586 BC, the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem, conquer Judah and install Gedaliah as governor who rules from Mizpah. According to archaeologists, Gedaliah rebuilds the town on a grander level as his administrative center. But the continued use of four room houses, according to archaeologists, is at odds with the biblical report that only the poorest remained behind during the exile. [BAR, Sep/Oct 1997, p. 34.]
02) Jeremiah began his prophetic ministry in 627 BC. Josiah's reforms took place in 622 BC. Sadly they were reforms in outward conformity, without inward change.
03) According to our Judith article, the time of Judith is around 700 BC.

[10] H. Schmoekel, `Ur, Assur und Babylon', Stuttgart, 1958. See page/plate numbers above.