Prism of King Sennacherib

705 BC - 681 BC
Clay
Original Site Unknown
38 cm x 13.3 cm (top), 14 cm (bottom)
A2793

Oriental Institute Museum

Artifact Description

Prism of King Sennacherib

This six-sided clay prism was written on behalf of Sennacherib, King of Assyria (705-681 BC). It is one of only a handful of complete hexagonal prisms of this quality known to have survived. The prism contains the narratives of eight of Sennacherib's military campaigns, recounting in detail the manner in which he defeated most of the major Near Eastern powers. During his third campaign, Sennacherib traveled to the West, attacked the Israelite King Hezekiah, and laid siege to Jerusalem. On this prism, Sennacherib boasts of complete victory over Hezekiah. However, the story of this siege is also told in the Old Testament and, perhaps, by the Greek historian, Herodotus. These sources claim that Sennacherib was forced to retreat from the walls of the city.

Multimedia

Life in Ancient Mesopotamia
What was life like in ancient Mesopotamia? Find out in this video featuring Oriental Institute Assyriologist Dr. Martha Roth.

What is Conservation?
Ever wonder what a conservator does? Oriental Institute Museum conservator Laura Laura D'Alessandro tells you all about her job in this video.

Web Links

Highlights from the collection of the Oriental Institute Museum; Prism

Suggested Readings

Kramer, Samuel Noah. Cradle of Civilization. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1967.

Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.

Ussishkin, David. The Conquest of Lachish by Sennacherib. Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University Publications, 1982.

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