Ancient Jerusalem Sieges: Assyrian Army Vanishes and Babylonian Exile

Archaeologist Stephen C. Compton identifies a possible Assyrian camp near Jerusalem, using reliefs, maps and aerial photographs to locate the site mentioned in biblical accounts of King Senaquerib’s campaign. The study links the oval‑shaped remains to the dramatic claim in 2 Kings and Isaiah that an angel destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in a single night.

Historical records recount that in 587 BC King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon captured Jerusalem, deporting roughly 100,000 Israelites in the First Diaspora. Elite officials and artisans were settled in Babylon while the majority were forced into labor in the Tigris‑Euphrates valleys, a displacement that lasted until the Persian conquest allowed many to return.