Biblical city
Lachish
Tel Lachish, Israel · Judean lowlands
The second city of Judah, Lachish fell to Sennacherib in 701 BC, a siege depicted in Assyrian palace reliefs, and again to Babylon. The Lachish letters, ostraca from its final days, are among the most vivid finds from the era of Jeremiah.
History in Scripture
The second city of Judah after Jerusalem, Lachish was besieged by Sennacherib in 701 BC — a siege carved in relief on the walls of his Nineveh palace — and destroyed again by Babylon. The Lachish Letters, ostraca from its final days, echo Jeremiah's era.
The ancient city
Set in the Shephelah lowlands, Lachish defended the approach from the coastal plain up to Hebron and Jerusalem and was heavily fortified with double walls and a massive gate.
The site today
Tel Lachish is a national park where the Assyrian siege ramp — the oldest known — is still visible, and the Nineveh reliefs are displayed in the British Museum.
Key passages
Sources & notes
Description summarizes standard historical and archaeological reference works. Imagery is added separately and is labeled by type.