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Image: Gary Todd / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Divided Kingdom · c. 588–586 BCE
Lachish Letters
Hebrew ostraca sent to the commander of Lachish just before its fall to Babylon.
Date
c. 588–586 BCE
Culture
Judahite
Material
Pottery (ostraca)
Dimensions
Various
Found at
Tel Lachish, Israel
Held by
British Museum & Israel Museum
Discovered by
James Starkey (1935)
ostraconhebrewmilitarybabylon
Description
A group of 21 ink-inscribed potsherds discovered in the gate-guardroom of Lachish, most consisting of military correspondence to Yaosh, the fortress commander, from an outpost officer named Hoshayahu.
Biblical significance
The letters give a vivid firsthand snapshot of Judah's final days before the Babylonian conquest of 586 BCE (Jeremiah 34:6-7), even mentioning fire-signals from Lachish and Azekah.
From the same era
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