Babylonian Siege Arrowheads
In 1975, on the last day of his digging, Professor Nachmin Avigad found a 22 foot tower with 12 foot thick walls. He reasoned that this tower had been involved with the defense of the Babylonian Siege. This tower had been built by the Israelites over 2,600 years ago, and was constructed to protect Jerusalem’s northern border. Near the base of the tower was a piece of charred wood that covered four arrowheads, three of which are bronze and one of which is iron. The iron arrowheads were of Israelite origin, but the bronze arrowheads came from the Babylonian Army. These arrowheads gave proof that some battle took place at this tower between the Israelite and the Babylonians, and this gives some credibility to the idea that there was a large scale clash between the two groups. This Siege was thought to be due to the rebellion of King Zedekiah.
These arrowheads allowed him to accurately date the battle. The type of bronze arrowheads also allowed him to narrow down the date of the attacks because they were of a Scythian type, which were arrowheads of Babylonian archers. This allowed them to narrow it down to a couple years of the Babylonian Siege of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. These arrowheads are thought to be the first remains ever covered on the Babylonian Siege.
The arrowheads helped determined the date of the Babylonian Siege were Scythian, which meant that they had three triangular fins, and a hollow socket. The “Scythian Type” came from the Scythians which were Ashkenaz, which were a nomadic tribe of Europeans. The Scythians were known for their savagery with their double curved bows. These arrowheads allowed Professor Achmin Avigad to accurate and efficiently date the Babylonian Siege date.
Sources:
- "Babylon & Medo-Persia 700-500 BC." StreetWitnessing.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2013. <http://streetwitnessing.miraculoussolutions.com/index.php/2013/04/babylon-medo-persia-700-500-bc/>.
- "Found in Jerusalem: Remains of the Babylonian Siege." Found in Jerusalem: Remains of the Babylonian Siege. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2013. <https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1976/11/found-in-jerusalem:-remains-of-the-babylonian-siege>.