Sefer Melachim II: Archaeology
This video is part of the Sefer Study series.
This is an analysis of the Archaeology of the Sefer by Nachliel Selavan MA. Ed (www.museumtours.co.il) - more info below.
Archaeology Snapshot is a discussion on the location, timeline, main characters and highlights from history and archaeology, for each Sefer in Tanach.
Sefer Melachim II takes place in Iron Age II, a period of tremendous geopolitical upheaval and change in the region. It is an era called “the era of mass deportations” and one which can be termed “the Age of Empires”. The main shift is from regional kingdoms or city states, which are local, powerful players, to Empires, which are administrative innovations which enable a largest territorial dominion the world has ever seen. Beyond the power of Egypt, Assyria became the iron fist which terrorized and held together the Near East.
Assyria was responsible for the mass-deportations which destroyed nations and ethnicities, deliberately mixing them up to prevent future rebellions. Check out TED Ed video for elaboration: The rise and fall of the Assyrian Empire https://youtu.be/7pa54hWROpQ.
The wrath of Assyria has destroyed the 10 Tribes - the entire Kingdom of Israel - which is now gone.
With the decline of Assyria who over-extended themselves, there is a power vacuum, in which King Yoshiyahu is able to gain some power, which he quickly loses when meddling with foreign affairs - attempting to block Pharaoh Necho II at Megiddo - on his way to the Battle of Carchemish (605 BCE). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Carchemish
Babylon wins this battle, and is now the new world power. Babylon eventually destroys the Kingdom of Yehuda and exiles them to Babylon, in two shifts, leaving Gedaliyahu ben Ahikam as governor - who is hastily killed. But there is a relatively happy ending to this Exile, as we prosper in Babylon, and eventually return to rebuild the Temple.
Check out the relevant links, videos, and lots of fun below:
Mesha Stele / Moabite Stone - related to II Melachim 3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesha_Stele
Tel Dan Stele - related to II Melachim 8-9
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Dan_stele
NACHLIEL’S YOUTUBE VIDEOS AND ARTICLES - PLEASE LIKE & SUBSCRIBE!
The Broad wall by Nachliel Selavan
The Lachish Reliefs
British Museum - Lions of Assyria and Ashurbanipal
British Museum - Hezekiah, Taharka, Sennacherib - the Untold Story
Lachish - The Last Stand
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lachish-last-stand-nachliel-selavan/
Age of Empires Tour with Tanach Study
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/age-empires-met-adult-program-nachliel-hacohen-selavan/
Taharqa, Sennacherib And Hezekiah – The Untold Story
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/taharqa-sennacherib-hezekiah-untold-story-nachliel-hacohen-selavan/
MEGALIM INSTITUTE VIDEOS - MUST WATCH!!!
Sennacherib and Hezekiah - The Lachish Reliefs
Sennacherib’s Prism
Hezekiah’s Tunnel
The Broad Wall
Ketef Hinnom and the Priestly Benedictions
Babylonian Destruction
The Babylonian Exile and the Edict of King Cyrus
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Nachliel Selavan, MA Ed., originally from Jerusalem’s Old City, is back in Israel after seven years of teaching full-time in the United States, developing his unique and engaging method of learning Torah through tour, travel and archaeology.
Nachliel created and delivered an integrated learning and museum tour program for both school and adult educational settings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and has hosted similar pilot visits to a dozen museums in North America, and a few museums in Europe and in Jerusalem. He also teaches and engages audiences through virtual tours and social media, and has recently completed Tanach Study Plus - delivering a weekly episode of Archaeology on the Parasha.
You can find him on www.museumtours.co.il and on social media @MuseumToursIL and email him at nachliel@torahintermedia.com
