jan 1, 587 BC - The Lachish Letters

Description:

The Lachish Letters are ostraca (pottery fragments on which people wrote letters) that were found in the city of Lachish during excavations of the layer from this time period. The pottery shards are messages sent from a commander somewhere outside the city of Lachish to a commander inside the city. Pottery was used because it was readily available, unlike papyrus or other paper substances. It was also common for the cities under siege to light signal fires. As a fire was lit at the city, others were lit on hilltops along a predetermined path to spread the news that the city was still safe.

In Lachish Ostracon #3, the commander sending the letter to Lachish says, “for we cannot see any more, the fire-signals of Azekah.” Jeremiah 34:7 says, "... the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and all the remaining cities of Judah, that is, Lachish and Azekah, for they alone remained as fortified cities among the cities of Judah."

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