Made in Alexandria: The Origin of the Yahweh Cult

[Minimalist]

I want to compare them to the kingdoms as described in the bible. If they were not as described in the bible then there is additional evidence the stories were made up.

Why? Would you compare Camelot to Alfred the Great's court? Fiction is always easier....it is not restrained by reality. We know there was no major population center at the site of Jerusalem in the 10th century when, according to the OT, it was the capital of a far-flung empire. Horseshit. It was, at best, a miserable little village but more likely was nothing more than a fortified manor house for the local war lord. The whole raison d'etre for the site is the Gihon spring which was the only reliable water source in the area. We don't have any idea what it was called but we know it was not a city...or even a respectable sized town. Judah, in the 9th and 10th centuries could not support that level of urbanization. It was a region of pastoral nomads.

The population increase around "Jerusalem" (or whatever) begins after the Assyrians overrun "Israel." Even then, the population never grows much beyond 10,000 because that seems to be the practical limit of the water supply. It wasn't until Herod the Great imported some Roman engineers to build an aqueduct that the city began to grow and eventually attained a population of perhaps 30,000.

But you don't have to dismiss 200 years of archaeological research in order to deduce that the bible is bullshit, Mouse. I have no doubt that when these goat-fucking tribesmen went to Nineveh to pay their annual tribute they brought back stories of the opulence of the place. It isn't too hard to see where they got their inspiration for these later tales of "Solomon." ( Shalmeneser the name of several Assyrian kings is a Greek rendition of the Akkadian Shulmanu-Asaredu. Shulmanu? Solomon? Is it really that hard to see the connection?)

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The prism tells of its surrender. The Greek story says it was miraculously saved. The prism refers to 46 fortified cities as part of Judah. Archaeology have found nothing of the kind.

I don't know where you are getting this stuff. Archaeology has most assuredly located destruction layers consistent with Sennacherib's invasion. The most notable site is Lachish but there are others.

http://books.google.com/books?id=ln5NwF8...ah&f=false

You seem to be saying that because archaeology can't confirm the bible bullshit stories that archaeology can't be trusted either. That's silly. The question to ask is Cui Bono? Who benefits from the bible stories?
There are different answers at different times?

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As far as "Hezekiah's" inscription goes....

The Siloam (Shiloach) inscription or Silwan inscription is a passage of inscribed text found in the Hezekiah tunnel which brings water from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam, located in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. The inscription records the construction of the tunnel in the 8th century BCE. It is among the oldest extant records of its kind written in Hebrew using the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet.

Scholars say it is written in Hebrew using the Paleo-Hebrew script. Assyrian records tell us that Hezekiah rebelled against them. He fortified his city and took steps to ensure his water supply in case of a siege. These are logical steps for any ruler to take if you are going to do something as illogical as rebel against Assyria in the first place.

The OT claims that "god" smote 185,000 Assyrians...as if such a number could ever be amassed! The Assyrian records tell us that Hezekiah paid a tribute and submitted to Assyrian hegemony. The Assyrian account is more rational...I trust we agree on that. We can speculate on why the Assyrians showed such restraint in their dealings with Hezekiah but I imagine the reasons were tactical.

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However here the Assyrians are being invoked and their empire and what they meant by a fortified city or just plain city is what is meant. You cannot back off from the words on the prism. If it says 46 fortified cities belonging to Jerusalem and there is nothing like that to be found then it is not talking about the bible's Jerusalem.

Julius Caesar reported that a quarter of a million Gauls came to relieve the siege of Alesia. Herodotus claimed that 2.1 million Persians invaded Greece.

They were both full of shit.

When the Assyrians write that they took 46 "fortified cities" they are simply exaggerating their own accomplishments. It is a common failing of leaders.

Perhaps you know the syndrome?