299 38 Sennacherib’s Invasion of Judah and Neo-Assyrian Expansion KYLE H. K EIMER Introduction In 701 BCE Sennacherib (704–681 BCE), king of Assyria, campaigned against rebellious vas- sals in Phoenicia, Philistia, and Judah. The most organized and staunch of the rebellious polities was the kingdom of Judah. This Le- vantine campaign was Sennacherib’s third. He had already put down rebellions in Babylon and Elam (frst campaign) and in the Zagros Mountains (second campaign). Many specifc details of Sennacherib’s third campaign are preserved in Assyrian and bibli- cal sources, but unfortunately these sources do not provide the entire picture. Archaeological remains and artistic sources help us to more fully understand the course of the campaign, its outcome, and even the local preparations in Judah for Assyrian aggression in the region. Sennacherib’s campaign, and Assyrian impe- rialism in general, infuenced biblical authors and had major impacts on Israelite religion and self-perceptions. Sennacherib’s Invasion of Judah Sennacherib’s third campaign has been the source of much debate (see the articles and summary in Grabbe 2003). Questions about the specifc sequence of events within the cam- paign to the nature and interpretation of the biblical and Neo-Assyrian sources abound, and no scholarly consensus has been reached for these issues. Despite difering interpreta- tions, the general progression of Sennacherib’s campaign can be reconstructed as follows. The Assyrian army crossed the Euphrates River and began a systematic (re-)subjugation of Phoenician cities throughout the Levant. Some cities, such as Arwad, Byblos, and Samsim- uruna, submitted and ofered tribute upon the Assyrian army’s arrival, but others, such as Sidon (Great and Lesser Sidon) and the cities under its authority—Bit-Zitti, Sarepta, Mahal- liba, Ushu, Akzib, Acco, and other unnamed fortifed cities and fortresses—required more punitive action. Luli, the king of Sidon, was (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) _Greer_BehindScenesOT_BKB_djm.indd 317 6/15/18 11:51