Hezekiah's Fortified Cities and the "LMLK" Stamps

Abstract

The attribution of the list of 15 fortified cities (2 Chr 11, 5-10) to Rehoboam is untenable, and it is suggested that the Chronicler erroneously ascribed to him an undated list of towns from the period of the First Temple. The fortified cities were strategically located to protect the kingdom of Judah from an attack on its western front. The layout of the towns and their names match only one situation: Hezekiah's preparations for the Assyrian campaign of 701 B. C. The plan of the 15 cities is congruent to the distribution of the lmlk seal impressions. The entire procedure related to the manufacture and distribution of the lmlk jars is discussed. By combining the biblical account of the days of Hezekiah and the list of fortified cities with the archaeological evidence and in particular with the distribution of the lmlk seal impressions, one may reconstruct the measures taken by Hezekiah to prepare against the impending Assyrian attack of 701.

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