One of Jerusalem's greatest archaeological challenges is the lack of destruction layers exposed . Destruction layers play a crucial role in archaeological research . They present a significant break between layers of settlement, leaving behind a snapshot into the material culture of that moment in time, which often serves as an anchor in the chronological reconstruction of the site's history . The excavations at Lachish, and in particular Lachish Level III, serve as a perfect example for this . The discovery of the destruction of the city in 701 BCE, documented historically in the Lachish Reliefs of Sennacherib's palace in Nineveh, and the remains uncovered, present the snapshot to which late Iron Age assemblages are compared ( Ussishkin 2004 ) . In contrast, Jerusalem's first historically and archaeologically known destruction dates to the early sixth century BCE, with the Babylonian conquest and destruction of the city . Although recent research has shown the complex nature of this d...
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