THE ASTARTU RELIEF
BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY AT ITS BEST
By Simon Brown
Here we have a fascinating example of how archaeology can illuminate and independently confirm the historical world recorded in the Bible.
Thousands of years after the events described in Scripture, ancient Assyrian monuments still preserve records and images from the same kings, military campaigns, cities and peoples encountered in the biblical record.
One remarkable example is a relief associated with:
TIGLATH-PILESER III, KING OF ASSYRIA
—the powerful Assyrian king who appears several times in the Bible.
THE ASTARTU RELIEF
In the collection of the British Museum in London is an ancient Assyrian stone relief from the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III, dating to approximately the eighth century BC.
The relief came from Nimrud, the ancient Assyrian city where Tiglath-Pileser III constructed and decorated his palace.
It depicts an Assyrian military conquest associated with a place identified as Astartu.
Astartu is generally connected with Ashtaroth, an ancient city east of the Jordan associated in the Bible with the territory of Bashan.
What makes this particularly interesting for Bible students is that the Assyrian king responsible for this military campaign is not an unknown figure.
HE APPEARS IN THE BIBLE.
TIGLATH-PILESER III IN THE BIBLE
Tiglath-Pileser III ruled the rapidly expanding Neo-Assyrian Empire during the eighth century BC.
The biblical writers describe Assyria becoming increasingly involved in the affairs of Israel, Judah and their surrounding kingdoms during this period.
And remarkably, 1 Chronicles 5:26 uses two names in connection with the Assyrian king:
“So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, even the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away…”
This passage describes the deportation of the:
Reubenites,
Gadites,
and:
half-tribe of Manasseh.
The biblical account therefore places Tiglath-Pileser directly within the history of the tribes living east of the Jordan.
THE ASSYRIAN CONQUESTS OF ISRAEL
The Bible gives us another important account in 2 Kings 15:29.
During the reign of Pekah, king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser invaded northern Israel:
“In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, and Abel-beth-maacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.”
Look carefully at what the biblical writer is describing:
AN ASSYRIAN INVASION
CAPTURED TERRITORY
CONQUERED CITIES
AND PEOPLE TAKEN INTO CAPTIVITY.
These are exactly the kinds of events represented repeatedly in Assyrian royal reliefs.
WHAT DO WE SEE ON THE RELIEF?
The surviving relief provides a remarkable glimpse into Assyrian warfare during precisely this historical period.
It depicts a fortified settlement under Assyrian control and prisoners being removed following conquest.
Assyrian soldiers are shown participating in the capture.
For a Bible reader, scenes like this help bring passages in Kings and Chronicles vividly to life.
These were not imaginary armies.
Assyria was one of the greatest military powers of the ancient Near East.
Its kings conquered cities, imposed tribute, deported populations and recorded their victories on palace walls and royal inscriptions.
The Bible describes the same historical world.
THE HALF-TRIBE OF MANASSEH
The connection with the territory east of the Jordan is particularly interesting.
According to the biblical record, part of the tribe of Manasseh occupied territory in this region.
First Chronicles records their eventual deportation under the Assyrians:
“…he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan…”
— 1 Chronicles 5:26
This provides important historical context for understanding Assyrian expansion into these biblical territories.
TIGLATH-PILESER AND KING MENAHEM
The Bible actually mentions Assyrian involvement even before the later campaign against Pekah.
Second Kings 15:19 records:
“Pul king of Assyria came against the land…”
King Menahem of Israel then paid an enormous tribute to the Assyrian king in order to secure his support.
So the biblical narrative preserves a developing sequence of Assyrian intervention:
Assyrian pressure
Tribute
Military invasion
Territorial conquest
Deportation
These events fit naturally into what historians know about the expansionist policies of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
TIGLATH-PILESER AND JUDAH
The same Assyrian ruler also appears in the history of King Ahaz of Judah.
When Judah faced enemies from Syria and Israel, Ahaz appealed to Assyria for assistance.
Second Kings 16 describes Tiglath-Pileser's response.
Eventually:
“And the king of Assyria listened to him. And the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and captured it, and carried its people captive to Kir, and put Rezin to death.”
— 2 Kings 16:9
Once again we encounter the same pattern:
ASSYRIAN INVASION
CONQUEST
DEPORTATION
AND THE DEFEAT OF AN ENEMY KING.
THE BIBLE DOES NOT PRESENT ASSYRIA AS A MYTHICAL KINGDOM
This is one of the reasons biblical archaeology is so fascinating.
When the Bible talks about:
Assyria,
Tiglath-Pileser III,
Damascus,
Israel,
Judah,
Galilee,
Gilead
and the Jordan region, these belong to the genuine geography and political history of the ancient Near East.
We can investigate these places and rulers outside the Bible.
We can examine Assyrian inscriptions.
We can study their palaces.
We can examine their artwork.
And we can compare those discoveries with the biblical record.
WHAT ABOUT ISAIAH 9?
There is another fascinating biblical connection.
Isaiah describes humiliation coming upon the northern territories:
“…the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali…”
— Isaiah 9:1
These northern territories suffered severely during Assyria's expansion.
Second Kings 15:29 specifically records Tiglath-Pileser taking:
“…Galilee, all the land of Naphtali…”
This provides valuable historical background for Isaiah's reference to these territories being brought into contempt before their later promised restoration and glory.
Centuries later, Matthew 4:13–16 applies Isaiah's prophecy to the ministry of Jesus in Galilee.
DOES THE ASTARTU RELIEF “PROVE THE BIBLE”?
We should use the word prove carefully.
The Astartu relief does not prove every theological statement contained in Scripture.
Nor does one Assyrian relief independently prove every detail of Kings or Chronicles.
What archaeology can do—and repeatedly does—is something extremely valuable:
IT CAN INDEPENDENTLY CONFIRM THE HISTORICAL SETTING OF THE BIBLE.
Here we have an actual Assyrian king known from the biblical record.
We have his palace.
We have his inscriptions and reliefs.
We have evidence of his military campaigns.
And we have the Bible independently describing this same Assyrian ruler invading territories belonging to Israel and its neighbours.
That is genuine historical evidence.
And it deserves to be examined.
THIS IS BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY AT ITS BEST
Imagine standing in the British Museum looking at a relief produced approximately 2,700 years ago.
Then open your Bible.
Read:
TIGLATH-PILESER
Read about:
ASSYRIA
Read about:
ISRAEL
Read about:
GALILEE
Read about:
GILEAD
Read about:
CAPTIVES BEING CARRIED AWAY.
Then look again at the Assyrian reliefs.
Suddenly, the ancient world described in Scripture becomes tangible.
This is why I encourage believers and unbelievers alike:
DON'T SIMPLY ACCEPT WHAT SOMEONE TELLS YOU ABOUT THE BIBLE.
INVESTIGATE THE EVIDENCE FOR YOURSELF.
Study the archaeological discoveries.
Study the Assyrian records.
Study the biblical texts.
Visit museums where possible.
And then compare the evidence.
The stones themselves still speak of the ancient world in which the events of the Bible took place.
THE ASTARTU RELIEF
BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY AT ITS BEST
Research by Simon Brown
wwwrealdiscoveriesorg-simon.blogspot.com
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A detailed Bible archaeology infographic examining the Astartu Relief and the Assyrian campaigns of Tiglath-Pileser III. The image compares ancient Assyrian archaeological evidence with biblical accounts including 1 Chronicles 5:26, 2 Kings 15:29, 2 Chronicles 28:20 and 2 Kings 16:9, illustrating the real historical world of kings, cities, invasions and deportations described in Scripture.



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