2021-11-30 13:06:10
The research suggests that its construction began about 80 meters away from the walls of the city of Lachish, close to where stones required for the ramp could be quarried. The stones would have been transported along human chains –passed from man-to-man by hand. With four human chains working in parallel on the ramp each working round-the clock
смены, Garfinkel calculated that about 160 000 stones were moved each day.
"Time was the main concern of the Assyrian army. Hundreds of laborers worked day and night carrying stones, possibly in two shifts of 12 hours each. The manpower was probably supplied by prisoners of war and forced labor of the local population. The laborers were protected by massive shields placed at the northern end of the ramp. These shields were advanced towards the city by a few meters each day," described Garfinkel.
In about 25 days, the ramp, which was the shape of a giant triangular
клин, could have reached the city walls. "This model assumes the Assyrians were very efficient, otherwise, it would have taken months to complete," said Garfinkel.
Indeed, the prophet Isaiah, who lived at the end of the eighth century BCE and was an eyewitness to the events, mentioned the Assyrian army in some of his
пророчествах. He relates to the Assyrians as a mighty, supernatural power, "None of them tired, none of them stumbling, none of them asleep or
сонные, none of them with belt unfastened, none of them with broken sandal-strap." (Isaiah 5:27).
As the workers built the final stages of the ramp and approached the walls of Lachish, the inhabitants would try to defend their city by shooting arrows and throwing down stones on their enemy. Garfinkel suggests that the workers used massive L-shaped
плетёные shields, similar to those shown protecting soldiers on Assyrian reliefs. In the final stage, wooden beams were laid on top of the stones, where the battering
тараны within their massive siege machines, weighing up to 1 ton, would be securely positioned.
The ram, a large, heavy wooden beam with a metal tip, battered the walls via swinging backwards and forwards. Garfinkel suggests that the ram was suspended within the siege engine on metal chains, as ropes would quickly wear out. Indeed, an iron chain was found on the top of the ramp at Lachish.
To get further confirmation, Garfinkel explains that he is "planning excavations in Lachish, at the far edge of the ramp in the quarry area—this might give additional evidence of Assyrian army activity and how the ramp was constructed."
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