The assyrian destruction layer at Tel Eton

Tel Eton is a large site (approximately 60 dunams) in the southeastern Shephelah, just below the Hebron Hills. The site was densely occupied during the Iron Age II, and it appears that a large and probably planned town existed there at the time. This city was destroyed in the late eighth century BCE, like most sites in the Shephelah, and did not recover. The rich ceramic assemblage unearthed in the destruction layer is very similar to the one found at nearby Lachish (Level III), although some elements suggest that it could be a little earlier. The article discusses the assemblage and compares it to the relevant assemblages of other sites in order to assess the date of the destruction at Tel Eton. At the present state of knowledge, we cautiously attribute the destruction to Sennacherib's campaign.