In the mid-9th century BC, the Assyrians under Shalmaneser III waged war against the northern kingdom of Israel.

This was the Battle of Qarqar, dated to 853 B.C.

Shalmaneser’s campaign reflected the rising power of Assyria, a ruthless conquering force from Mesopotamia.

And not surprisingly, Shalmaneser was victorious and forced the king of Israel to pay tribute to him.

The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser is a remarkable stone monument discovered in 1846 by Austen Henry Layard in his excavations at the Assyrian capital of Nimrud, now in northern Iraq.

One panel depicts a man paying homage and presenting gifts to the Assyrian king.

The accompanying inscription identifies the man as “Jehu, son of Omri.”

Jehu and Omri are two kings in the Bible. Jehu followed Omri as a ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel.

Previously their existence had to be taken on faith. Now they have solid historical attestation.

Moreover, on the Black Obelisk we don’t merely read about Jehu; we see him.

Never ...

It is commonly asserted that “there is no evidence for the Israelites in Egypt.”

Archaeological evidence has confirmed the presence of Semites in Egypt.

Their roots are Canaanite and Amorite and they came from the larger territory of Israel.

You can see what these Semitic people looked like from the Ibscha Relief, a 19th century B.C. tomb painting found at Beni Hassan in central Egypt.

A Semitic dynasty called the Hyksos even ruled Egypt for a time, before they were overthrown.

But were there really Semitic slaves in Egypt as the Bible says?

Here’s a scene from the Tomb of Rekhmire, dated to the 15th century B.C.

It shows foreign laborers making bricks for the Karnak temple.

Other scenes depict the slaves working under the watchful supervision of Egyptian overseers.

The Rekhmire art supports Exodus 5 where Pharaoh orders the Hebrew slaves to make bricks using mud and straw.

Archaeological excavations in Egypt also confirm the customary use of bricks and straw to build cities like ...