The Assyrian siege battery in Lachish is the only surviving example of Assyrian military prowess in the entire Near East. For the first time, researchers have reconstructed how the Assyrian army may have built the ramp and used it to conquer Lachish.

An Assyrian army led by King Sennacherib attacked Lachish in 701 BC. The new study gives a vivid account of the Assyrian construction of the huge rampart that allowed them to move a ram up to the Lachish wall at the top of the hill, smash the wall and conquer the city.

Evidence on the spot makes it clear that the ramp was made of small rocks, about 6.5 kg each. The stones came from a quarry near the site and were transported using human chains – passed from person to person by hand. With four human chains working simultaneously on the ramp each in shifts around the clock, it is estimated that approx. – 160,000 stones were moved every day. In about 25 days, the battery, which was shaped like a huge triangular wedge, could reach the city walls

In the final stage, wooden beams were placed on top of the stones, where the ramming elk was safely placed inside a massive siege machine. The stag, which was made of a large, heavy wooden beam with a metal end, struck the walls by swinging back and forth. It is possible that the ram was suspended inside the siege engine on metal chains, as ropes wore out quickly. Indeed, an iron chain was found at the top of the ramp in Lachish.

Finally when the ramp was completed, an Assyrian army breached the city wall with heavy battering rams, sowing death and destruction.