Biblica - Vol 93 (2012) Park, Sung Jin, A New Historical Reconstruction of the Fall of Samaria (2012)

Most scholars accept the two-conquest model according to which Shalmaneser V conquered Samaria in 723/722 BCE but died shortly thereafter, and that Sargon II then suppressed the ancient city again in his second regnal year (720 BCE) after resolving the internal conflict in Assyria. This paper critically examines this model, discusses some problems regarding chronological order, and proposes a new historical reconstruction in support of one conquest. The probability of there having been propagandistic considerations motivating Sargon II’s scribes is also discussed.