Excavators attribute the destruction of Stratum III at Tell el-Mazar to military action, specifically Nebuchadnezzar II’s expedition of 582 BCE ( Yassine & van der Steen 2012:81–83). One building burned in a sudden and heavy conflagration. Inhabitants fled but left their belongings behind. Excavators found thick layers of ash and burnt material in all squares, baked walls, charred grain, burnt mudbrick, remains of wooden furniture, figurines of horses and other animals, and large numbers of vessels in storerooms ( Yassine & van der Steen 2012:5–15). Notably absent, was human remains. There is also no mention of military hardware. Although the evidence strongly supports violent destruction by fire, the sudden collapse and widespread burning do not exclude the possibility that an earthquake occurred. After the destruction, the site was abandoned. Stratum II began only after the ruins of Stratum III were levelled.