Archeology

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The Ram of a Roman Warship

Excavations off the western tip of Sicily have revealed a bronze rostrum—a type of battering ram attached to the front of a Roman warship—dating to the famous battle of the Egadi Islands in 241 BCE. Uncovered by the Sicilian Soprintendenza del Mare, the rostrum is another piece of history from this famous battle that brought an end to the bloody First Punic War between Rome and Carthage.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-rome/the-ram-of-a-roman-warship/?

The Gospel of Thomas’s 114 Sayings of Jesus

In “The Gospel of Thomas: Jesus Said What?” in the July/August 2015 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, New Testament scholar Simon Gathercole examines what the 114 sayings of Jesus from the Gospel of Thomas reveal about the early Christian world in which they were written. Below, read the 114 sayings of Jesus as translated by Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson and republished from The Gnostic Society Library.—Ed.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/bible-versions-and-translations/the-gospel-of-thomas-114-sayings-of-jesus/?

The Temple on Mount Gerizim—In the Bible and Archaeology

Temples have been found throughout the ancient Near East. What went on at these sites? Along with reconstructing architectural remains, can scholars piece together ancient worship practices?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/the-temple-on-mount-gerizim-in-the-bible-and-archaeology/?

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Besieging Masada

The first-century CE siege of Masada is one of the most famous sieges in the history of Judah. Despite this, little is actually known about the Roman siege works, with most earlier studies focusing instead on the desert fortress and the Judean defenses. Publishing in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, a team of Israeli archaeologists has shed new light on the siege works, focusing on how they were constructed, how much time it would have taken to build them, and what was their actual purpose.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/besieging-masada/?

How Were Biblical Psalms Originally Performed?

Biblical psalms have throughout millennia been an important part of traditional Jewish and Christian worship. In synagogues and churches around the globe, psalms are sung today as they were two or three thousand years ago. Or are they? How much do we really know about how biblical psalms were originally performed? What might a psalm performance have looked like in the First Temple period, around 900 B.C.E.?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/ancient-music-biblical-psalms/?

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The Philistines Are Coming!

The traditional view of the biblical Philistines sees them as an organized and powerful force that moved in and conquered part of the southern Levant during the transition between the Late Bronze and early Iron Ages (13th–11th centuries BCE). More than three decades of excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath, however, suggest that the Philistines’ entrance into Canaan was a much more complex process.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/the-philistines-are-coming/?

Inscription, “Jesus, son of Mary,” found in Jezreel

A stone, engraved in Greek, reading “Christ born of Mary.”,  was found at el-Taiyiba in the Jezreel Valley in the Upper Galilee. It had originally been part of the lintel of a Byzantine (5th-century C.E.) church. The church was part of the religious authority of the metropolis of Bet She’an, which included el-Taiyiba. The discovery was announced on January 20, 2021 by the Israel Antiquities Authority. Their excavation was directed by Tzachi Lang and Kojan Haku.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/post-biblical-period/inscription-to-jesus-son-of-mary-found-in-jezreel/?

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Cultic Weaponry of Urartu

Excavations at the site of Ayanis Castle in eastern Turkey revealed three magnificent bronze shields and a helmet dedicated to Haldi, the chief god of Urartu, an Iron Age kingdom known in the Bible as Ararat. According to a statement by the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, “The artifacts discovered during the excavations at the monumental temple complex in Ayanis, dedicated to the god Haldi, reflect the richness and high level of Urartian metal craftsmanship.”

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/cultic-weaponry-of-urartu/?

The Origin of Christianity

Today the concept of “Jewish Christians” may sound like a confusion of two religions. However, to understand the origin of Christianity, one must begin with the population of Jewish Christians who lived during Jesus’ lifetime. In the November/December 2012 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Dead Sea Scroll and early Christianity scholar Geza Vermes explored the origin of Christianity by examining the characteristics of the Jewish Jesus movement to see how it developed into a distinctly gentile religion.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/the-origin-of-christianity/?

Biblical Town of Ziklag May Have Been Discovered

Researchers announced their belief that they may have uncovered the biblical town of Ziklag. Located between Kiryat Gat and Lachish in southern Israel, Khirbet a-Ra‘i has been the site of excavations since 2015. Many of the artifacts discovered show signs of being from the Philistine culture. The biblical town of Ziklag is noted in the Books of Joshua and Samuel as a Philistine town near the city of Gath (for which Kiryat Gat is named). Radiocarbon dating from the hilltop site indicates the settlement was from the early 10th century B.C.E., the time period associated with King David.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-town-of-ziklag-may-have-been-discovered/?

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How Were Biblical Psalms Originally Performed?

Biblical psalms have throughout millennia been an important part of traditional Jewish and Christian worship. In synagogues and churches around the globe, psalms are sung today as they were two or three thousand years ago. Or are they? How much do we really know about how biblical psalms were originally performed? What might a psalm performance have looked like in the First Temple period, around 900 B.C.E.?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/ancient-music-biblical-psalms/?

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Beth Shean: A Tale of Two Sites

Explore the Canaanite town that became a Roman city

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/beth-shean-a-tale-of-two-sites/?

The Oldest Hebrew Script and Language

Christopher Rollston examines the Qeiyafa Ostracon, Gezer Calendar and other candidates for the oldest known Hebrew inscription

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/the-oldest-hebrew-script-and-language/?

A Biblical Spice Rack

Herbs and spices of the ancient Near East

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/bible-herbs-spices/?

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Archaeology’s Unexpected Enemy

When thinking about threats to archaeological sites, some of the first things that come to mind are looters, war, or maybe earthquakes. What doesn’t come to mind is lichen. But that is exactly what poses an existential threat to the archaeological site of Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Persian Empire (c. 550–330 BCE).

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/archaeologys-unexpected-enemy/?

Widows in the Bible

Widowhood presents a difficult time in a woman’s life, especially when compounded with a diminished ability to meet financial needs, a common circumstance in the ancient patriarchal world of the Bible. Widows in the Bible, therefore, become a special teaching opportunity for the biblical authors to present theological insights. In the January/February 2013 Biblical Archaeology Review, Biblical Views column, Professor Robin Gallaher Branch presents several examples of how, in the Bible, widows can serve as special textual markers to alert readers that something significant is about to happen.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/widows-in-the-bible/?

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Archaeology’s Unexpected Enemy

When thinking about threats to archaeological sites, some of the first things that come to mind are looters, war, or maybe earthquakes. What doesn’t come to mind is lichen. But that is exactly what poses an existential threat to the archaeological site of Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Persian Empire (c. 550–330 BCE).

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/archaeologys-unexpected-enemy/?

 

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Missives to the Egyptian Court

In the centuries before the rise of biblical Israel, a period known as the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550–1200 BCE), the land of Canaan boasted numerous small kingdoms centered on its major cities. In the middle of the 14th century, these kingdoms were under the rule of Egypt, one of the great empires of the day, and participated fully in diplomatic relations with their Egyptian overlords. A precious trove of documents discovered at Tell el-Amarna in Egypt includes not only letters sent to the pharaohs by the other great empires, but also those written on behalf of the rulers of the Canaanite polities. These Canaanite Amarna Letters provide invaluable glimpses into the social and political realities faced by the kings in Canaan during this period. In the Fall 2024 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Alice Mandell introduces us to this important collection in her article entitled “Letters to Pharaoh: The Canaanite Amarna Letters.”

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/missives-to-the-egyptian-court/?

Joshua in the Bible

Joshua, the perfect disciple. Obedient and humble. The man whose devotion to his master can serve as an example to all. God’s chosen, just as Moses had been. The servant become leader, whom God and Moses do not cease to encourage—so much so that we wonder why he had such a need. Is it because, in his humility, Joshua felt so inferior to Moses that he believed himself inadequate, unqualified and even unworthy to complete a task that only his master was capable of completing satisfactorily? Joshua will inherit political and religious authority from Moses but not his prophetic style. God accomplished miracles for Joshua. He went so far as to upset the laws of nature by ordering the sun to stand still, but Joshua’s speech lacks the magic that emanates from the words of the prophets.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/hebrew-bible/joshua-in-the-bible/?

The Staurogram

How and when did Christians start to depict images of Jesus on the cross? Some believe the early church avoided images of Jesus on the cross until the fourth or fifth century.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/crucifixion/the-staurogram/?

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The Amarna Revolution

The pharaoh Akhenaten was a shrewd political operator who consolidated his power over ancient Egypt through strategic, administrative, and symbolic changes, beginning with the movement of the Egyptian capital from Thebes to Akhetaten (Tell el-Amarna) in the mid-14th century BCE. These changes ushered in a wholesale overhaul of Egyptian society, which is most visible in state religious institutions and royal artistic conventions. This was also a period of extensive trade and communication between Egypt and the various kingdoms and empires of the ancient Near East, as evidenced especially by the famous Amarna Letters.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/the-amarna-revolution/?

What’s Missing from Codex Sinaiticus, the Oldest New Testament?

Two hundred years after Constantine Tischendorf’s birth, questions remain as to the conditions of his removal of Codex Sinaiticus from St. Catherine’s Monastery. Dating to the mid-fourth century C.E., Codex Sinaiticus is the oldest complete manuscript of the New Testament.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/bible-versions-and-translations/absent-from-codex-sinaiticus-oldest-new-testament/?

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Guarding Egypt during the Time of Ramesses II

Archaeologists with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities have uncovered a fortress from the reign of Ramesses II (r. 1279–1213 BCE), the Egyptian pharaoh often associated with the Exodus. Located in the northwest Nile Delta, about 60 miles south of Alexandria, the fortress defended against encroaching Libyan forces from the west and Sea Peoples coming from the Mediterranean. The most magnificent find, however, was the discovery of a well-preserved bronze sword, bearing the cartouche of Ramesses II.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/guarding-egypt-during-the-time-of-ramesses-ii/?

Phoenicians Sailing to the New World

It has already been established that Columbus was not the first European to lead an expedition sailing to the “New World,” across the vast Atlantic Ocean to the continents that later came to be known as the Americas. The Viking Leif Erikson is now accepted to have been the first, establishing a settlement in modern day Newfoundland, Canada, some 500 years before 1492.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/phoenicians-sailing-to-the-new-world/?

Who Were the Phoenicians?

Ephraim Stern addresses these questions—and much more—in his article “Phoenicia and Its Special Relationship with Israel,” published in the November/December 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. He explores the rise and fall of the Phoenician empire and highlights the special relationship that the Phoenicians had with their neighbors, the Israelites.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/who-were-the-phoenicians/?

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Ancient seed

Researchers have grown a long-lost tree species from a 1,000-year-old seed found in a cave near Jerusalem. They believe the plant, nicknamed “Sheba,” could have been the source of a healing balm mentioned in the Bible.

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Jesus the Short King

Translating a text can be a difficult task under any circumstance. But it is all the harder when the meaning of the original text is ambiguous. Such is the case with Luke 19:3. Although most readers assume the text states that Zacchaeus was too short to see Jesus, the original Greek is less clear. Publishing in the Journal of Biblical Literature, Isaac Soon, Assistant Professor of Early Christianity at the University of British Columbia, points out that the original text makes no distinction between which of the characters is “short in stature,” and that it is instead the reader’s preconceived notions of what Jesus “should” look like that leads most to read the text as being about Zacchaeus.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/jesus-the-short-king/?

What Is the Oldest Hebrew Bible?

What is the oldest Hebrew Bible? That is a complicated question. The Dead Sea Scrolls are fragments of the oldest Hebrew Bible text, while the Aleppo Codex and the Leningrad Codex are the oldest complete versions, written by the Masoretes in the 10th and 11th centuries, respectively. The Ashkar-Gilson Manuscript falls in between the early scrolls and the later codices.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/hebrew-bible/what-is-the-oldest-hebrew-bible/?

King David’s Judah Found?

Despite King David’s prominence in the Hebrew Bible, little archaeological evidence has been directly linked to the early years of the Kingdom of Judah. As a result, some scholars have argued that Judah only became a developed polity in the ninth or even eighth century B.C.E. A 2021 study, however, seeks to refute this idea based on the findings of an extensive regional archaeological project in the Judean foothills, the very region where the Bible says King David’s kingdom was born.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/king-davids-judah-found/?

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Biblical Riot at Ephesus: The Archaeological Context

In Acts 19, Luke describes a frenzied riot at Ephesus, a city in the Roman province of Asia in modern-day Turkey:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-places/biblical-riot-at-ephesus/?

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Archaeologists unearth Egyptian coffin that bears a baffling resemblance to 'The Simpsons'

The pyramids and deserts of Egypt are known for their invaluable treasures and majestic history. Researchers, archaeologists and others often come up with numerous discoveries and theories about this historical place. In one such incident, a discovery made by researchers a few months ago was a baffling combination of Egyptian history and the TV show “The Simpsons,” reports The Ancient Origin. People are quite excited about it, as the popular TV show often bears traces of connections with the past and the future with its eerily realistic content. The Ministry of Tourism and Archaeology in Egypt set out to study and understand a portion of Minya in Middle Egypt and shared their intriguing finds in a post on Facebook.

https://scoop.upworthy.com/archaeologists-unearth-egyptian-coffin-that-bears-a-baffling-resemblance-to-the-simpsons-ex1

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Who Were the Babylonians?

The Babylonians are certainly one of the Bible’s biggest baddies, but they were also one of history’s greatest empires. So, who were the Babylonians? Centered on the city of Babylon, in central Iraq, the empire first came to power as a small territorial city-state in the 19th century BCE, under the rule of a newly established Amorite dynasty. Over the next millennium, the power of Babylonia would have its ups and downs, with the city being completely destroyed at one point before eventually being the center of an empire that stretched throughout the entire Fertile Crescent.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/who-were-the-babylonians/?

The Magdala Stone: The Jerusalem Temple Embodied

Imagine a first-century Jew living in the land near their Temple in Jerusalem, yet they are too far away to make frequent visits. What did the Temple represent in their daily life? Did they locate God’s presence in the Jerusalem Temple alone or also in their midst when they gathered in the synagogue? For a people living in the diaspora, unable to visit the Temple frequently, what kept the memory and centrality of the Temple fresh in their minds? An intriguing stone uncovered at the site of Magdala on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee in September 2009 might offer a clue. Carved with symbols from the Temple, the quartzite stone was discovered in the middle of an ancient synagogue.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/the-magdala-stone/?

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Jews in Pre-Islamic Arabia

In the first two centuries CE, Jews led two major revolts against the Romans—first, the Great Revolt (66–74), then the Bar-Kokhba Revolt (132–135). In their tragic aftermath, when the Temple lay in ruins and Jews were forbidden to live in or near Jerusalem, many decided to seek new homes abroad. Some from this early Jewish diaspora turned south and ended up in North Arabia, where only inscriptions survive to bear witness to individuals who clearly belonged to the scattered Jewish communities of pre-Islamic Arabia.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jews-in-pre-islamic-arabia/?

Minor Prophets in the Bible: Amos

Readers of the Hebrew Bible may be familiar with stories about Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, and even major prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, but what about minor prophets, including Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Zephaniah? It’s not surprising that people are less familiar with these Biblical figures, due in part to limited exposure to them in church, synagogue, or religious circles, but more centrally, due to less comprehension of the major topics in the minor prophets.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/minor-prophets-bible-amos/?

The “Strange” Ending of the Gospel of Mark and Why It Makes All the Difference

And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/the-strange-ending-of-the-gospel-of-mark-and-why-it-makes-all-the-difference/?

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Coloring the Temple of Edfu

On the west bank of the Nile River, in the city of Edfu, sits a temple to the ancient Egyptian sky god Horus. One of Egypt’s best preserved temples, it is currently being restored by a German team from Julius Maximilian University. Constructed under the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323–30 BCE), a Hellenistic royal line that traced back to the kingdom of Macedon, the temple took nearly two centuries to complete. However, its location, construction, and decoration have led experts to believe it was not only a religious site, but also a hub of knowledge and learning.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/coloring-the-temple-of-edfu/?

The House of Peter: The Home of Jesus in Capernaum?

For much of his adult life, the home of Jesus was in Capernaum, a small fishing village on the Sea of Galilee. It was here during the infancy of early Christianity that he began his ministry in the town synagogue (Mark 1:21), recruited his first disciples (Mark 1:16–20) and became renowned for his power to heal the sick and infirm (Mark 3:1–5).

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/the-house-of-peter-the-home-of-jesus-in-capernaum/?

Water from a Walking Rock

What does Paul mean in the Bible when he says that the Israelites drank “from the spiritual rock that followed them” during their wanderings in the wilderness?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/water-from-a-walking-rock/?

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Sennacherib’s Administration in Jerusalem

Excavators with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have uncovered two large administrative buildings in the Mordot Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem. Constructed one on top of the other, the two buildings date to immediately before and after the conquest of Judah by Sennacherib in 701 BCE. According to the directors of the excavation, the buildings and the finds inside of them may shed important new light on the administrative impact of Sennacherib’s campaign in the area immediately surrounding Jerusalem.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/sennacheribs-administration-in-jerusalem/?

The Creation of Woman in the Bible

The creation of woman in the Bible has been the topic of much debate in Biblical Archaeology Review. In “Was Eve Made from Adam’s Rib—or His Baculum?” from the September/October 2015 issue, Ziony Zevit makes a shocking claim about the Adam and Eve story in the Bible.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/bible-interpretation/the-creation-of-woman-in-the-bible/?

Jonah and the Whale

The Book of Jonah is read in the synagogue on the afternoon of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, the sacred Day of Atonement. Why, of all books in the Bible, this book this most holy day?
The answer is clear. The major themes of the book are singularly appropriate to the occasion—sin and divine judgment, repentance and divine forgiveness.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/hebrew-bible/jonah-and-the-whale/?

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What Is God’s Name?

If you regularly read Bible History Daily posts, Biblical Archaeology Review articles, or are a fan of biblical history in general, you’ve probably come across the name Yahweh once or twice when referring to the God of Israel. Someone new to the world of biblical scholarship, however, might be left a bit confused about the name, since it isn’t found anywhere in the most common Bible translations. Even the most famous translation of the Bible—the King James Version—uses the name Jehovah for the God of Israel in the Old Testament. Many, then, might ask where the name Yahweh originated.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/hebrew-bible/what-is-gods-name/?

Rare Evidence for Roman Crucifixion Found in Second-Century Britain

A surprise discovery has shed light on the gruesome execution practice of Roman crucifixion. As first reported in December 2021 in the magazine British Archaeology, a team excavating several graves at a site near Fenstanton in southeastern England came across the remains of a person executed by crucifixion during the second century C.E. Despite crucifixion being a relatively common method of Roman execution, this is only the fourth time an archaeological find has provided direct evidence of the practice. Similar to the previously discovered examples, including the remains of a crucified individual found in a first-century tomb in Jerusalem in 1968, the Fenstanton burial preserves evidence of the nail that pierced the individual’s heel bones during the crucifixion.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/rare-evidence-for-roman-crucifixion-found-in-second-century-britain/?

The Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela

While many spectacular churches have been constructed in Ethiopia, perhaps the country’s most famous churches are the rock-hewn churches. Located 150 miles south of Aksum, Lalibela is the best example of Ethiopia’s hypogean (rock-hewn) architectural tradition. With 11 rock-hewn churches, Lalibela is understandably a place of pilgrimage for those in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The site Lalibela was originally called Roha, but it eventually took the name of King Lalibela, who ruled around 1200 C.E. as part of the Zagwe dynasty. King Lalibela is traditionally attributed as the builder of all the churches at the site.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/rock-hewn-churches-of-lalibela/?

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New Tomb Found at Petra

Petra, the dazzling, 2,000-year-old Nabatean city in southern Jordan, has not given up all her secrets quite yet, it seems. Recent excavations revealed a previously unknown tomb beneath the facade of the city’s most famous monument, the Khazneh. Led by archaeologists from the American Center of Research, a team using ground-penetrating radar identified the tomb, which they claim is unlike anything previously discovered at Petra. Other archaeologists, however, are more reserved in their praise for the discovery.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/new-tomb-found-at-petra/?

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Armenia’s Oldest Church Discovered

Excavators with the University of Münster and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia have uncovered the oldest church ever discovered in Armenia. Consisting of an octagonal building with cruciform extensions, the church serves as a physical reminder that Armenia was the first ancient kingdom to officially adopt Christianity in 301 CE.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/armenias-oldest-church-discovered/?

Archaeology Tools from Trowels to Tech

With advances in technology, there are more archaeology tools than ever to help excavators dig into the past. Yet sometimes there is no substitute for a trusty trowel and bucket. Archaeology tools vary greatly by location, budget, and even research question. But, from surveying to recording, what are some of the most common tools used in biblical archaeology today?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/archaeology-tools/?

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From National Hobby to Scientific Profession

Archaeological remains, brought back to the light of day, serve as tangible evidence of the past. As such, they are capable of connecting people to that past, becoming powerful tools for the construction of social and national identities. It is therefore common to use archaeology in political and social discourse.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/from-national-hobby-to-scientific-profession/?

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Trove of Artifacts Discovered Near Babylon

Archaeologists with the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) made a fantastic discovery while excavating near the ancient city of Babylon in central Iraq. The team uncovered two houses filled with nearly 500 artifacts dating to the Old Babylonian period (c. 1894–1595 BCE).

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/artifacts-discovered-near-babylon/?

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Phoenician Ship Raised from the Seafloor

A team of specialists from the University of Valencia is hard at work lifting a nearly complete Phoenician shipwreck from the seafloor off the Spanish coast of Murcia. While the ship, dubbed Mazarrón 2, has been protected by sand for more than two millennia, recent changes in coastal currents have torn away much of that protective blanket, posing an existential threat to this incredible archaeological wonder.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/phoenician-ship-raised-from-the-seafloor/?

Deborah in the Bible

Deborah, the only female judge in the Bible, excelled in multiple areas.¹ Clearly one of the Bible’s most outstanding figures, she served ancient Israel as a prophet,² judge, military leader, songwriter, and minstrel (Judges 4–5).

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/deborah-in-the-bible/?

The Origins of Democracy

Every four years millions of Americans, many of them united by little other than their shared citizenship, flock to schools, churches and other polling places to cast their ballots for our next president. On no other occasion do all Americans have the opportunity to vote for the same office, making presidential elections the most democratic feature of the American political system.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/the-origins-of-democracy/?