Archeology

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Life-size Statues from Pompeii’s Necropolis

Couple memorialized in beautiful detail

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-rome/life-size-statues-from-pompeiis-necropolis/?

The Riddle of the Rephaim

Exploring the mysterious demigods of the Bible

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/the-riddle-of-the-rephaim/?

Eleazar in the Bible

A High Priest and Leader of Early Israel

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

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How Was Jesus Crucified?

How was Jesus crucified? This question sounds so trivial it is almost confusing. Christian tradition has always portrayed Jesus hanging from the cross with his palms and feet painfully pierced with nails. Nail wounds feature prominently in the graphic representations of the crucified Jesus. We may then be surprised to learn that the otherwise detailed gospel accounts of Jesus’s execution never actually specify how Jesus was secured to the cross. Although Roman execution methods did include crucifixion with nails, contemporary sources paint a more complex picture.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/crucifixion/how-was-jesus-crucified/?

Seth in the Bible

In the story of the first man and the first woman, we are intrigued by a character about whom we are told very little.

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

Fruit in the Bible

Seeds and fruit remains are exciting discoveries for archaeologists. Not only do they provide clues about ancient agriculture and diets, they can also provide radiocarbon data to help date buried strata.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/fruit-in-the-bible/?

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Revealing the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses II

A joint Egyptian-French expedition made an incredible discovery while carrying out excavations and restoration work at the mortuary temple of Ramesses II, the pharaoh often associated with the Exodus. The excavations revealed several new areas of the massive temple complex and numerous tombs dating to a few centuries after the temple’s original construction.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/revealing-the-mortuary-temple-of-ramesses-ii/?

The Adam and Eve Story: Eve Came From Where?

“So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.”
—Genesis 2:21–22, NRSV

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/bible-interpretation/the-adam-and-eve-story-eve-came-from-where/?

Dating the Copper Scroll

In 1952, archaeologists found the Copper Scroll in a cave at the site of Qumran near the Dead Sea. Made of copper, the scroll stood apart from the rest of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were composed of parchment or papyrus. Once unrolled and deciphered, the Copper Scroll was confirmed as being further unique: It describes a vast treasure—hidden in locations throughout the Judean wilderness. Immediately people began to wonder whether the Copper Scroll might be a map to treasure from the Jerusalem Temple.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/dead-sea-scrolls/dating-the-copper-scroll/?

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The Vanilla Enigma: How a Canaanite Tomb Rewrote Spice History

World’s first use of Vanilla found at Tel Megiddo

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/the-vanilla-enigma-how-a-canaanite-tomb-rewrote-spice-history/?

10 Great Biblical Artifacts at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem

Artifacts and the Bible

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/artifacts-and-the-bible/10-great-biblical-artifacts-at-the-bible-lands-museum-jerusalem/?

Who Was Thecla?

The early Christian saint, rebel, and protagonist of the Acts of Thecla

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/who-was-thecla/?

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Alternative Facts: Domitian’s Persecution of Christians

Was Roman emperor Domitian really the great persecutor of Christians?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/post-biblical-period/domitian-persecution-of-christians/?

Aaron in the Bible

Bible Review's Supporting Roles by Elie Wiesel

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

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The Hidden History of Jerusalem’s Upper Room

Just outside Zion Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City sits a small building considered by many Christians to be the location of Jesus’s Last Supper, and by Jews and Muslims to be the place of King David’s burial. Known today as the Upper Room or Cenacle, it has been a pilgrimage site for nearly a millennium. Now, an Israeli-Austrian archaeological team has identified more than 40 medieval inscriptions and graffiti carved into the walls of the Upper Room, several of which belong to important historical figures.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-places/the-hidden-history-of-jerusalems-upper-room/?

James or Jacob in the Bible?

The problem of names surfaced at a Bible study at the St. Paul Union Church in Antalya, Turkey. Pastor Dennis Massaro was discussing the three men named “James” in the New Testament: Two were apostles, and the third was the leader of the Jerusalem church and author of the eponymous letter—the Book of James. Participants in the study came from a range of countries, including the Netherlands, Iran, Mexico, Moldova and Cameroon. When I asked what the name of these men was in their languages, they all said “Jacob.”

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/bible-versions-and-translations/james-or-jacob-in-the-bible/?

Who Were the Essenes?

A 2013 study sought to determine, by sophisticated methods, whether Khirbet Qumran was home to a Qumran community of sectarian Jews, the Essenes of Qumran.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/who-were-the-essenes/?

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Pharaoh Ramesses III in Jordan

Egyptian cartouches discovered in Wadi Rum

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/pharaoh-ramesses-iii-in-jordan/?

Genesis and Gilgamesh

Parallels between the Garden of Eden and the Sacred Cedar Forest

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/genesis-and-gilgamesh/?

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A Dead Sea Scrolls Mystery

Although the Dead Sea Scrolls have been continuously studied since their discovery in 1947, many mysteries persist. Indeed, one of these mysteries first appeared more than a quarter century before the scrolls were discovered at Qumran. Who is the Teacher of Righteousness? This enigmatic figure appears in at least two of the major works from Qumran and has, at times, been thought to be the author of many others. Yet, as discussed by Angela Kim Harkins in her article “Are We Still Searching for the Teacher of Righteousness?” published in the Spring 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, we might never know the teacher’s true identity. That is, if there ever was one.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/dead-sea-scrolls/a-dead-sea-scrolls-mystery/?

Who Were the Galatians in the Bible?

Who were the Galatians in the Bible? The apostle Paul addressed one of his now-canonical letters to the “churches of Galatia” (Galatians 1:2), but where exactly were these churches located?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/who-were-the-galatians-in-the-bible/?

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A Capital Conundrum

While carrying out salvage excavations in the modern town of Moza, just outside of Jerusalem, archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) uncovered a unique find: a stone capital featuring an eight-branched menorah. Found in secondary use in a Byzantine settlement, the capital presents archaeologists with an intriguing conundrum: How did a Jewish symbol end up in a village settled by the descendants of Roman soldiers?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/a-capital-conundrum/?

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The Prince of Egypt at Saqqara

Archaeologists at the site of Saqqara in northern Egypt revealed an impressive tomb belonging to Userefre, prince of Egypt and son of Pharaoh Userkaf (r. 2498–2491 BCE), founder of the Fifth Dynasty. Although the tomb’s grave goods and architectural elements make it an intriguing find, the presence of numerous royal statues from earlier and later periods makes the discovery all the more fascinating.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/the-prince-of-egypt-at-saqqara/?

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In with the Old, Out with the New

Since the inception of modern biblical archaeology in the early 20th century, it has been understood almost universally as the archaeology of the world of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and biblical Israel. Even in more recent times, when some scholars eschew the term “biblical archaeology” in favor of less religiously charged designations like Syro-Palestinian archaeology or Levantine archaeology, the field is largely confined to the Bronze and Iron Ages and the much-debated questions surrounding issues like the arrival of the Israelites in Canaan or the historicity of the United Monarchy.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/in-with-the-old-out-with-the-new/?

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Who Were the Carthaginians?

DNA study reveals surprising results

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/who-were-the-carthaginians/?

The Göbekli Tepe Ruins and the Origins of Neolithic Religion

Is Turkey’s “Stonehenge” evidence of the oldest religion in the world?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/the-gobekli-tepe-ruins-and-the-origins-of-neolithic-religion/?

Tomb of Kings Now Open!

After more than a decade of renovations totaling almost one million euros ($1,100,000), the Tomb of the Kings in Jerusalem is  open to the public. Medieval Europeans believed the site contained the burials of King David and King Solomon, and although this theory has been disproved, the name is still attached to the site. The tombs were originally constructed in the first century C.E. but were reused for many years afterward.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/tomb-of-kings-now-open/?

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Who Is the Pope?

With the election of Pope Leo XIV, the Catholic Church has had 267 widely acknowledged popes its nearly 2,000-year history. The head of the Roman Catholic Church, the pope leads one of the largest religious groups in the world. But who is the pope, and how did this position gain such prominence within early Christianity?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/who-is-the-pope/?

The Epic of Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient Mesopotamian literary work that tells a fantastic story of King Gilgamesh’s failed quest for immortality. Set in early dynastic Uruk (c. 2600 BCE), Gilgamesh reentered the literary world in 1872, when George Smith—an Assyriologist at the British Museum—first translated a line of the poem from a cuneiform tablet that had recently been excavated from the great library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/the-epic-of-gilgamesh/?

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What Israel’s Enemies Don’t Want You to Know

Archeology broadcasts the truth about Jerusalem and Israel.

https://aish.com/what-israels-enemies-dont-want-you-to-know/?

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Egypt’s Grand Museum Finally Set to Open

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is finally open to the public … sort of. After a series of delays and setbacks dating back decades, this state-of-the-art, $1-billion museum complex began welcoming visitors on a trial basis this past fall, with its grand opening now set for mid-summer 2025.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/egypts-grand-museum-finally-set-to-open/?

The Apostle Peter in Rome

Jesus’ chief disciple examined

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/the-apostle-peter-in-rome/?

Where Noah Landed

Still another group is looking for Mt. Ararat, where the Bible says Noah landed after the flood. This group is looking to confirm the tradition that nearby Mt. Cudi (Judi Dagh) is really Mt. Ararat, as recorded in the Quran, Sura 11.44.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/where-noah-landed/?

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Roman Battlefield Unearthed Near Vienna

During renovations of a soccer field near Vienna, Austria, a construction company was shocked as they began to uncover the skeletal remains of dozens of individuals. What they uncovered was not a 50-year-old murder scene, but a nearly 2,000-year-old battlefield. The discoveries did not stop when the archaeologists arrived, however. After months of excavations, the researchers uncovered the bones of more than 150 individuals, the remains of a mass grave filled with Roman soldiers.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-rome/roman-battlefield-unearthed/?

Understanding the Good Samaritan Parable

Who were the Samaritans?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/archaeologists-biblical-scholars-works/understanding-the-good-samaritan-parable/?

Jethro in the Bible

Bible Review's Supporting Roles by Elie Wiesel

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

Who Is the Pope?

The early history of the Roman papacy

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/who-is-the-pope/?

The Epic of Gilgamesh

A Mesopotamian story of longing and loss

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/the-epic-of-gilgamesh/?

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Longest Linear A Inscription Found in Knossos

Discovery may help decode mysterious Minoan script

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/longest-linear-a-inscription-found-in-knossos/?

Biblical Sidon—Jezebel’s Hometown

Who were the Sidonians?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/biblical-sidon-jezebel-hometown/?

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Valuable stash

Two hikers stumbled upon a mysterious aluminum box sticking out of a stony wall in the Czech Republic. Inside were bracelets, cigar cases, a compact, a comb and 598 gold coins. Archaeologists offered some possible explanations.

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What Is Zooarchaeology?

How animal remains deepen our understanding of the past

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/biblical-archaeology-topics/biblical-archaeology-basics/what-is-zooarchaeology/?

Was Jesus a Jew?

Discovering the Jewish Jesus

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/was-jesus-a-jew/?

Does the Merneptah Stele Contain the First Mention of Israel?

Scholars Manfred Görg, Peter van der Veen and Christoffer Theis say maybe not

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/does-the-merneptah-stele-contain-the-first-mention-of-israel/?

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African Figurines in Israel’s Negev

Early Christian graves link Africa, India, and the Holy Land

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/african-figurines-in-israels-negev/?

What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

A look back at 75 years of Dead Sea Scrolls research

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/dead-sea-scrolls/what_are_the_dead_sea_scrolls/?

Where Is Sodom?

Genesis 13, archaeology and Biblical geography provide clues

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/where-is-sodom/?

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Another Gold Ring from Hellenistic Jerusalem

Find may reveal an ancient coming-of-age custom

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/another-gold-ring-from-hellenistic-jerusalem/?

Wilderness Wanderings: Where is Kadesh?

Kadesh in the Bible and on the ground

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-places/wilderness-wanderings-where-is-kadesh/?

Jews and Arabs Descended from Canaanites

DNA analysis, from bodies found at several sites, explains more than half of ancestry

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/jews-and-arabs-descended-from-canaanites/?

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Cush in the Crosshairs

The threats facing Sudan's rich heritage

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/cush-in-the-crosshairs/?

Josephus on the Essenes

Flavius Josephus was a first-century Jewish historian, politician and soldier whose literary works provide crucial documentation of Roman Palestine in the first century A.D. At age 29, he was appointed general of the Jewish forces in Galilee. He was eventually captured by Vespasian, who was at that time the supreme commander of the Roman army. Josephus capitulated and sought to ingratiate himself with the Roman general, eventually becoming part of the imperial court in Rome. He was an eyewitness to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple by the Roman army in 70 A.D. He spent the rest of his life in Rome pursuing his literary career, the surviving results of which comprise a vital source of historical information.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/dead-sea-scrolls/josephus-on-the-essenes/?

Solomon, Socrates and Aristotle

In the earliest biblical painting, Greek philosophers admire the king’s wisdom

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/solomon-socrates-and-aristotle/?

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Byzantine Masterpiece Unveiled

Stunning 1,500-year-old mosaic goes on display

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/byzantine-masterpiece-unveiled/?

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What Is the Galilee?

The biblical region that shaped two faiths

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/what-is-the-galilee/?

What Happened to the Canaanites?

DNA study links ancient Canaanites to their modern descendants

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/what-happened-to-the-canaanites/?

The Tel Dan Inscription: The First Historical Evidence of King David from the Bible

Tel Dan inscription references the “House of David”

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/the-tel-dan-inscription-the-first-historical-evidence-of-the-king-david-bible-story/?

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Prophetesses in the Bible

Who are they, and what did they do?

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

Tomb of Apostle Philip Found

Discovery made at Hierapolis, one of the major Christian sites in Turkey

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/tomb-of-apostle-philip-found/?

What Did Jesus Really Look Like?

Can anyone answer the question "What did Jesus look like?"

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/what-did-jesus-really-look-like/?