Archeology

[phkrause]

Pharaoh’s Brick Makers

Contrary to popular belief, the Bible does not assert that during their sojourn in Egypt the Israelites were involved in building the pyramids. Although fundamental questions remain regarding the presence of Israelites in Egypt and the Exodus—including the dating and scale—it is certain that the most impressive, stone-built pyramids of the Old Kingdom (27th–22nd century B.C.E.) predate the biblical Exodus by hundreds of years. Moreover, there is now plenty of contemporary evidence showing that the pyramids were constructed by indigenous professional builders, not enslaved foreigners.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/pharaohs-brick-makers/?

[phkrause]

First Person: Misogyny in the Bible

Christopher Rollston is one of the world’s leading paleographers of ancient Near Eastern inscriptions. I have been harshly critical of some of his views, principally regarding unprovenanced inscriptions—inscriptions that have surfaced only from the antiquities market, not from a professional archaeological excavation. They may be forgeries, he argues. Although my criticism of Chris’s position is intense,¹ we remain good friends and regularly share a meal. Chris is also a master carpenter. Above my office door hangs a beautiful polished wooden plaque expertly carved with my name in paleo-Hebrew script—the kind of Hebrew letters used before the Babylonian destruction of the Solomonic (First) Temple in 586 B.C.E.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/bible-interpretation/first-person-misogyny-in-the-bible/?

[phkrause]

Review: Mount Machaerus

An Introduction to the Historical, Archaeological, and Pilgrim Site Overlooking the Dead Sea in the Kingdom of Jordan

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/reviews/review-mount-machaerus/?

The Virgin Mary and the Prophet Muhammad

Mediating the Word of God in Christian and Islamic traditions

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/bible-interpretation/the-virgin-mary-and-the-prophet-muhammad/?

 

[phkrause]

Locating Plato’s Burial

Although scholars have long suspected that Plato, one of the most famous philosophers of antiquity, was buried within the grounds of the school he helped found, a newly deciphered scroll from Herculaneum could offer clues as to the precise location. At an event in the National Library of Naples, researchers announced the early results of their decipherment of a carbonized scroll containing a copy of History of the Academy¸ penned by Philodemus of Gadara (c. 110–35 BCE). According to the research team, the scroll contains intriguing new details about Plato’s life and death.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/locating-platos-burial/?

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/?

[phkrause]

Searching for Solomon

Does archaeology shed light on the legendary king?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/searching-for-solomon/?

[phkrause]

Debating the Future of Biblical Archaeology

This past January, prominent archaeologists and biblical scholars from around the world gathered for a weekend of lectures and discussion at the Lanier Theological Library in Houston. The event, organized by Lipscomb University, was primarily a commemoration of the work and legacy of William Dever, the longtime leading voice of American biblical archaeology,^* who celebrated his 90th birthday in November 2023. Nearly 20 scholars, including Gary Rendsburg, Jodi Magness, Thomas Levy, and many others well known to Biblical Archaeology Review readers, honored Dever with presentations about their latest discoveries and perspectives on the field.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/debating-the-future-of-biblical-archaeology/?

Biblical Sidon—Jezebel’s Hometown

Who were the Sidonians, and what do we know about their religion?

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

[phkrause]

Ships in the Desert

While carrying out salvage excavations in the city of Rahat in the northern Negev desert, archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) came across something unexpected: depictions of boats carved into the walls of a 1,500-year-old Byzantine church. The IAA believes the carvings shed important light on Christian pilgrimage routes in the sixth century CE.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/ships-in-the-desert/?

[phkrause]

An Early Alphabetic Text from Beth Shemesh

An early alphabetic text discovered at Beth Shemesh in central Israel has drawn the attention of Assyriologists and archaeologists for nearly a century. Although the roughly 3,300-year-old tablet is not the oldest alphabetic text discovered in Israel, it is still incredibly rare, as it was written in cuneiform. Publishing in the journal Tel Aviv, archaeologists from Ben-Gurion University set out to better understand the Beth Shemesh tablet, suggesting it could have been the school exercise of a young scribe.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/an-early-alphabetic-text-from-beth-shemesh/?

Where Is Sodom?

According to the Bible, “the men of Sodom were wicked” (Genesis 13, verse 13). For its many sins, God destroyed Sodom and all the inhabitants of the “cities of the plain” in an intense conflagration, but not before allowing Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family to flee to safety.

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

[phkrause]

King Solomon at Gezer

Monumental architecture confirms biblical claims

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/king-solomon-at-gezer/?

[phkrause]

Ancient Gold Ring Found in Jerusalem

Excavations in Jerusalem have revealed yet another fantastic discovery: a gold ring from the early Hellenistic period (late fourth–early third century BCE) that illuminates the city’s wealth during that time. Although archaeologists have long assumed Jerusalem was only a small town during the early Hellenistic period, finds like this and others from the City of David are rewriting that history.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/ancient-gold-ring-found-in-jerusalem/?

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

Is it possible that the earliest existing picture of a scene from the Bible also includes the philosophers Socrates and Aristotle as onlookers? It is not only possible; I believe that is the case.

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

[phkrause]

The Sarcophagus of Ramesses the Great

More than 3,200 years after the death of Ramesses the Great (r. 1279–1213 BCE), a large piece of his burial sarcophagus has been identified. Publishing in the journal Revue d’Égyptologie, Frédéric Payraudeau, a professor of Egyptology at Sorbonne University, has proposed that an inscribed granite fragment discovered nearly 15 years ago once belonged to the outer coffin of one of Egypt’s most famous monarchs.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/the-sarcophagus-of-ramesses-the-great/?

[phkrause]

Where Is Biblical Colossae?

The unexcavated site of Colossae sits near the modern city of Honaz at the base of Mt. Cadmus (in modern Turkey). It is located near the sites of Laodicea and Hierapolis, which also appear in the Bible.

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

[phkrause]

Ancient Egypt’s Blaze of Glory

A collection of exceptional sculptures from Egypt’s 26th Dynasty (664–526 BCE) is currently on view at the Getty Villa of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Known also as the Saite Dynasty (after its capital city of Sais in the Nile Delta), this period saw intense artistic revival, with artists finding inspiration in the glorious past and bringing back forms and styles we typically associate with the Old and Middle Kingdoms. It was the last great phase of native rule over ancient Egypt, wedged between centuries of political fragmentation and the looming Persian conquest, followed by Macedonian and then Roman rule.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/exhibits-events/ancient-egypts-blaze-of-glory/?

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

Few modern Biblical archaeology discoveries have caused as much excitement as the Tel Dan inscription—writing on a ninth-century B.C. stone slab (or stela) that furnished the first historical evidence of King David from the Bible.

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

What Happened to the Canaanites?

What happened to the Canaanites?  Researchers conducted DNA sequencing on ancient Canaanite skeletons and have determined where the Canaanites’ descendants can be found today.

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

[phkrause]

Where Is Biblical Gilgal?

A memorial to the Israelite crossing of the Jordan River, a place of sacrifice, the location of King Agag’s death, Gilgal may be one of the most important biblical sites you probably do not remember from the Bible. That is if Gilgal is even a single site in the first place. While Gilgal is mentioned more than 40 times in the Hebrew Bible, scholars remain remarkably uncertain about the site’s location or its history. Some even believe Gilgal was not a specific place, but rather simply a descriptive term for a specific type of settlement. Publishing in the journal Tel Aviv, archaeologist Nadav Naaman argues that Gilgal was in fact a single cultic site located just a few miles from Jericho.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/where-is-biblical-gilgal/?

[phkrause]

Early Copy of Infancy Gospel of Thomas Identified

While working through collections of unstudied papyri at the Hamburg Carl von Ossietzky State and University Library in Germany, two scholars made a shocking discovery: the earliest known copy of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Although the small papyrus contains only 13 lines of fragmentary Greek text, it provides an incredible window into the history of this early Christian apocryphal gospel.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/early-copy-of-infancy-gospel-of-thomas-identified/?

Did This Winery Get Noah Drunk?

Ancient installation discovered near Mt. Ararat supports origins of biblical wine

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-places/did-this-biblical-winery-get-noah-drunk/

ps:very interesting article

Searching for the Temple of King Solomon

For centuries, scholars have searched in vain for any remnant of Solomon’s Temple. The fabled Jerusalem sanctuary, described in such exacting detail in 1 Kings 6, was no doubt one the most stunning achievements of King Solomon in the Bible, yet nothing of the building itself has been found because excavation on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, site of the Temple of King Solomon, is impossible.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/searching-for-the-temple-of-king-solomon/?

[phkrause]

The Doorways of Solomon’s Temple

King Solomon’s Temple was resplendent. Described in 1 Kings 6–7, the temple was divided into three parts: the forecourt (ulam), the outer sanctum (heikhal) and the inner shrine (devir), also known as the Holy of Holies. Built of stone and roofed with wooden beams, Solomon’s Temple was intricately ornamented. Its interior walls and floors were lined with wooden boards and covered in gold. It took seven years to complete the temple and its furnishings.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/artifacts-and-the-bible/the-doorways-of-solomons-temple/?

The Golan’s Roman Road

Extending through the southern Golan is one of the best-preserved Roman roads in the region, connecting the Sea of Galilee to the ancient Syrian city of Nawa. However, recent excavations suggest it may be hiding a secret. Running across the rugged terrain of the Golan Heights, the road seems to have bypassed nearly all local Jewish villages, and its multiple watchtowers paint a picture of a Roman army concerned with regional security. Publishing in the journal Tel Aviv, one team suggests the road could be evidence that, even years after the revolts that engulfed Judah in the first and second centuries CE, the Romans still felt a Jewish threat.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/the-golans-roman-road/?

Who is the Wise Woman of Abel Beth Maacah?

Who is the Wise Woman of Abel Beth Maacah? In 2 Samuel 20:14–22, this woman stands up to Joab, the commander of King David’s army, and adroitly negotiates the salvation of her town. Why does Joab listen to her?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/who-is-the-wise-woman-of-abel-beth-maacah/?

 

[phkrause]

Early Copy of Infancy Gospel of Thomas Identified

While working through collections of unstudied papyri at the Hamburg Carl von Ossietzky State and University Library in Germany, two scholars made a shocking discovery: the earliest known copy of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Although the small papyrus contains only 13 lines of fragmentary Greek text, it provides an incredible window into the history of this early Christian apocryphal gospel.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/early-copy-of-infancy-gospel-of-thomas-identified/?

[phkrause]

A ship found far off Israel’s coast could shed light on the navigation skills of ancient mariners

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A company drilling for natural gas off the coast of northern Israel discovered a 3,300-year-old ship and its cargo, one of the oldest known examples of a ship sailing far from land, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-archaeology-ancient-ship-b894f8785765261d7e2d0551afa11379?

[phkrause]

What Color Were Ancient Tefillin?

Tefillin, commonly known as phylacteries in English, are Jewish ritual leather cases containing Bible verses written on tiny scrolls, strapped on the forehead and arm during morning prayer. Still worn by religious Jews today, tefillin have roots stretching back 2,000 years into the archaeological record. But how similar were these ancient religious objects to the tefillin of today? Publishing in the journal PLOS ONE, a team of scholars set out to answer just that question.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/what-color-were-ancient-tefillin/?

Who Were the Ammonites, Moabites and Edomites in the Bible?

When the kingdoms of Israel and Judah controlled the land of Canaan, the kingdoms of Ammon, Moab and Edom ruled east of the Jordan. Although the Bible offers information about these three Iron Age kingdoms, recent archaeological discoveries are bringing to light a fuller picture of them. In his article “Ammon, Moab and Edom: Gods and Kingdoms East of the Jordan,” published in the November/December 2016 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Joel S. Burnett examines the incredible archaeological discoveries from Ammon, Moab and Edom.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/ammonites-moabites-edomites-in-the-bible/?

Job Challenges God by Suing: God Responds

Suing God. To most it would seem an absurd notion—but not to Job. After all, desperate times call for desperate measures.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/bible-interpretation/job-challenges-god-by-suing-god-responds/?

[phkrause]

Collapse and Rebirth

The emergence of biblical Israel and the dawn of the Iron Age

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/collapse-and-rebirth/?

Lydia and Tabitha in the Bible

What was life like for women in the early Christian church? What roles were they able to fill? How were women leaders regarded in the New Testament?

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/lydia-and-tabitha-in-the-bible/?

[phkrause]

Roman Coins and the Last Great Jewish Revolt

Excavations in the central Israeli city of Lod offer a glimpse of the third-century CE Gallus Revolt, the last great Jewish revolt against the Romans. In addition to uncovering a large public building, archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) found a hoard of silver and bronze coins, likely stashed under the building’s floor in a moment of desperation.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/roman-coins-and-last-great-jewish-revolt/?

Why Did the Magi Bring Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh?

Were the gifts of the magi meant to save Jesus from the pain of arthritis? It’s possible, according to researchers at Cardiff University in Wales who have been studying the medical uses of frankincense.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/why-did-the-magi-bring-gold-frankincense-and-myrrh/?

What Was Life Like for Roman Slaves?

In the southwest of Asia Minor, at the site of Aphrodisias, Turkey,* archaeology is providing  insight into the lives of Roman slaves, including a man named Zoilos who earned his freedom. Excavators identified Zoilos through a number of his inscriptions found throughout the city; for a time archaeologists even assumed he was part of a local aristocratic family. But their perspective changed with the discovery of an inscription identifying him as “Gaius Julius Zoilos, freedman of the divine Julius’s son Caesar.”

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/what-was-life-like-for-roman-slaves/?

[phkrause]

Tel Burna’s Cypriot Pithoi

While Cypriot pithoi were commonly used in maritime shipping during the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550–1200 BCE), few have ever been found in the southern Levant. After all, their large size made them prohibitively difficult to carry over land for any great distance. So, what are four Cypriot pithoi doing at the site of Tel Burna in central Israel, over 20 miles from the nearest port, and why did the city’s Bronze Age potters suddenly begin making their own? Publishing in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal, a team of archaeologists set out to find the answers.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/tel-burnas-cypriot-pithoi/?

Deciphered Dead Sea Scroll Reveals 364-Day Calendar

In 2017 scholars Eshbal Ratson and Jonathan Ben-Dov of the Department of Bible Studies at the University of Haifa published one of the last two remaining Dead Sea Scrolls in their article “A Newly Reconstructed Calendrical Scroll from Qumran in Cryptic Script” in the Journal of Biblical Literature (Winter 2017).

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/qumran-community-364-day-calendar/?

[phkrause]

Ruins of ancient garden likely owned by Emperor Caligula uncovered near Vatican during excavations

ROME (AP) — Archaeological excavations near the Vatican uncovered the remains of an ancient garden overlooking the right bank of the Tiber River that was likely owned by Roman Emperor Caligula, Italy’s culture ministry said Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/rome-caligula-garden-archaeology-rome-jubilee-8be5a010c443ca50c149f1debd0650e5?

[phkrause]

Sennacherib’s Siege Camp Discovered?

Have the siege camps set up during Sennacherib’s campaign against Judah (c. 701 BCE) been identified? According to an article published in the journal Near Eastern Archaeology, they have. Relying on Assyrian depictions of siege camps and historical geographic details, academic Stephen Compton proposes that nearly all of the archaeological sites across Israel and the Levant known as Mudawwara are likely the locations of ancient Assyrian siege camps, several of which are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible’s depiction of Sennacherib’s campaign. Other scholars, however, remain extremely skeptical of Compton’s conclusions.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/sennacheribs-siege-camp-discovered/?

The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Healed the Blind Man

The Siloam Pool has long been considered a sacred Christian site, even if the correct identification of the site itself was uncertain. According to the Gospel of John, it was at the Siloam Pool where Jesus healed the blind man (John 9:1–11).

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/the-siloam-pool-where-jesus-healed-the-blind-man/?

The “Original” Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls

For centuries, Bible scholars examined two ancient texts to elucidate the original language of the Bible: the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint. The Masoretic Text is a traditional Hebrew text finalized by Jewish scholars around 1000 C.E. The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Torah created by the Jews of Alexandria in the third century B.C.E. (The other books of the Hebrew Bible were translated over the course of the following century.) According to Septuagint tradition, at least 70 isolated ancient scholars came up with identical Greek translations of the Torah.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/bible-versions-and-translations/the-original-bible-and-the-dead-sea-scrolls/?

Early Christian Amulets: Between Faith and Magic

The gospel of healing according to Matthew:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/early-christian-amulets-between-faith-and-magic/?

Tel Burna’s Cypriot Pithoi

While Cypriot pithoi were commonly used in maritime shipping during the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550–1200 BCE), few have ever been found in the southern Levant. After all, their large size made them prohibitively difficult to carry over land for any great distance. So, what are four Cypriot pithoi doing at the site of Tel Burna in central Israel, over 20 miles from the nearest port, and why did the city’s Bronze Age potters suddenly begin making their own? Publishing in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal, a team of archaeologists set out to find the answers.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/tel-burnas-cypriot-pithoi/?

[phkrause]

Where Did the Early Israelites Come From?

Study one of the most heated biblical archaeology debates of our time.

It’s a debate that has gone on for literally decades … and still there’s no consensus. Who were the original Israelites, and how did they arrive in Canaan?

There may as yet be no firm answer, but discussing the possibilities can be one of the most enthralling scholarly debates of our time. Renowned archaeologists and historians have developed not two, but three different sides to the question.

Most recently, we have the exciting discoveries at Khirbet el-Mastarah, where, within a range of just a couple of miles, we may be able to see the evolution of early Israel from a primitive, domestic-scale culture of nomads to an advanced political-scale culture.

Intriguingly, this picture corresponds with the biblical account of Israel’s evolution in Joshua through the Book of Kings. And it’s laid out in detail by Ralph K. Hawkins and David Ben-Shlomo in “Khirbet el-Mastarah: An Early Israelite Settlement?”.

The evidence and the conclusions reached by the authors are pieces of this historical puzzle that no biblical scholar will want to miss.

The Biblical Archaeology Society has a Special Collection of articles in the BAS Library: Where Did the Early Israelites Come From?

In this collection, you’ll discover the outlines of all three theories about the origin of the Israelite nation. Did the early Israelites enter Canaan as the books of Joshua and Judges recount based on the newest archaeological evidence?

If the Israelites did enter Canaan, was it through conquest or peaceful settlement?

Or were the Israelites already in place—a disaffected population that moved from the Canaanite urban centers into the hills?

In this special collection of articles, handpicked by BAS editors, explore the central arguments in this debate, and learn how archaeology is constantly contributing to our understanding of biblical history.

Rich archaeological finds and compelling evidence—of all the theories

Amazingly, after decades of work on the problem and thousands of words written, you’ll still find that scholars cannot agree on the origins of ancient Israel. This is affirmed in the most recent article, and nothing has changed since BAS founder and Editor Emeritus Hershel Shanks explained all three theories in 1992.

Outlining the biblical evidence for the method by which the ancient Israelites took possession of the Promised Land—Canaan—Shanks puts two conflicting accounts into focus:

The first is in the last part of the Book of Numbers and the Book of Joshua. The second and somewhat different account is in the Book of Judges.

The account in Joshua portrays a lightning military campaign—lasting less than five years. In this campaign, the various peoples of Canaan are defeated; “Joshua defeated the whole land, the hill country and the Negev and the lowland and the slopes and all their kings” (Joshua 10:40). After these victories, the land west of the Jordan is allotted among the Israelite tribes.

The account in Judges is quite different. First of all, the order is reversed. In Judges, the allotment comes first, and after the allotment they attempt to take possession of the land by conquest. In Judges there is no unified effort by “all Israel” to conquer the land, as seems to be the case in Joshua. In Judges the effort to possess the land seems to be the work of individual tribes or groups of related tribes.

But, as noted above, these two conflicting theories are just part of the debate. You can also read about the idea that the early Israelites were indigenous to Canaan in the first place. Israel Finkelstein’s probing study, “Searching for Israelite Origins,” compares archaeological finds of hill-country Iron Age I sites with those of the Late Bronze Age urban centers in an attempt to decipher the riddle of how the Israelites first settled in the hill country of Israel.

You might read all of this and come to a conclusion. Or you might read further and come to doubt that conclusion—as so many scholars have struggled before you in studying this matter—by exploring Adam Zertal’s presentation of archaeological finds that seem to show the Israelites entered Canaan from the desert fringes of the area, perhaps from east of the Jordan River.

Of course, there’s still more for you to read and understand in the Special Collection Where Did the Early Israelites Come From?

Some scholars believe they have proven the origins of early Israelites, through pottery analysis, from the coastal plains of Canaan, as “revolting” Canaanite peasants who moved east.

Others pointedly note that the Bible itself describes their migration from somewhere in Transjordan—where they were the “people,” not a state, cited in the famed Merneptah Stele—westward into the central hill country of Canaan.

And the pottery—does it really prove a Canaanite origin? Of course it does, until another scholar points out that similar pottery has been found in Transjordanian sites!

All of the above constitutes just some of the scholarly puzzles that await you in the BAS Library and this Special Collection, Where Did the Early Israelites Come From? Enjoy all of these articles from this collection in our library:

• “Defining the Problems: Where We Are in the Debate”
  By Hershel Shanks
• “Searching for Israelite Origins”
  By Israel Finkelstein
• “Israel Enters Canaan—Following the Pottery Trail”
  By Adam Zertal
• “Israelite Footprints”
  By Ralph K. Hawkins
• “Khirbet el-Mastarah: An Early Israelite Settlement?”
  By Ralph K. Hawkins and David Ben-Shlomo
• “Inside, Outside: Where Did the Early Israelites Come From?”
  By Anson F. Rainey
• “How Did Israel Become a People?”
  By Avraham Faust