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Biblical archaeology comprises excavations and chance discoveries of artifacts representing people, places, and things mentioned in the Bible. The purpose of this social science is to check the accuracy of Biblical texts, and to counter the supposition that these books were basically fairytales or fictitious history composed by Jews exiled in Babylon during the 6th century BC and later. As with the historical records from any other civilization, it must be compared to opposing accounts from contemporary societies in Europe, Mesopotamia, and Africa; likewise, records from its neighbors must be compared to it.
Biblical texts
Charles Warren (British soldier) conducted the first formal excavations in the land of Israel under the auspices of the Palestine Exploration Fund (http://www.pef.org.uk/) in 1867, a time when the oldest complete Hebrew scripture only dated to the Middle Ages. Though not mentioned specifically in the Bible, Warren discovered the first Israelite inscriptions on several jar handles with LMLK seals found near the southeast wall of the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered shortly before Israel gained statehood in 1948, and other extremely old copies of the Bible books do not really qualify as an artifact representing something mentioned in the Bible, although they are an important testimony to the antiquity of the texts, and the reliable manner in which they were preserved through the ages. An important footnote is that seven of the scrolls first appeared on the antiquities market, but due to their enormous importance, archaeologists eventually found where they came from, and with subsequent excavations located thousands of similar fragments.
The famous silver scrolls discovered in 1979 at Ketef Hinnom are unique in that they preserve Biblical texts dating to at least the 6th century before Christ, possibly decades before the Jews were exiled to Babylon, thus predating when many critics say the Old Testament was written. Both of these amulets contain the Priestly blessing from the book of Numbers; one also contains a quote found in parallel verses of Exodus (20:6) and Deuteronomy (5:10 and 7:9). Note that the same verses appear again even later in the book of Daniel (9:4) and Nehemiah (1:5).
Confirmed Biblical structures
- Jericho's walls
- Critics claim they fell due to an earthquake and do not date to the time of Joshua's conquest; nonetheless, it is a remarkable coincidence that they exist at all considering that the site was stratified and unoccupied during the late period when the critics say the book of Joshua was written.
- Siloam pool (just unearthed in 2004)
Artifacts from documented excavations
- Ekron inscription (discovered in 1993 at Tel Miqne)
- Jar handles inscribed GBON (recovered from the Gibeon pool)
- Tel Dan Stele with House of David inscription (three fragments discovered in 1993)
- Lachish ostraca
- Most of these terse texts were discovered in the 1930s. They depict conditions at Lachish during the end of the 7th century BC shortly before the Chaldean invasion. One mentions signal fires from a nearby village, another mentions a warning from the prophet.
Artifacts with unknown or disputed provenance
Items in this list mostly come from private collections via the antiquities market, but also from chance finds prior to the establishment of antiquities laws. Their authenticity is highly controversial and in some cases demonstrated to be fraudulent.
- Bullae of King Hezekiah and his servants
- Ebla (Tell Mardikh) cuneiform archives
- They reportedly contain references to the same five legendary cities mentioned in the book of Genesis: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim, and Bela/Zoar in the same order as in Genesis 14. The government of Syria continues to withold complete publication of the texts, and this story remains a rumor.
- Ivory pomegranate inscribed Property of the priests of the temple...
- Determined in December 2004 to be a modern forged inscription on a genuine ancient piece of ivory.
- James Ossuary inscribed James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus
- Israeli police indicted its owner, Oded Golan, in December 2004 on suspicion of forging this on a genuine ancient ossuary.
- Joash (Jehoash) tablet recording repairs to the Temple in Jerusalem
- Israeli police indicted Oded Golan in December 2004 on suspicion of forging this.
- Shroud of Turin
- Critics claim it contains a painted image of Jesus Christ forged in the Middle Ages; others maintain the image was formed by some heat process that darkened the fibers (such as a flash of light the instant the resurrection occurred). Radiocarbon dating seemed to limit its origin to the Middle Ages; others say the tests were erroneously performed using samples taken from patches sewn onto the ancient cloth during the Middle Ages, or contaminated from fires it was exposed to. If forged, it would be the most realistically accurate painting produced during the Middle Ages; if genuine, it is the most incredible artifact imagineable.
- Stone of Scone, also known as Jacob's Pillar
- For centuries, this rock has been an integral compenent of coronation ceremonies for kings in the British isles. It is believed to be the rock upon which Jacob (later renamed Israel) received a vision, and a crack in it may have resulted from Moses striking it to bring forth water. Obviously none of this can be proven, and attempts to link it to Palestine via Jeremiah (prophet) lack foundation.
Biblical people confirmed by non-Biblical records
See also
External links
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