Looters sometimes indirectly alert archaeologists to the existence of valuable finds and are sent to jail if they are caught, while the archaeologists learn from the looters where to dig. Read more…
Artifacts and the Bible
Artifacts, manmade objects often found during archaeological excavations, that make a contribution to our understanding of the Bible and/or the historicity of Biblical events.
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First Person: Should These Looters Go to Jail?
• 07/31/2017
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Biblical History at What Cost?
• 07/24/2017
Recently, the Hobby Lobby corporation—owned by the Green family—agreed to pay a $3 million fine for the purchase of thousands of artifacts believed to have been smuggled out of Iraq. Read more…
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The Nag Hammadi Codices and Gnostic Christianity
• 06/06/2017
Until the discovery of the Nag Hammadi codices in 1945, the Gnostic view of early Christianity had largely been forgotten. The teachings of Gnostic Christianity—vilified especially since they were declared Read more…
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Where Did the Philistines Come From?
• 05/20/2017
Excavators at Tell es-Safi/Gath, the site of Gath of the Philistines mentioned in the Bible, found an exceptionally well preserved horned altar reminiscent of the Israelite horned altars described in Read more…
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The Doorways of Solomon’s Temple
• 05/11/2017
In the Bible, the inner shrine of Solomon’s Temple is described as having five mezuzot. What are they? The question has puzzled Biblical scholars for centuries. Does a recently discovered Read more…
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Sold! Earliest Surviving 10 Commandments Stone
• 02/08/2017
A 10 Commandments stone tablet—believed by some to be the oldest stone copy of the 10 Commandments—was sold at an auction in November 2016 for $850,000. Read more…
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Is the “Brother of Jesus” Inscription on the James Ossuary a Forgery?
• 01/31/2017
Although the famous “brother of Jesus” inscription on the so-called James Ossuary has been authenticated by two world-class paleographers, not everyone is convinced that the inscription is authentic. Read more…
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10 Great Biblical Artifacts at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem
• 01/04/2017
The Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem houses one of the world’s most important collections of Biblical artifacts. Read more…
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Lebanese Cedar—The Prized Tree of Ancient Woodworking
• 01/02/2017
From Solomon’s Temple to the Jesus Boat, the Biblical world was built of cedar. Read more…
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The Tel Dan Inscription: The First Historical Evidence of King David from the Bible
• 11/08/2016
Few modern Biblical archaeology discoveries have attracted as much attention as the Tel Dan inscription—writing on a ninth-century B.C. stone slab (or stela) that furnished the first historical evidence of Read more…
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Ancient Latrine: A Peek into King Hezekiah’s Reforms in the Bible?
• 10/04/2016
A millennia-old latrine discovered at Tel Lachish in Israel could be evidence of King Hezekiah’s religious reforms enacted throughout the Kingdom of Judah in the eighth century B.C.E. Read more…
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Herod’s Temple Mount Revealed in Al-Aqsa Mosque Restoration
• 09/02/2016
As a result of earthquakes, Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount had to be dismantled and reconstructed in the 1930s and 1940s. Massive Cedar of Lebanon and cypress beams were Read more…
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Liberator of the Nag Hammadi Codices
• 07/31/2016
A cache of ancient Christian Gnostic texts was found near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945—two years before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Similar to the situation with the Read more…
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First Person: A Scepter from the Temple?
• 05/30/2016
In his First Person column in the May/June 2016 issue of BAR, Hershel Shanks asks: Where is the paleographer who says the ivory pomegranate is fake? Read more…
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Ivory Pomegranate Revisited: A Relic from Solomon’s Temple?
• 03/23/2016
The famous inscribed ivory pomegranate, which, if authentic, may have been the head of a scepter from Solomon’s Temple, has endured decades of debate. Is the inscription real, or is Read more…
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King Hezekiah in the Bible: Royal Seal of Hezekiah Comes to Light
• 12/03/2015
For the first time, the royal seal of King Hezekiah in the Bible has been found in an archaeological excavation. Read more…
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Ancient Amulets with Incipits
• 10/02/2015
Ancient amulets containing incipits of Biblical passages have been uncovered in Egypt and were used as protective charms to ward off evil. Learn about early Christian amulets with incipits in Read more…
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Tischendorf on Trial for Removing Codex Sinaiticus, the Oldest New Testament
• 09/23/2015
Constantine Tischendorf’s chance finding of Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest New Testament manuscript, at St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai—and his later removal of the manuscript—made him both famous and infamous. Read more…
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The Ophel Treasure
• 09/01/2015
A striking cache, including a gold medallion inscribed with a menorah, shofar (ram’s horn) and a Torah scroll, was found at the foot of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Read more…
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Jeremiah, Prophet of the Bible, Brought Back to Life
• 08/24/2015
Two small clay bullae (seal impressions) found in the course of Eilat Mazar’s City of David, Jerusalem, excavations are bringing Jeremiah, prophet of the last kings of Judah, back to Read more…
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Word Play
• 05/15/2015
Three thousand years ago, when alphabetic writing had just begun to spread across the masses of the ancient Near East, written words were far more than idle marks meant simply Read more…
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Shroud of Turin Exhibit Opens in Turin, Italy
• 04/23/2015
The Shroud of Turin—purported to be the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth—is back on public display in Turin, Italy. Read more…
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First Person: Gold from the Temple?
• 07/15/2014
In his First Person in the July/August 2014 issue of BAR, Hershel Shanks discusses two very different inscriptions—the “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” papyrus fragment and the Jehoash Inscription—that are both Read more…
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St. Sabas Seal Uncovered in Jerusalem
• 06/06/2014
IAA archaeologists recently announced the discovery of a double-faced lead seal containing the image of Saint Sabas at a 12th-century farmstead in Jerusalem. Read more…
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Proto-Aeolic Capital Associated with Judah’s Longest Spring Tunnel
• 05/01/2014
A one-of-a-kind proto-aeolic capital still attached to its base is associated with a 525-foot-long tunnel system, the largest and most impressively hewn spring tunnel in the region. Read more…
