Ancient Cultures

Ancient Cultures

The secret of Roman Concrete

Mar 20

The Secret of Roman Concrete

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

From the Pantheon of Rome to the port of Caesarea Maritima, Roman buildings have stood the test of time, thanks to one specific material: Roman […]

Roman Lady Mosaic from Pompeii

Mar 19

5 Ways Women Participated in the Early Church

By: Megan Sauter

What was life like for women in the Christian Church during the first century C.E.? When the books of the New Testament were being written, […]

Lost city

Mar 18

Drought Reveals 3,400-Year-Old Lost City

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Droughts across Iraq have been a major source of humanitarian concern, but they have also provided archaeologists with a rare opportunity to excavate an ancient […]

Cyrus Cylinder

Mar 17

The Cyrus Cylinder

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

The Cyrus Cylinder is one of the best-known surviving texts from the Achaemenid Persian Empire (c. 550–332 BCE), due almost entirely to its proposed connection […]

altar-mt-ebal

Mar 16

A Biblical Altar on Mt. Ebal and Other Israelite Footprints in the Jordan Valley?

By: Megan Sauter

Foot-shaped sites have been found throughout the Jordan Valley, including an extraordinary cultic site on Mt. Ebal. Is this the Israelite altar described in Joshua 8?

hattusa-wall

Mar 15

Who Were the Hittites?

By: Ellen White

Archaeology tells us a lot about the Hittites—and the Neo-Hittites too. But it’s hard to reconcile this with the Hittites of the Bible.

Pi

Mar 14

Origins: 3.14159265…

By: Kim Jonas

Why did the ancients invent increasingly subtle and ingenious methods to arrive at an exact value of pi? Human curiosity.

Book of the dead

Mar 13

Complete Book of the Dead Discovered at Saqqara

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

While excavating near the Step Pyramid of Djoser, in Saqqara, archaeologists from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities discovered a complete copy of the Egyptian […]

inside the pyramid

Mar 10

Hidden Corridor Found Inside the Pyramid of Khufu

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

The Great Pyramid of Khufu has been an object of fascination since the very beginning of archaeology, yet even today it continues to reveal fascinating […]

eeckhout-judah-tamar

Mar 9

Sacred Prostitution in the Story of Judah and Tamar?

By: BAS Staff

While some scholars suggest that temple prostitution was practiced in ancient Israel, Edward Lipiński argues that neither the Bible nor archaeology provides any clear evidence that Israelite religion incorporated the sexual rites of Canaanite goddesses.