Ancient Israel

Ancient Israel

Jerusalem's Iron Age Moat

Dec 11

Jerusalem’s Iron Age Moat Discovered

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Excavations in the City of David have revealed a fascinating feature of Iron Age Jerusalem’s urban landscape—a massive rock-cut moat. Separating the northern and southern […]

Hellenistic Jerusalem

Dec 8

Roof Tiles and Hellenistic Jerusalem

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Archaeological evidence of Hellenistic Jerusalem is sparse, especially for the final years of the reign of the Seleucids (c. second century BCE). However, a new […]

Dec 4

Hook, Line, and Sinker: Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet Debunked?

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Initially hailed by its discoverers as “the most ancient Hebrew inscription ever found,” the controversial Mt. Ebal curse tablet may be no more than a […]

Origins of warfare

Nov 24

The Origins of Warfare in the Levant

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Excavations at the archaeological sites of Ein Zippori and Ein Esur in northern Israel have revealed what may be the earliest evidence of warfare in […]

Antiochus IV--Epiphanes

Nov 24

Antiochus Epiphanes—The Bible’s Most Notoriously Forgotten Villain

By: John Gregory Drummond

Many names come to mind when someone mentions the great “villains” of the Bible. Some are foreign powers, like the Pharaoh of the Exodus or […]

Elephantine text

Oct 27

A Jewish Curse Text from Elephantine

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

While the Hebrew Bible provides a great deal of information on ancient Israelite religion and Yahweh worship, there are very few extrabiblical texts that inform […]

magdala-stone

Oct 17

The Magdala Stone: The Jerusalem Temple Embodied

By: Jennifer Ristine

For a people living in the diaspora, unable to visit the Jerusalem Temple frequently, what kept the memory and centrality of the Temple fresh in their minds? An intriguing stone uncovered at the Galilean site of Magdala might offer a clue.

The home of the prophet Micah?

Oct 9

Has the Home of the Prophet Micah Been Found?

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Where is the biblical town of Moresheth-Gath, the birthplace of the prophet Micah? The exact location of Moresheth-Gath, a site that is mentioned several times […]

Mirror of a hetaira

Oct 6

A Greek Hetaira in Hellenistic Jerusalem

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Excavations near Ramat Rahel in southern Jerusalem have revealed the burial cave of a hetaira, an ancient Greek courtesan. Dating to the late fourth or […]

byzantine psalm

Oct 2

Byzantine Psalm Uncovered at Hyrcania

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

During a pilot excavation at Hyrcania, located 10 miles southeast of Jerusalem in the West Bank, excavators uncovered a Greek inscription paraphrasing Psalm 86. Dating […]