The Ancient Near Eastern World

The Ancient Near Eastern World

ancient DNA

Sep 22

Ancient DNA from a Cuneiform Brick

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

A group of researchers has successfully extracted DNA from an ancient cuneiform brick for the first time, identifying over thirty species of plants present in […]

Temple on Mount Gerizim

Sep 17

The Temple on Mount Gerizim—In the Bible and Archaeology

By: Megan Sauter

Temples have been found throughout the ancient Near East. What went on at these sites? Along with reconstructing architectural remains, can scholars piece together ancient worship practices? […]

hattusa-wall

Sep 14

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.

Queen of Sheba

Sep 7

Who Is the Queen of Sheba in the Bible?

By: Megan Sauter

The meeting of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba is described in the Bible. Bringing exquisite gifts, the Queen of Sheba came from an exotic land—but where exactly?

Aug 23

Çatalhöyük Mural: The Earliest Representation of a Volcanic Eruption?

By: Noah Wiener

In the early 1960s, archaeologist James Mellaart uncovered a mural at Çatalhöyük, the world’s largest and best-preserved Neolithic site, which he interpreted to represent a volcanic eruption.

tablets-of-jewish-exiles

Aug 20

How Bad Was the Babylonian Exile?

By: BAS Staff

Was there really weeping from the Judahite exiles by the rivers of Babylon? New evidence suggests that life was actually pretty good for some Judahite deportees and their successors.

taanach-cult-stand

Aug 3

Asherah and the Asherim: Goddess or Cult Symbol?

By: Ellen White

Who is Asherah? What is asherah? The reference may be to a particular goddess, a class of goddess or a cult symbol used to represent the goddess. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish what meaning is intended.

black-obelisk-shalmaneser-iii

Aug 2

10 Things to Know About the Assyrian Empire

By: Robin Ngo

The Assyrians referenced in the Hebrew Bible were a mighty force that exerted power over much of the Near East, including Israel and Judah, in the ninth through seventh centuries B.C.E.

Jul 20

The Expulsion of the Hyksos

By: Noah Wiener

In the 16th century B.C.E., Ahmose I overthrew the Hyksos and initiated the 18th Dynasty and the New Kingdom of Egypt. Recent archaeological discoveries at Tel Habuwa shed new light on Ahmose’s campaign.

Delphi Oracle

Jul 18

The Oracle of Delphi—Was She Really Stoned?

By: Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and John R. Hale

According to Strabo and other sources, the Pythia who gave prophecies on behalf of Apollo was inspired by mysterious vapors. Is there evidence that intoxicating gases actually drifted through the Temple of Apollo at Delphi?