Archaeology Today

People sitting in seats in front of a projection screen in a large room. Courtesy UNESCO

Apr 10

39 Sites in Lebanon Gain UNESCO Protection

In a decision prompted by a request from the Lebanese government, UNESCO granted enhanced protection status to 39 sites across Lebanon under the 1954 Hague […]

Apr 2

Understanding the Good Samaritan Parable

By: BAS Staff

Who were the Samaritans? Dr. Amy-Jill Levine of Vanderbilt University explains how getting an accurate answer to this question can shed light on how shocking the Good Samaritan parable would have been for Jesus’ audience.

The Stepped Stone Structure is identified by some with the biblical Millo (2 Kings 12:20) and by others as a massive retaining wall. Photo courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer, BAS

Mar 23

What’s New in Biblical Jerusalem?

By: Marek Dospěl

Jerusalem is one of the most excavated places in the world. Since Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) first appeared in 1975, its readers have had a […]

Archaeologists excavating the site of El-Araj (biblical Bethsaida) on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Photo by Zachary Wong, courtesy El-Araj Excavation Project.

Mar 21

Where Is the House of Saint Peter the Apostle?

By: Marek Dospěl

After seven seasons of excavation at El-Araj on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, archaeologists have found the remains of a house that […]

Mar 20

Setting the BAR

By: BAS Staff

The story of Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) begins in the early 1970s. Hershel Shanks, a partner in a Washington, D.C., law firm, decided to take […]

painting of unfinished tower reaching to sky

Mar 18

Why the Tower of Babel Is So Hard to Explain

By: Lauren K. McCormick

The story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 is nine verses long. You can read it in under a minute. Yet few biblical […]

Azekah excavation at sunrise. Photo by Efrat Shffi, Courtesy Lautenschläger Azekah Expedition

Feb 25

More Than Meets the Trowel

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

In joining an excavation for the first time, many dig volunteers might dream of discovering the Ark of the Covenant, the next Rosetta Stone, or […]

modern wooded bridge pathway along megiddo waterway. Courtesy Mboesch, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Feb 23

Why Biblical Archaeology Still Matters

By: Lauren K. McCormick

Biblical archaeology is not a niche offshoot of archaeology. It was there at the beginning. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, excavations in Egypt, […]

The temple of Bel in Palmyra before its destruction. James Gordon from Los Angeles, California, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Feb 18

Palmyra in Ruins

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, archaeologists and residents have begun to return to the ancient city of Palmyra. Before the […]

Illustration of bread Stamp. Illustration courtesy James Gold.

Feb 16

What Is Archaeological Illustration?

By: James Gold

On the western side of Larnaka Bay in Cyprus, overlooking the Mediterranean, lies an imposing plateau known as Vigla. This fortified settlement, occupied briefly during […]

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