Inscriptions
May 20
Was the Siloam Inscription a Message for the Dead?
Sometimes, archaeology provides evidence that makes the past feel palpable. Jerusalem’s Siloam Tunnel Inscription is a great example. Carved into the tunnel’s wall is a […]
May 13
The Tombstone of Abercius
By: Jason Borges
Abercius was a prominent Christian from Hierapolis, Phrygia (western Turkey), in the late second century. Before passing away, he inscribed a 22-line autobiography upon his […]
May 8
Archaeologists Begin Restoring Shamash Gate
The destruction of ancient cities is often softened into “history”—cataloged, photographed, and safely contained in the past. But a new study of Nineveh’s Shamash Gate […]
May 7
The Tel Dan Inscription: The First Historical Evidence of King David from the Bible
By: BAS Staff
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 King David from the Bible.
May 4
How Many Days Were in the Israelite Week?
Imagine time not being organized into weeks and months or not having set units of measurement to gauge distance. Metrics come to feel familiar over […]
Apr 13
David’s Sling and an Inscribed Sling Bullet from Hippos
A sling bullet inscribed “Learn your lesson!” (Greek ΜΑΘΟΥ) has been found in the ancient city of Hippos (c. second–first centuries BCE), located in the […]
Mar 9
Gladiators, Graffiti, and Martyrs
Few images capture the Roman world more vividly than the clash of gladiators in the arena. These spectacles drew enormous crowds across the empire and […]
Feb 17
When Was the Hebrew Bible Written?
By: Robin Ngo
When was the Hebrew Bible written? Ostraca with Hebrew inscriptions excavated from the Iron Age fortress at Arad in Israel may provide clues, say researchers from Tel Aviv University.
Feb 5
Early Christian Amulets: Between Faith and Magic
By: Marek Dospěl
Just like their pagan neighbors, Jesus’s followers of the first Christian centuries would commonly resort to protection amulets to guard themselves from illness and any kind of harm.
Feb 2
Sinai Before Sinai
A recently discovered rock inscription from Wadi Khamila in the southwestern Sinai Peninsula offers a vivid glimpse into a world that predates the Exodus tradition […]
