Biblical Sites & Places

Biblical Sites & Places

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?

Tall el-Hammam

Mar 11

Where Is Sodom?

By: BAS Staff

The stories of Sodom and its destruction, whether historical or not, were clearly understood to have occurred near the Dead Sea, among the so-called “cities of the plain” mentioned in Genesis 13, verse 12. But where exactly was this plain, and was a particular site associated with Sodom?

Mar 7

The Temple Mount in the Herodian Period (37 BC–70 A.D.)

By: Leen Ritmeyer

Archaeological architect Leen Ritmeyer presents drawings of the Temple Mount in the Herodian period.

Mar 5

Where Was Moses Buried?

By: Marek Dospěl

Where was Moses buried? We don’t know exactly. Nor did the biblical writers: “Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of […]

Feb 26

3 Pilgrimage Paths from Galilee to Jerusalem

By: Megan Sauter

To celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), and the Feast of Booths (Sukkot), many Jews traveled to the Jerusalem […]

Feb 22

Holy Land Souvenirs

By: Marek Dospěl 

Most Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land return home with assorted memorabilia, tangible witnesses of their travels. This tradition of Holy Land souvenirs goes back […]

Siloam Pool

Feb 21

The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Healed the Blind Man

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

The Siloam Pool has long been considered a sacred Christian site, even if the correct identification of the site itself was uncertain. According to the Gospel of John, it was at the Siloam Pool where Jesus healed the blind man (John 9:1–11).

Feb 16

The Church of Laodicea in the Bible and Archaeology

By: Megan Sauter

Laodicea was a wealthy city in western Turkey that flourished for centuries. Why does the author of the Book of Revelation call the church of Laodicea “lukewarm”—neither hot nor cold? Recent excavations at the site might provide the answer.

The Bethesda Pool, Site of One of Jesus’ Miracles

Feb 11

The Bethesda Pool, Site of One of Jesus’ Miracles

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

The Bethesda Pool, where Jesus heals the paralytic man in the Gospel of John, is a complex site. It appears to have been a mikveh, or ritual bath.

Rulers of Kush

Feb 9

The Kingdom of Cush

By: Jennifer Drummond

The Kingdom of Cush, Egypt’s neighbor to the south, played an important role in biblical history despite being one of the lesser known kingdoms. According to 2 Kings 19:9, “Tirhakah, King of Cush” came to the aid of Hezekiah against Sennacherib, king of Assyria, when his forces laid siege to Jerusalem in 701 B.C.E. Without such aid, Judah would have likely gone the way of the Kingdom of Israel—spread to the four winds, never to return.