The gruesome discovery of four human skeletons at Tel Azekah poses questions about the final days of the Canaanite city and how those dramatic events might be related to the Read more…
Biblical Sites & Places
Biblical sites and places are archaeological sites or geographical places and regions related to the Bible.
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The Cruel End of Canaanite Azekah
• 02/18/2019
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Where Is Sodom?
• 02/10/2019
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 Read more…
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King David’s Palace and the Millo
• 02/04/2019
In the study of Biblical archaeology, Biblical texts and archaeological finds must be examined critically and independently, but ultimately, they must be interpreted together. Such an approach can be applied Read more…
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The Interrupted Search for King David’s Palace
• 02/03/2019
Eilat Mazar was forced to put her excavation of what may be King David’s palace on hold to excavate the collapsing Northern Tower. Her amazing discoveries were worth it. Read more…
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Puzzling Finds from Kuntillet ‘Ajrud
• 01/28/2019
“Yahweh and his Asherah” is written across the top of this eighth-century B.C. drawing on a ceramic pithos from Kuntillet ‘Ajrud in the eastern Sinai. Some scholars have theorized that Read more…
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King Hezekiah in the Bible: Royal Seal of Hezekiah Comes to Light
• 01/26/2019
For the first time, the royal seal of King Hezekiah in the Bible has been found in an archaeological excavation. Read more…
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Heavy Rains Reveal Limestone Funerary Busts Near Beth Shean, Israel
• 01/23/2019
Heavy winter rains led to the discovery of a pair of rare specimens in Israel. Read more…
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Beth Shean in the Bible and Archaeology
• 01/22/2019
Beth Shean plays an important role in the Bible following the death of King Saul and as a major Israelite administrative center. Excavations over the past century have revealed what Read more…
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Ancient Jerusalem: The Village, the Town, the City
• 01/11/2019
Archaeologist Hillel Geva says that population estimates for ancient Jerusalem are too high. His new estimates begin with people living on no more than a dozen acres. Read more…
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Anastylosis at Machaerus, Where John the Baptist Was Beheaded
• 01/06/2019
Győző Vörös details the restoration work taking place at Machaerus—giving archaeological context to the New Testament episode featuring Princess Salome and John the Baptist. Read more…
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Machaerus: Beyond the Beheading of John the Baptist
• 01/05/2019
According to the Synoptic Gospels, Herod Antipas had John the Baptist imprisoned and killed at the request of the beautiful Salome. The historian Josephus locates the event at the eastern Read more…
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What Was Life Like for Roman Slaves?
• 01/04/2019
In the southwest of Asia Minor, at the site of Aphrodisias, Turkey, archaeology has provided insight into the lives of Roman slaves, including a man named Zoilos who earned his Read more…
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Biblical Riot at Ephesus: The Archaeological Context
• 01/04/2019
How accurate is Luke’s account of the riot at Ephesus described in Acts 19:23–41? Excavations at the site bring this Biblical event to reality in a new way—from inscriptions and Read more…
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Has the Childhood Home of Jesus Been Found?
• 12/18/2018
The childhood home of Jesus may have been found underneath the Sisters of Nazareth Convent in Nazareth, Israel, according to archaeologist Ken Dark. Read more…
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Site-Seeing: The Hometown of Santa Claus
• 12/05/2018
Myra, hometown of St. Nicholas, is on scholar Mark Wilson’s top-ten list of Biblical sites to visit in Turkey. Read more…
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Understanding the Jewish Menorah
• 12/03/2018
The Jewish menorah—especially the Temple menorah, a seven-branched candelabra that stood in the Temple—is the most enduring and iconic Jewish symbol. But what did the Temple menorah actually look like? Read more…
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Is the Earliest Image of the Virgin Mary in the Dura-Europos Church?
• 11/30/2018
A third-century portrait of a woman drawing water from a well was uncovered in the Dura-Europos church in Syria. While this was originally interpreted as the Biblical scene of the Read more…
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What Were the Crusades and How Did They Impact Jerusalem?
• 11/11/2018
Some of the most famous churches in Jerusalem were built during the Christian Crusades by Crusaders wishing to memorialize sites they believed to have great Christian significance. Read more…
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Learn More About the Temple Mount Now
• 11/07/2018
Considered sacred ground even before Biblical times and bitterly contested in our own day, the Temple Mount is one of the most fascinating and important places on earth. Read more…
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The Nicea Church: Where Did the Council of Nicea Meet?
• 11/02/2018
Off the shores of Nicea, archaeologists have uncovered a basilica, which stands over what appears to be an earlier church. Could this church be where the famous Council of Nicea Read more…
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The Church of Laodicea in the Bible and Archaeology
• 10/21/2018
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? Read more…
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Where Is Biblical Bethsaida?
• 10/20/2018
The ancient village of Bethsaida frequently mentioned in the Gospels is believed to be located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, but where precisely the abandoned city Read more…
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Baptismal Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” Added to UNESCO World Heritage List
• 09/29/2018
In 2015, UNESCO added the archaeological complex at Al-Maghtas, Jordan—called the Biblical “Bethany beyond the Jordan”—to its World Heritage List. Another tradition places the baptismal site on the west bank Read more…
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Wilderness Wanderings: Where is Kadesh?
• 09/26/2018
According to the Bible, the Israelites stayed at a place called Kadesh-Barnea following their Exodus from Egypt and wanderings through the desert. Where is Kadesh-Barnea? Read more…
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Tel Maresha Caves Reveal Hellenistic Treasures
• 09/18/2018
Recent excavations shed further light on how ancient peoples used the subterranean cave complexes at Tel Maresha. Read more…
