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. As the Read more…
Jerusalem
Jerusalem, the capital of modern (and ancient) Israel, is the epicenter of Biblical archaeology. Almost every time someone digs in the Holy City, some new and exciting clue about the world of ancient Israel or the origins of Judaism and Christianity is revealed.
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The Bethesda Pool, Site of One of Jesus’ Miracles
• 08/26/2017
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When Egyptian Pharaohs Ruled Bronze Age Jerusalem
• 07/05/2017
What were Egyptian pharaohs doing in Bronze Age Jerusalem? Peter van der Veen investigates an Egyptian presence before the time of David. Read more…
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What Were the Crusades and How Did They Impact Jerusalem?
• 06/26/2017
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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Who Built the Cardo in Jerusalem?
• 06/23/2017
The Cardo was Jerusalem’s major north-south thoroughfare, as we know from the famous sixth-century Madaba map mosaic in Jordan. But was it fully built in the Roman period or only Read more…
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Did I Find King David’s Palace?
• 05/12/2017
Digging just south of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, Eilat Mazar uncovered a monumental building from the tenth century B.C.—the right time and the right place for David’s royal residence. Read more…
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Where Is Golgotha, Where Jesus Was Crucified?
• 04/07/2017
Where is Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified, located in Jerusalem? In their Archaeological Views column “Golgotha: Is the Holy Sepulchre Church Authentic?” in the May/June 2016 issue of BAR, Marcel Read more…
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How Was Jesus’ Tomb Sealed?
• 04/06/2017
Urban C. von Wahlde looks at the Gospel accounts to see how the stone that sealed the tomb of Jesus is portrayed. Read more…
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The Royal Banquet Hall of King Herod the Great in Jerusalem
• 03/30/2017
A banqueting complex was recently identified just beside the Temple Mount. Dating to the time of King Herod the Great, it projects the splendor and comfort enjoyed by royal guests. Read more…
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King David’s Palace and the Millo
• 03/08/2017
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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Did Jesus’ Last Supper Take Place Above the Tomb of David?
• 02/09/2017
Jesus’ Last Supper and the Tomb of David are traditionally associated with a building called the Cenacle in Jerusalem. Can archaeology shed light on these traditions? Read more…
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Hezekiah’s Tunnel Reexamined
• 11/02/2016
For more than a hundred years, an extraordinary water tunnel in Jerusalem has been attributed to King Hezekiah, who dug it to protect the city’s water supply during the Assyrian Read more…
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The Third Wall of Jerusalem: Where Romans and Jews Battled
• 10/26/2016
Archaeologists believe they have located remains of the elusive Third Wall of Jerusalem described by ancient historian Josephus. According to Josephus, Jewish rebels completed this wall leading up to the Read more…
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Herod’s Temple Mount Revealed in Al-Aqsa Mosque Restoration
• 09/02/2016
As a result of earthquakes, Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount had to be dismantled and reconstructed in the 1930s and 1940s. Massive Cedar of Lebanon and cypress beams were Read more…
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Tour Showcases Remains of Herod’s Jerusalem Palace—Possible Site of the Trial of Jesus
• 09/01/2016
Visitors to Jerusalem’s Old City can explore remains of King Herod’s palace, which may be where Roman governor Pontius Pilate tried and condemned Jesus of Nazareth to death. Read more…
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The Interrupted Search for King David’s Palace
• 07/21/2016
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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Ancient Jerusalem: The Village, the Town, the City
• 05/09/2016
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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King Hezekiah in the Bible: Royal Seal of Hezekiah Comes to Light
• 12/03/2015
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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The Seleucid Akra: 2,200-Year-Old Jerusalem Fortress Uncovered?
• 11/13/2015
Archaeologists excavating in the City of David may have found the fortress that Seleucid King Antiochus constructed following his conquest of Jerusalem around 167 B.C.E. Read more…
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Mysterious Podium Uncovered Near Temple Mount
• 09/10/2015
A 2,000-year-old pyramid-stepped structure was recently uncovered in Jerusalem’s City of David. Its exact function is uncertain. Read more…
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The Ophel Treasure
• 09/01/2015
A striking cache, including a gold medallion inscribed with a menorah, shofar (ram’s horn) and a Torah scroll, was found at the foot of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Read more…
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Excavating at Mt. Zion: Jerusalem Dig Uncovers Ancient Mansion
• 07/28/2015
The Mt. Zion dig in Jerusalem has been excavating a first-century C.E. mansion that may have belonged to aristocrats or a member of the wealthy Jewish priestly families. Read more…
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Rare Inscription Dedicated to Hadrian Found in Jerusalem
• 10/21/2014
IAA excavations north of Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate have uncovered a stone fragment engraved with an official Latin inscription dedicated to the Roman emperor Hadrian. Read more…
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Ophel Treasure Goes on Display at the Israel Museum
• 09/29/2014
The dazzling Ophel treasure discovered in 2013 is now on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Read more…
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Pilgrims’ Progress to Byzantine Jerusalem
• 08/15/2014
Jerusalem has been revered as a holy city for millennia—with pilgrims a staple feature in its bustling streets. Egeria’s Travels and the journals of the Bordeaux Pilgrim and the Piacenza Read more…
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Coins Celebrating the Great Revolt Against the Romans Unearthed near Jerusalem
• 08/05/2014
Excavations near Jerusalem uncovered a rare hoard of coins dating to the fourth year of the Great Revolt against the Romans (69/70 C.E.). Read more…
