Top Ten Biblical Archaeology Stories of 2025
Bible History Daily’s Year in Review
What were the top ten biblical archaeology stories of 2025? As the year winds down, we look back at some of the most popular news stories published on Bible History Daily in 2025. From newly identified temples in Jerusalem to discoveries about Egyptian pharaohs, this year provided some incredible archaeological news. The articles below are not listed or ranked in any particular order, though readers are welcome to share their top picks in the comments section below.
Top Ten Biblical Archaeology Stories
Proposed reconstruction of the second Jerusalem temple. Illustration: Shalom Kveller, City of David.
A Second Temple in First Temple Jerusalem?: Solomon’s Temple is easily one of the most central and important buildings in the Hebrew Bible. However, an archaeological discovery suggests that for much of the First Temple period (c. 1000–586 BCE), Solomon’s Temple was not the only place of worship in Jerusalem. On the eastern slopes of the City of David, just a few hundred yards away from the Temple Mount, archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority claim to have uncovered a second temple.
The cuneiform inscription, dating to the First Temple period, found in Jerusalem. Courtesy Eliyahu Yanai, City of David.
An Assyrian Letter to the King of Judah: For the first time, a fragment of a cuneiform inscription from the First Temple period has been excavated in Jerusalem. The inscription, believed to be part of a royal correspondence between Assyrian imperial authorities and the royal court of Judah, pertains to a delayed payment, possibly a required tax. This scenario fits well with the historical context of Judah’s vassalage to the Assyrian Empire as recorded in the Hebrew Bible. It provides a remarkable view into the Assyrian administration of Judah.
The Frankfurt Silver Inscription. Courtesy Stadt Frankfurt.
Evidence of Early Christianity in Northern Europe: Excavations of a cemetery in the ancient Roman town of Nida, located in a suburb of modern Frankfurt, Germany, have revealed the earliest evidence for Christianity north of the Alps. The discovery—a small silver foil with a Latin inscription—highlights both the rapid spread of the fledgling religion and also opens a window onto early Christian beliefs.
Aerial view of Tel Megiddo. AVRAM GRAICER, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Necho and Josiah at Megiddo: Although remembered in the Bible as one of Judah’s most pious rulers, King Josiah met a rather untimely death, slain at Megiddo by Pharaoh Necho II. Although Josiah’s death is recorded in both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, no archaeological evidence has ever been found to corroborate the story, until now. Archaeologists excavating at the site of Megiddo in northern Israel propose that new ceramic finds provide the first evidence for Egyptian forces and Greek mercenaries stationed in the city at the time of Josiah’s death.
Long side of the granite sarcophagus identified as that of Ramses II. Courtesy Kevin Cahail.
The Sarcophagus of Ramesses the Great: More than 3,200 years after the death of Ramesses II (r. 1279–1213 BCE), a large piece of his burial sarcophagus has been identified. Frédéric Payraudeau, a professor of Egyptology at Sorbonne University, has proposed that an inscribed granite fragment discovered nearly 15 years ago once belonged to the outer coffin of one of Egypt’s most famous rulers.
LAW AND ORDER: The Greek papyrus discovered in the Judean Desert. Courtesy Shai Halevi, IAA.
Roman Law & Order: Judean Fraud Unit: A lengthy papyrus, found in the Judean Desert, sheds light on law and order in the Roman provinces of Judea and Arabia. Translated by a joint Israeli-Austrian team, the papyrus dates to between 129 and 132 CE and details a gripping legal case involving forgery, tax evasion, and the fraudulent sale and manumission of several enslaved people. According to Avner Ecker, one of the text’s translators, “This is the best-documented Roman court case from Judea apart from the trial of Jesus,” referring to the story of Jesus’s trial preserved in the gospels.
The procession of Bacchus depicted on a frieze in Pompeii. Courtesy Pompeii Archaeological Park.
The Bacchic Cult at Pompeii: While carrying out excavations at the archaeological site of Pompeii in Italy, archaeologists uncovered a large banquet room painted with a nearly life-size frieze of the sacred procession of Bacchus. Buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE, the frieze reveals fascinating details about Roman culture and the mystery cult of Bacchus.
Fragments of alabaster jars and a wooden poll bearing the cartouche of Pharaoh Thutmose II. Courtesy Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II Discovered: A joint Egyptian-British archaeological team has discovered the royal tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II (r. 1513–1500 BCE), marking the first discovery of a pharaoh’s tomb since that of Tutankhamen more than a century ago. Located near the Valley of Kings, west of Luxor, the tomb was originally thought to belong to a wife of one of the pharaohs. However, continued excavations revealed the surprising truth: alabaster jar fragments inscribed with the name of Thutmose II, identified as the “deceased king,” alongside inscriptions bearing the name of Hatshepsut.
Who were the Carthaginians? Representation of the Punic city on display in the Carthage National Museum. damian entwistle, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Who Were the Carthaginians?: For much of the first millennium BCE, the Carthaginian merchant empire dominated large swaths of the Mediterranean. But who were the Carthaginians? Carthage, located near the modern Tunisian capital of Tunis, began as one of many Phoenician trading colonies. The city’s Phoenician origins even led its inhabitants and language to be identified as Punic in Roman sources. However, a large-scale genetic study has revealed a startling truth about the Carthaginians: very few had any genetic link to the Phoenician homeland in the coastal Levant. So, where did they come from?
Grapes, ready for the harvest. Courtesy Photo Companion to the Bible, Genesis.
Tasting Roman Wine from the Time of Jesus: Wine has been synonymous with the Mediterranean world since before the time of Jesus. Indeed, wine and wine consumption is widely attested in ancient texts, from Pliny to the Bible. The New Testament, for instance, mentions wine more than two dozen times, from the wedding at Cana to the Last Supper, and the Hebrew Bible mentions it another 200 times. Wine from the time of Jesus, however, would have been quite different from what we find in the supermarket today. There is surprisingly much we do not know about the Roman precursor to our modern cabernets, pinots, and chardonnays, including what it tasted like.
So, what archaeological news do you think was the most impactful in 2025? Leave a comment to let us know, and if you are looking for your own chance to excavate history, be sure to check out the BAS Find a Dig page to learn how you can get involved.
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