Where Is Sodom?
Genesis 13, archaeology and Biblical geography provide clues
According to the Bible, “the men of Sodom were wicked” (Genesis 13, verse 13). For its many sins, God destroyed Sodom and all the inhabitants of the “cities of the plain” in an intense conflagration, but not before allowing Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family to flee to safety.
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? In the article “Where Is Sodom?” in the March/April 2013 issue of BAR, archaeologist Steven Collins combines clues from Biblical geography with archaeological evidence from the site of Tall el-Hammam in Jordan to suggest that the author of Genesis 13 located Sodom in a fertile area northeast of the Dead Sea.
In the article “Where Is Sodom?” archaeologist Steven Collins, using clues from the Biblical geography of Genesis 13 together with archaeological evidence from the site of Tall el-Hammam (pictured), argues that Biblical tradition located Sodom in a fertile area northeast of the Dead Sea. Photo: Michael C. Luddeni.
So where is Sodom, according to the Biblical geography of Genesis 13? Sodom and its sister cities are located in the large oval-shaped, fertile plain just north of the Dead Sea called simply ha-kikkar, or “the Disk” (Genesis 13, verse 13). In Biblical geography, this well-watered disk-shaped plain, said to have been located east of the highland towns of Bethel and Ai, was an area “like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt” where Lot moved his family after his quarrel with Abraham (Genesis 13, verse 10). It is also the place where the Biblical writers set their dramatic tale of Sodom’s wickedness and destruction (Genesis 19).
Other than Israel, no country has as many Biblical sites and associations as Jordan: Mount Nebo, from where Moses gazed at the Promised Land; Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John baptized Jesus; Lot’s Cave, where Lot and his daughters sought refuge after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; and many more. Travel with us on our journey into the past in our free eBook Exploring Jordan.
Seeking to answer the question “Where is Sodom?” and using the Biblical geography of Genesis 13 as a guide, Collins decided to excavate Tall el-Hammam, an extensive and heavily fortified site located in modern Jordan at the eastern edge of the kikkar. First inhabited during the Chalcolithic period (4600–3600 B.C.E.), the site attained its maximum size during the Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000–1600 B.C.E.) and became one of the largest cities in Canaan. But unlike other Canaanite cities that continued to flourish in the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 B.C.E.), Tall el-Hammam was destroyed by fire at the end of the Middle Bronze Age and remained uninhabited for centuries.
Read responses by scholars Bill Schlegel and Todd Bolen regarding the location of Sodom.
Across Tall el-Hammam, archaeologists found widespread evidence of an intense conflagration that left the Middle Bronze Age city in ruins. They found scorched foundations and floors buried under nearly 3 feet of dark grey ash, as well as dozens of pottery sherds covered with a frothy, “melted” surface; the glassy appearance indicates that they were briefly exposed to temperatures well in excess of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the approximate heat of volcanic magma. Such evidence suggests the city and its environs were catastrophically destroyed in a sudden and extreme conflagration.
Was it this event—which destroyed Hammam and the other cities of the kikkar—that was remembered by the Biblical writers in their telling of the story of Sodom?
BAS Library Members: Read the full article “Where Is Sodom?” by Steven Collins in Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April 2013.
Not a BAS Library or All-Access Member yet? Join today.
This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on February 20, 2013.
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OK, let’s get something straight. From a purely geological perspective, no one can argue that there haven’t been earthquakes in this region. Also, if one looks at the water table history in the Dead Sea area, the lake has been up and down several times over the millennia.
Therefore, it is not surprising that many cities could have disappeared under the rising level of water, only to appear again a few centuries later. I have no doubt we’ll find additional cities as the Israelis, Jordanians, Syrians and Palestinians continue to drain the Jordan for all it’s worth.
Again, speaking from a purely geological point of view, plate tectonics explains the continental drift between the Asian and African shelves. A fault line runs right through the Dead Sea. Therefore, again, it isn’t surprising to find out that several cities may have fallen to earthquakes. Moreover, it’s not surprising to find out that the earthquakes were severe and that they could have wiped out an entire city the infrastructure of which wasn’t up to modern code.
I have no doubt that two cities once existed by the names of Sodom and Gomorrah. I think there is evidence that they may be under a modern-day city now. Surely we’ve heard of tells. They’re all over that regions. The truth, however, is that they may have disappeared much later than our translations suggest.
Until very recently, the majority of biblical archeologists were concerned with finding evidence to support the Bible. Now that objective is beginning to shift toward a more thoughtful exploration into what actually happened — whether it backs up a bible story or offers a better insight into the actual history of the region.
Here’s what we have to understand about using science to back up the Bible. Science isn’t a tool to prove someone’s point of view. It often proves just the opposite of what we’d like to believe. If we’re going to accept radio-carbon dating for our bible manuscripts, and then turn around and reject it when it proves something wrong about the Bible’s account, we are deluding ourselves. Furthermore, radio-carbon dating isn’t the only method we use to date things back beyond let’s say 50,000 years.
If you’re going to use science at all, you might as well confront your old fears of this system of discovery and open your mind to the complete truth — whether that backs up your faith or challenges it to the very foundation. Perhaps you’ll never quite look at things the same way again. I don’t know. Maybe you’ll decide to become an atheist in the end. That’s up to you, but if your faith has any merit at all, it will survive this and many other challenges. The dross will burn away in the refiner’s fire, and what you’ll have left is pure gold.
My thanks to Steve Collins.
I forgot there were 5 cities and not just Sodom and Gomorrah. It is amazing that evidence
continues to come out that corroborates the historic accounts in the Bible. So many things
were discovered in Science because someone saw that the prevailing theories of Science
did not agree with the bible, so they kept looking for other answers.
‘Life comes from life’, versus ‘spontaneous generation’ in Pasteur’s day paved the way for
civilization to stop epidemics by seeking out the pathogens that caused disease.
Blacks are not any less than whites, versus, the race supremacy ideas that were the logical
extension of Darwin’s theories and propped up beliefs in slavery. And many more.
No one has to have blind faith, the evidence is there for the finding. But if one has his mind
made up, no amount of evidence will convince them. Not even if a dead relative comes back
from the dead – as Jesus’s words show in the Gospels.
Studyinh genesis 18 and 19 know and doing reasearch.
@krissy and others:
This page should not be a medium through which we attack one another but for individual to express his mind.
Perspective at which we see things differ. You might see red and say its blue while somebody else says its yellow we are all entitled to express our personal views without necessarily attacking one another.
Personally, i believe its not a myth but reality as the holy book (Bible) put it. A myth, according to the dictionary, is a commonly-held but false belief, a common misconception; a fictitious or imaginary person or thing; a popular conception about a real person or event which exaggerates or idealizes reality. Meaning that it is used to explain what is incomprehensible. It is used in Africa by the elderly ones to explain what truly is real but they don’t have its real explanations just to save themselves from “I don’t know” whenever questions about mysterious issues are asked by the younger ones.
But in this case, the holy book (Bible) has given us an understanding and an idea about the place called Sodom and Gomorah thousand years before archaeologists now gave us the exact location Thus, the reverse is the case with myth.
Mythical approach of explanation in philosophy is called Appeal to Ignorance (Argumentum ad Ignorantum).
Biblical explanations of Sodom and Gomorah is a pure reality and true.
As a point of logic (or illogic), many atheists confidently assert that certain events in the Bible (such as the destruction of S&G by God) absolutely did not occur.
Then, when asked for evidence of their assertion, they will either claim that, a) the burden of proof is not on them, but on those who claim the account is true, and/or, b) “you can’t prove a negative”.
Both statements are asinine & not logical.
Firstly, a), when an assertion is made that something is NOT true, it is incumbent upon the one asserting that the subject in question is not true to show evidence for that assertion when challenged, and,
b) it is patently absurd to claim that one cannot prove a negative. For example, if one claims that a gun does NOT exist in their pocket, it is quite easy to prove that this negative assertion is true or false, simply by visually examining the inside of the pocket. (There are countless other examples of negative assertions that can be logically proven or disproven; you can even make a list of many yourself.)
So,since negative assertions CAN be proven, their claimants can therefore be held accountable to prove their assertion or (if they fail to prove it), admit that their assertion is one that they believe by faith.
Therefore, the position that “God does not exist” is a position of faith.
In all actuality, there is certainly logical evidence that God does indeed exist. Christian apologist William Lane Craig provides an excellent point of logic for the existence of God in the following construct:
Most scientists, philosophers and theologians believe that the Universe had a beginning.
Since the Universe with all its matter & energy could not have just “popped” into existence without a cause, the cause logically exists OUTSIDE the known Universe, making this “cause” transcendent from the Universe, existing outside time, space, matter and energy.
Since the Universe is more powerful than we can imagine and its laws more complex than we can imagine, the “creator” of the Universe logically must also be more intelligent and powerful than we can imagine.
The two foremost theories for the genesis of the Universe are “chance” and “God”, and since “chance” does NOT meet these requirements, and “God” does, then obviously God is the best possible explanation for the genesis of all things.
What is BAR’s position on the rich deposits of hail-sized sulfur to the west of the Dead Sea? Is that a possible location for the sinful cities of the plains? Why/why not?
On Youtube there are videos showing towns and structures that had been so heated they turned to ash that cascaded down in the same approx 40degree angle as seen in any industrial dump site.
To turn the local stone into this ash does need really hot fire and as the mass of semiburned nodules covering the ara analyses at 98% sulphur and 2% magnesium their origin was not of this world as sulphur deposit around the usual sulphur quarries and volcanoe or hot springs is only about 20-40% purity.
Magnesium is the stuff that makes some fireworks burn with intense white light and as it can reach temperature over 5000Fahreheit it has no difficulty melting rock and fusing it into the same glassy material found at atom bomb test sites.
There needs to be some research into the temperature the S&g nodules burn at and how long they maintain a high heat that will effectively heat very thick walls, columns, statuary to turn it all to the flaky material that crumbles to dust at S&G
Is Sodom related to Pompeii (present day- in Italy Rome)?
@Krissy – to say that that Greek myth has not been disproven is strange…. it has been proven that Atlas was and is not physically holding the earth in its place and Helios does not transport the sun across the sky by chariot. There are tons of other examples. To say this inability to disprove is like any other “myth” is simply not true. Additionally, the sharing of Sodom and Gomorrah’s fate was not to breed disdain towards the LGBT “community”, it speaks to all sorts of intrinsically planted sin. We’re all a part off each other’s community and until we realize this, separation will remain. Disagreeing is not an “end all”.
The writer of this article is trying to prove that it was not God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. AAA……The Bible is more believed than this article. Keep on trying to prove.