archaeology odyssey

archaeology odyssey Latest

Mar 13 Blog

Origins: 3.14159265…

By: Kim Jonas

Why did the ancients invent increasingly subtle and ingenious methods to arrive at an exact value of pi? Human curiosity.

Feb 23 Blog

The Canonical Gospels

By: BAS Staff

BAS editors have hand-selected articles from the BAS Library that cast each of the canonical Gospels in a new light.

Jan 30 Blog

The Edomite Stronghold of Sela

By: Glenn J. Corbett

King Amaziah of Judah (c. 801–783 B.C.E.), after having slain nearly 10,000 Edomites in battle near the southern end of the Dead Sea, is said to have thrown another 10,000 captives from the top of nearby Sela.

Jan 7 Blog

At Carthage, Child Sacrifice?

By: Robin Ngo

Was child sacrifice really practiced at ancient Carthage? In BAR, Patricia Smith discusses the research she and her team conducted on the cremated remains from the Carthage Tophet.

Dec 17 Blog

How December 25 Became Christmas

By: Andrew McGowan

Theological scholar Andrew McGowan examines how December 25 came to be associated with the birthday of Jesus and became Christmas, a holiday celebrated by Christians around the world.

Nov 28 Blog

A Feast for the Senses … and the Soul

By: Dorothy Willette

Go on a journey of the senses through history and discover the significance of ritual feasts and meals in antiquity.

Nov 26 Blog

The Last Days of Hattusa

By: Trevor Bryce

In the latter part of the second millennium B.C., the Hittite empire was a Near Eastern superpower. Then, suddenly, the empire collapsed and Hattusa was invaded and destroyed.

Nov 5 Blog

The Origins of Democracy

By: James Sickinger

When we think of democracy, we usually think of the ancient Greeks, but identifying the exact origins of political practices can be tricky.

Nov 3 Blog

What Were the Crusades and How Did They Impact Jerusalem?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

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.

Oct 27 Blog

Solving the Enigma of Petra and the Nabataeans

By: Glenn J. Corbett

Who were the Nabataeans, the industrious Arab people who built the city of Petra and its towering rock-cut monuments over 2,000 years ago?

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