epigraphy

By: Lawrence Mykytiuk

How many people mentioned in the Hebrew Bible have been confirmed archaeologically? Lawrence Mykytiuk reveals the surprising number—from Israelite kings to Mesopotamian monarchs—and some lesser figures as well.

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

The story of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba is one of the more intriguing accounts found within the narrative of Solomon’s reign (1 […]

By: BAS Staff

In the history of crucifixion, the death of Jesus of Nazareth stands out as the best-known example by far. Crucifixion in antiquity was actually a fairly common punishment, but there were no known physical remains from a crucifixion. Then, in 1968, archaeologist Vassilios Tzaferis excavated a Jerusalem tomb that contained the bones of a crucified man named Yehohanan. As Tzaferis reported in BAR, the discovery demonstrated the brutal reality of Roman crucifixion methods in a way that written accounts never had before.

By: Pieter Gert van der Veen

In his recent Biblical Archaeology Review article, “Too Good to Be True? Reckoning with Sensational Inscriptions,” epigrapher Christopher Rollston takes to task several recent studies […]

By: BAS Staff

In a BAR article, epigraphy scholar Christopher Rollston asks a seemingly straightforward question: What is the oldest Hebrew inscription?

By: BAS Staff

From time to time, an ancient inscription or group of inscriptions is discovered that substantially illuminates the historical background of the Bible. Written records such […]

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Initially hailed by its discoverers as “the most ancient Hebrew inscription ever found,” the controversial Mt. Ebal curse tablet may be no more than a […]

By: Matthieu Richelle and Andrew Burlingame 

In their article, “Mesha’s Stele and the House of David” (BAR, Winter 2022), André Lemaire and Jean-Philippe Delorme argue that the reading btdwd (“House of […]

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

This is an update to our original coverage of the Mt. Ebal inscription as first published in Bible History Daily on April 25, 2022. In […]

By: Jonathan Laden

A volunteer looking through dirt that had been excavated from Robinson’s Arch in 2013  found a 1-cm impression of a seal. The impression, or bulla, […]