khirbet qeiyafa

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Despite King David’s prominence in the Hebrew Bible, little archaeological evidence has been directly linked to the early years of the Kingdom of Judah. As a result, some scholars have argued that Judah only became a developed polity in the ninth or even eighth century B.C.E. A 2021 study, however, seeks to refute this idea based on the findings of an extensive regional archaeological project in the Judean foothills, the very region where the Bible says David’s kingdom was born.

By: Hershel Shanks

In BAR, Hershel Shanks examines a recent article published by archaeologist Amihai Mazar. Mazar contends that while the Biblical narratives were written hundreds of years after the reigns of Saul, David and Solomon, they “retain memories of reality.”

By: David Rafael Moulis

According to the Hebrew Bible, Hezekiah “removed the high places, broke down the pillars and cut down the sacred pole” (2 Kings 18:4). What was Hezekiah’s religious reform like on the ground, and what were his motives?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

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

By: Parker Blackwell

The role of Khirbet Qeiyafa in the Judean foothills has long been questioned. The site’s importance, however, is doubtless. First proposed to be a mighty […]

By: Megan Sauter

In the Bible, the inner shrine of Solomon’s Temple is described as having five mezuzot. What are they? The question has puzzled Biblical scholars for centuries. Does a recently discovered shrine model from Khirbet Qeiyafa hold the answer?

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities announced that an archaeological excavation at the site of Wadi al-Nasb in southern Sinai uncovered a 4,000-year-old administrative center. The […]

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

What do Iron Age altars tell us about Biblical sacrifices and worship in ancient Israelite religion?

By: Yosef Garfinkel

I was pleased to see four reputable scholars dedicate such a long discussion[1] to refuting my putative interpretation of the cultic paraphernalia from Moẓa as […]

By: Shua Kisilevitz, Ido Koch, Oded Lipschits, and David S. Vanderhooft

In the most recent issue of BAR, Yosef Garfinkel claimed that an anthropomorphic (human-shaped) clay head from Khirbet Qeiyafa, two similar clay heads and two […]