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lachish Latest

Aerial view of Khirbet_a-Ra‘i

Sep 12 Blog

Biblical Town of Ziklag May Have Been Discovered

By: BAS Staff

Researchers announced their belief that they may have uncovered the biblical town of Ziklag. Located between Kiryat Gat and Lachish in southern Israel, Khirbet a-Ra‘i […]

Sep 3 Blog

53 People in the Bible Confirmed Archaeologically

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.

The Jerubbaal inscription. Photo by Dafna Gazit, Israel Antiquities Authority

Jul 11 Blog

Archaeological Evidence of Gideon the Judge?

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Archaeologists officially announced the discovery of a 3,100-year-old inscription from the site of Khirbet al-Ra‘i that may be evidence of Gideon the Judge. Khirbet al-Ra‘i, […]

Replica of the Lachish Reliefs, showing Sennacherib's siege of Lachish. Courtesy Photo Companion to the Bible, 2 Kings

Jul 5 Blog

Sennacherib’s Siege Camp Discovered?

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Have the siege camps set up during Sennacherib’s campaign against Judah (c. 701 BCE) been identified? According to an article published in the journal Near […]

qeiyafa-doorway

Jun 11 Blog

The Doorways of Solomon’s Temple

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?

May 5 Blog

Hanging Gardens of Babylon … in Assyrian Nineveh

By: Noah Wiener

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon may not be Babylonian after all—they may have been 300 miles to the north at Assyrian Nineveh, planted by Sennacherib at the start of the seventh century B.C.E.

Samaria

Apr 30 Blog

Ancient Samaria and Jerusalem

By: Robin Ngo

Jill Katz explains how the field of urban anthropology can shed light on the ideological differences between Jerusalem and Samaria.

The early alphabetic inscription, dated to the mid-15th century B.C.E., was preserved on a tiny sherd of painted Late Bronze Age pottery imported from Cyprus. Image credit: Austrian Archaeological Institute/Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Mar 12 Blog

Early Alphabetic Writing Found at Lachish

By: BAS Staff

A newly published inscription from Tel Lachish in southern Israel is the earliest alphabetic writing discovered in the southern Levant. The fragmentary inscription features a mere handful of letters inscribed on a tiny pottery sherd, measuring just 4 by 3.5 cm. The sherd is dated by radiocarbon to the 15th century B.C.E., or the first part of the Late Bronze Age.

Dec 31 Blog

Love Your Neighbor: Only Israelites or Everyone?

By: Richard Elliott Friedman

The Book of Leviticus tells us to love our neighbors, but who are our neighbors? Does the command mean to just love fellow Israelites—or everyone?

sss

Dec 28 Blog

First Person: Did the Kingdoms of Saul, David and Solomon Actually Exist?

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.”

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The Dead Sea Scrolls: Past, Present, and Future
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