Donate

merneptah

merneptah Latest

Does the Merneptah Stele Contain the First Mention of Israel?

May 23 Blog

Does the Merneptah Stele Contain the First Mention of Israel?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Does this fragmentary hieroglyphic inscription contain the first mention of Israel? According to a recently published article by Manfred Görg, Peter van der Veen and Christoffer Theis, the name-ring on the right may indeed read “Israel,” and they date it almost 200 years earlier than the reference to Israel on the Merneptah Stele.

Merneptah Stele

Apr 4 Blog

The Exodus: Fact or Fiction?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Does archaeological evidence connect with Israel’s Exodus from Egypt—a central event in the Bible? Egyptian artifacts and sites show that the Biblical text does indeed recount accurate memories from the period to which the Exodus is generally assigned.

Mar 9 Blog

Searching for Biblical Mt. Sinai

By: Robin Ngo

Where is Mt. Sinai? At a 2013 colloquium in Israel, an international group of scholars debated the question. At the center of the debate was Har Karkom, a mountain ridge in the Negev Desert that archaeologist Emmanuel Anati believes to be the Biblical Mt. Sinai.

Hattusa Entrance

Dec 6 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.

Aug 10 Blog

Pharaoh Merneptah’s Destruction of Gezer

By: Marek Dospěl

Editor’s Note: This blog article contains an image of human skeletal remains. Archaeologists excavating Canaanite Gezer unearthed a large building apparently destroyed by fire. Dating […]

Jul 29 Blog

OnSite: Tel Gezer

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

 Throughout history, Tel Gezer played an important role in the cultural-political milieu of the strategic coastal plain of the southern Levant. To most, the […]

Mar 24 eBook

Ancient Israel in Egypt and the Exodus

By: BAS Admin

The Exodus is one of the most dramatic events in the Hebrew Bible – the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt and their miraculous escape across the Red Sea. It is traditionally viewed as the single event that gave birth to the nation of Israel. Is there archaeological evidence for the Exodus, and for Israelites in Egypt?

elkab-hieroglyphs

Jul 20 Blog

5,000-Year-Old Egyptian Billboard Discovered

By: Nicola McCutcheon

Egyptologists recently discovered the oldest known monumental hieroglyphs.

ancient-heliopolis-basalt

Apr 15 Blog

Chapel of King Nectanebo I Uncovered in Ancient Heliopolis, Egypt

By: Robin Ngo

Archaeologists have discovered evidence of a chapel at ancient Heliopolis in Egypt belonging to King Nectanebo I, the founder of the last native Egyptian dynasty.

Dec 10 Blog

Merneptah Owned Egypt’s Largest Sarcophagus

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Pharaoh Merneptah, who infamously boasted in a victory stela of having laid waste to the Israelites in the waning years of the 13th century B.C.E., was buried in the largest sarcophagus ever commissioned by an Egyptian king.

Must-Read Free eBooks

The Dead Sea Scrolls: Past, Present, and Future
Biblical Peoples—The World of Ancient Israel
Who Was Jesus? Exploring the History of Jesus’ Life
Ancient Israel in Egypt and the Exodus
More Free eBooks

Want more Bible history?

Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update.

By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy.

Join Us on an Educational Journey

For more than 40 years, the Biblical Archaeology Society has partnered with world-renowned hosts and guides to provide you exceptional educational offerings in the archaeology of the Biblical lands and in Biblical studies.

Learn More