potsherds

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: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Robert Mondavi may have been one of the best-known vineyard operators in recent years, but Noah was the first. This is often overlooked in the shadow of Noah’s deluge-defying ark accomplishment, but the Bible states very clearly in Genesis 9 that, after the ark ran aground in the mountains of Ararat (now identified with Mt. Ararat), “Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard” (Genesis 9:20).

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.

By: Lawrence Mykytiuk

Archaeology has confirmed 53 people from the Hebrew Bible. What about the New Testament? In BAR, Lawrence Mykytiuk examines the political figures in the New Testament who can be identified in the archaeological record and by extra-Biblical writings.

By: Daniel A. Warner, Donald D. Binder, Eric M. Meyers, and James Riley Strange

Daniel A. Warner, Donald D. Binder, Eric M. Meyers, and James Riley Strange reflect on the life of archaeologist James F. Strange.

By: Stephen E. Tabachnick

While the real T.E. Lawrence was not exactly like the character in the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia, he was, nevertheless, one of the most colorful figures to emerge from World War I.

By: Frank Holt

When the known world proved too small, Alexander the Great set his sights east. At its height, Alexander’s empire stretched east to India, north to the Danube River and south to the upper Nile.

By: Robert Cargill

Migration and immigration are not just modern occurrences—both the Bible and archaeology show that ancient Israel was a land of immigrants. Come along and explore several excavations investigating the movement of peoples throughout the Holy Land and learn about the 2018 dig opportunities!

By: Christopher Rollston

The so-called Jerusalem Papyrus is purported to be an ancient papyrus from the seventh century B.C.E. that mentions “Jerusalem,” “the king,” and “jars of wine.” Epigraphist Christopher Rollston thinks it’s a fake.

By: Robin Ngo

The largest and oldest water system in the ancient Near East can be found at the site of Tel Gezer, according to archaeologists.