syria

syria Latest

The temple of Bel in Palmyra before its destruction. James Gordon from Los Angeles, California, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Feb 21 Blog

Palmyra in Ruins

Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, archaeologists and residents have begun to return to the ancient city of Palmyra. Before the […]

Jan 2 Blog

Antiochus Epiphanes—The Bible’s Most Notoriously Forgotten Villain

By: John Drummond

Many names come to mind when someone mentions the great “villains” of the Bible. Some are foreign powers, like the Pharaoh of the Exodus or […]

Dec 23 Blog

The Oldest Alphabetic Writing Ever Found?

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Four small clay cylinders, discovered at the site of Umm el-Marra in northwestern Syria, may be etched with the oldest alphabetic writing ever discovered, predating […]

Aug 16 Blog

Is the World’s Oldest House Church in Dura-Europos?

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Once an impressive stronghold of the Roman Empire, the city of Dura-Europos, located along the banks of the Euphrates River in eastern Syria, is a […]

Nov 6 Blog

Hundreds of Roman Forts Identified in Syria and Iraq

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Utilizing declassified images from the CORONA and HEXAGON spy satellite programs, a team of archaeologists identified nearly 400 Roman fortresses throughout the northern Fertile Crescent. […]

Sep 6 Blog

Crossroads of Cultures

By: BAS Staff

The Penn Museum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania www.penn.museum The Eastern Mediterranean Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia (commonly known as […]

Oct 10 Blog

Step into the Aleppo Synagogue

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Step into the great Aleppo Synagogue, one of the most important synagogues in the world and home to the oldest Hebrew Bible in existence, the […]

Sep 29 Blog

Ancient Boundary Stone Discovered

By: Jonathan Laden

In the Golan Heights, where the Syrian village of Nafah had been until the 1967 war with Israel, a 2020 excavation discovered a large stone […]

Aug 20 Blog

Return to Palmyra

By: BAS Staff

During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Palmyra (Tadmor, in Arabic), which is in central Syria, was an important caravan city, reaching its zenith in the […]

Apr 19 Blog

Bronze Age Fashion

By: Jennifer Drummond

Vestis virum facit—clothes make the man. While this quote has been (wrongly) attributed to the Roman educator Marcus Fabius Quintilianus, its dubious authenticity doesn’t make […]

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?

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