western wall

western wall Latest

Nov 22 Blog

What Did Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem Look Like?

Fifty years ago, leading Israeli scholar Michael Avi-Yonah constructed a now-iconic model of Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem. How accurate is it?

Illustration of a stonecutter using a pickax to cut a channel in a limestone block, while another worker pours water over some logs stacked in the channel between two blocks. Photo: Leen Ritmeyer

Nov 9 Blog

The Stones of Herod’s Temple Reveal Temple Mount History

By: BAS Staff

Building and furnishing the Herodian Temple involved more than stone quarrying and laying, but the stones and foundations of Herod’s Temple can give us clues to Temple Mount history.

Oct 24 Blog

An Assyrian Letter to the King of Judah

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

For the first time, a fragment of a cuneiform inscription from the First Temple period (c. 1000–586 BCE) has been excavated in Jerusalem. The inscription, […]

Sep 13 Blog

A Biblical Spice Rack

By: Devorah Emmet Wigoder

The brevity of life is compared to the delicate bloom of the caper in one of the Bible’s many references to fragrant and edible plants. Enjoy a glimpse of some of these plants.

Jan 23 Blog

The Temple Mount in the Herodian Period (37 BC–70 A.D.)

By: Leen Ritmeyer

Archaeological architect Leen Ritmeyer presents drawings of the Temple Mount in the Herodian period.

Nov 28 Blog

Modi’in: Where the Maccabees Lived

By: Robin Ngo

Modi’in was the hometown of the Maccabees, the heroes of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid king who ruled over Judea. Have excavations conducted within the modern Israeli city of Modi’in finally exposed the Jewish village that the Maccabees called home?

Jul 23 Blog

Lavish Second Temple “City Hall” Unveiled in Jerusalem

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Earlier this month, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) revealed the excavations of a lavish first-century C.E. public building in Jerusalem. The building, located near the […]

Oct 15 Blog

Iron Age Weight Found near Temple Mount

By: Jonathan Laden

An Iron Age weight was discovered in the rubble and dirt from the fills beneath Wilson’s Arch by the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The weight […]

Sep 17 Blog

Sifting Antiquity on the Temple Mount Sifting Project

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Archaeological excavations are prohibited on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, though one project—the Temple Mount Sifting Project—has been analyzing soil that came from the Temple Mount since 2004. Learn the story.

Jan 29 Blog

Understanding an Ancient Israelite Military Title

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

A handful of ancient Israelite inscriptions feature an enigmatic title that has been variously translated as “governor of the city” and “commander of the fortress.” Who was this figure?

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

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