"Archaeology" Article Items

Pontius Pilate of Biblical fame is thought to have built a street in Jerusalem now referred to as Pontius Pilate’s Street. He was the Roman prefect of Judea at the time of Christ’s trial and execution. This fact alone has guaranteed Pilate’s infamy throughout all time as he ordered the execution of Christ. There are few historical artifacts related to Pilate including a ring which might have belonged to him, and the so-called Pontius Pilate Stone which bears an inscription including his name. There has been little uncovered archaeologically related to this man of such importance. The recent discovery of… Read More »

The Royal Steward Seal from the First Temple era in the 7th century BC has been uncovered in Jerusalem. Excavated from the foundations of the Western Wall demonstrate the presence of Jewish people in the land of modern-day Israel dating back 2700 years.  This discovery is extremely important as it establishes Jewish history in Palestine for thousands of years. The Royal Steward Seal Archaeological explorations throughout the land of modern-day Israel continue to affirm the Biblical narrative. Earth excavated from the foundations of the Western Wall in 2013 has yielded many artifacts dating back to the First Temple period in… Read More »

The Capernaum Synagogue Finding an ancient synagogue in the Holy Land would seem to be unimportant – trival even.  We know from Scripture as well as from ancient records that Jews would congregate in a synagogue on the Sabbath.  There were multiple reasons for meeting in a synagogue, perhaps the most important of which would be to worship God and keep the Sabbath holy – set apart as being different from other days. Synagogues are not specifically mentioned in the Old Testament but are thought to have started after return from the Jewish Babylonian exile as a place for men… Read More »

Historians know the original house of the Apostles Peter and Andrew was in Bethsaida which he likely shared with his brother Andrew. Modern archaeologists have considered many of the Biblical sites as fictional places invented long ago by ancient Jews in which to stage their miraculous events. One such site thought lost to history was Bethsaida. Many scientists have scoured the shores of the Sea of Galilee trying to find this lost city and the house of the Apostles Peter and Andrew for years.  Because of this, doubt arose whether it could ever be found. It was an important city… Read More »

The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser is another extra-Biblical source confirming the historicity of the Biblical narrative.  The obelisk illustrates the Hebrew King Jehu from the Northern Tribes of Israel paying tribute to the Assyrian king Shalmaneser. It is the most complete Assyrian obelisk yet discovered and is on display at the British Museum in London.  It is thought to have been created during the seventh century BC by the Assyrians in order to celebrate their regional conquests.  It was discovered in 1846 by archaeologist Sir Austen Henry Layard who was most famous for determining the actual location of the ancient… Read More »

The Moab Stele The Mesha or The Moab Stele presents one of the most remarkable affirmations of Biblical historicity. It is constructed out of black basalt (or volcanic rock) bearing an inscription by a ninth-century BC Moabite King named Mesha. The Moabites were a population group that lived near the Israelites in the Middle East on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea with its eastern border on the Ammon River. The Moabite capital was Dibon, and this ethnic group frequently conflicts with Israel. This conflict is discussed in Scripture and in multiple extra-Biblical sources. Origin of Moab Ethnic Group… Read More »

King Hezekiah’s stamp was found in an archaeological excavation and has been confirmed to belong to the ancient Jewish king.  It is a clay seal otherwise known as a “bulla” that was discovered in the Ophel excavation at the southern wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The bulla itself is tiny, measuring only about a centimeter in diameter, bearing a seal impression showing a two-winged sun disk blanked by symbols including an Egyptian ankh.  The bulla bears the Hebrew inscription translated as “Belonging to Hezekiah, (son of) Ahaz, king of Judah.” In the ancient world, bullae were used to… Read More »