Biblical Archaeology Review
@BibArch

Archaeology of the Bible. Subscribe to Biblical Archaeology Review magazine & the free Bible History Daily enewsletter at BiblicalArchaeology.org.

 Washington, D.C.
biblicalarchaeology.org
Joined February 2009
1,697 Photos and videos
The famous Kadesh Peace Treaty concluded hostilities between Egyptian forces under Pharaoh Ramesses II and the Hittite King Hattusili III around 1259 BCE. biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Fragment of World’s Oldest Peace Treaty Found

On World Peace Day, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced a spectacular find from the world’s oldest surviving peace treaty. A portion of a ta

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A Mesopotamian story of longing and loss biblicalarchaeology.org/unca…

The Epic of Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient Mesopotamian literary work that tells a fantastic story of King Gilgamesh’s failed quest for immortality. Set in early dyn

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How the cross became Christianity’s most popular symbol. biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Jesus and the Cross

Most scholars believe that early Christians did not use the cross as an image of their religion. So how did the cross become modern Christianity’s most popular symbol?

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How ancient scribes used blank spaces to add a little something extra to the experience of reading the Bible. biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Mind the Gap!

If one were to open a modern printed edition of the Hebrew Bible to a random page, one would encounter a complex layering of information. In addition to the 22

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Why do Jewish holidays shift each year? biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Understanding the Jewish Calendar

Ever wondered why the days for holidays like Hanukkah and Passover seem to shift around from year to year? The simple answer is that these holidays are determin

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What was the purpose of burying these beautiful pieces of jewelry? biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Rings Before Marriage in Hellenistic Jerusalem?

A recent 'Atiqot article draws attention to a small number of remarkable finds from Hellenistic Jerusalem: four gold ornaments and three bronze earrings recover

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Ophel dig provides new insights into pilgrims and rituals biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Jewish Pilgrimage in Second Temple Jerusalem

The biblical command to appear before God on the three major festivals every year (Deuteronomy 16:16) meant that Jerusalem received thousands of pilgrims at Pas

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Why does the author of the Book of Revelation call the church of Laodicea “lukewarm”—neither hot nor cold? biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

The Church of Laodicea in the Bible and Archaeology

Laodicea was a wealthy city in western Turkey that flourished for centuries. Why does the author of the Book of Revelation call the church of Laodicea “lukewarm”—neither hot nor cold? Recent excava...

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Why does Jesus appear to be performing miracles with a magic wand in early Christian art? biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Jesus Holding a Magic Wand?

Did Jesus use a magic wand when performing his miracles? It seems so—if we are to judge by some of the earliest depictions of Jesus in Christian art. Early

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New research shows that long before biblical times, people in the southern Levant considered snakes and lizards a fine meal and that reptiles were a part of the human diet for milennia. biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Snakes and Lizards as Food and Foe

The Bible has a complicated relationship with snakes and lizards. The serpent tempts Eve in Genesis 3. Fiery serpents afflict the Israelites in Numbers 21. Levi

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Following the loss of the Second Temple, Judaism went through a radical transformation led by many influential rabbis. However, four figures represent key aspects of the transition. biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Four Early Rabbis You Should Know

Following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Judaism underwent a radical transformation. In the wake of the crisis, a new question loomed large: How

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What does the Bible claim about the Israelites’ forced labor for the Pharaoh? Looking for the most plausible match in ancient Egyptian architecture. biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Pharaoh’s Brick Makers

What does the Bibleclaim about the Israelites’ forced labor for the Pharaoh? Looking for the most plausible match in ancient Egyptian architecture.

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A Spanish cave containing 120 Latin inscriptions reveals much about the religious sphere of Roman women and the worship of the mysterious “Lady.” biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Roman Sanctuary Hidden in “Cave of the Women”

Recent discoveries at Cova Dones, in Spain’s province of Valencia, offer a fascinating glimpse into Roman religious practice, and potentially women-centered w

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How a gentile’s conversion expanded the early church. biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Who Was Cornelius the Centurion?

Luke, the traditionally accepted author of Acts and the gospel bearing his name, often expanded and further developed theology through the story of a named char

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Worship at the sacred mountain of the Samaritans. biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

The Temple on Mount Gerizim—In the Bible and Archaeology

Temples have been found throughout the ancient Near East. What went on at these sites? Along with reconstructing architectural remains, can scholars piece toge

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What is the meaning behind this mysterious eight-spoked wheel? biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Sacred Circles in Christianity and Buddhism

Archaeologists have discovered dozens of eight-spoked wheels scratched into the floors, walls, and architectural elements of Greco-Roman temples, fountains, and

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Is this what Emperor Titus' famous victory arch looked like in ancient times? biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

The Arch of Titus’s Menorah Panel in Color

Using technology, a team has digitally restored a panel from the Arch of Titus—which famously depicts captured treasures from Jerusalem’s Temple being paraded through Rome—to its original color.

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A recent study of a Minoan Libation Formula text suggests that the famous Greek deities Demeter and Dionysus had their origins on the island of Crete. biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Were the Greek Gods Actually Minoan?

Long before the world of classical Greece, the island of Crete was home to the Minoans, one of the great civilizations of the Bronze Age Mediterranean. Flouris

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Examining the “spirit of python” in the Bible. biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Paul and the Slave Girl in Philippi

Some may be surprised that a passage in the Bible has a connection to Python from Greek mythology.

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You may be familiar with Jezebel, Nebuchadnezzar, and Herod but there is one tyrannical megalomaniac in the Bible that is often overlooked. biblicalarchaeology.org/dail…

Antiochus Epiphanes—The Bible’s Most Notoriously Forgotten Villain

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 King Nebuchadnez

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