Biblical archaeology

Biblical archaeology involves the recovery and scientific investigation of the material remains of past cultures that can illuminate the periods and descriptions in the Bible. As with the historical records from any other civilization, the manuscripts must be compared to other accounts from contemporary societies in Europe, Mesopotamia, and Africa; additionally, records from neighbors must be compared with them. The scientific techniques employed are those of archaeology in general including excavations as well as chance discoveries.

Milestones After World War II

The Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient copies of the Bible manuscripts do not qualify as artifacts representing something mentioned in the Bible, although they are an important testimony to the antiquity of the texts, and the reliable manner in which they were preserved through the centuries. The first seven scrolls had initially appeared on the antiquities market, but when their enormous importance was recognized, archaeologists eventually found their source in a series of caves above the Dead Sea, and subsequent searches located thousands of similar fragments. Following the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 and the declaration of the state of Israel in 1948, Biblical Archaeology gained new momentum. The science of archaeology had been digested and refined by new excavators who conducted numerous surveys of smaller sites during the second half of the 20th century, and re-excavations at major sites using modernized techniques.

Related Topics:
Dead Sea Scrolls - Bible - Dead Sea - 1947 - Israel - 1948

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• 1948-50, 1952-5 J. Kaplan excavated Jaffa
• 1954, 1959-62 Y. Aharoni excavated Ramat Rahel
• 1955-8, 1968 Y. Yadin excavated Hazor
• 1956-7, 1959-60, 1962 J.B. Pritchard excavated Gibeon
• 1961-7 K. Kenyon excavated Jerusalem (City of David)
• 1962-7 Y. Aharoni and R. Amiran excavated Arad
• 1962-3, 1965-72 M. Dothan excavated Ashdod
• 1963-5 Y. Yadin excavated Masada
• 1968-78 B. Mazar excavated the southwest corner of the Temple Mount
• 1969-76 Y. Aharoni and Z. Herzog excavated Beersheba
• 1969-82 N. Avigad excavated the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem
• 1973-94 D. Ussishkin excavated Lachish
• 1975-82 A. Biran excavated Aroer
• 1977-9, 1981-9 A. Mazar and G.L. Kelm excavated Timnah
• 1978-85 Y. Shiloh excavated Jerusalem (City of David)
• 1979, 1981-2, 1984-7, 1990-1, 1993-2000 D. Livingston excavated Khirbet Nisya
• 1981-2, 1984-8, 1990, 1992-6 T. Dothan and S. Gitin excavated Ekron
• 1996-7, 1999-2002 A. Maeir excavated Tell es-Safi (probably Biblical Gath)

The famous silver scrolls found in 1979 during G. Barkay's excavations at Ketef Hinnom uniquely preserve Biblical texts older than the Dead Sea Scrolls. Both of these amulets contain the Priestly blessing from the book of Numbers; one also contains a quote found in parallel verses of Exodus (20:6) and Deuteronomy (5:10 and 7:9). The same verses appear again even later in Daniel (9:4) and Nehemiah (1:5).

Related Topics:
1979 - G. Barkay - Ketef Hinnom - Dead Sea Scrolls - Book of Numbers - Exodus - Deuteronomy - Daniel - Nehemiah

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