Top Three Reports in Biblical Archaeology

May 2021 All three of this month’s top reports in biblical archaeology come from the New Testament-era. 3. Roman Theater Identified at Hippos Some of the ruins at Hippos. Photo: Dr. Michael Eisenberg A Roman theater, previously discovered was recently identified through further excavations at Hippos, a Roman city-state on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. The theater was built south of the hilltop, along the saddle of the mountain, and oddly faced the setting sun, not the spectacular view of the Sea of Galilee below. It is part of a compound that may have been a sanctuary to Dionysus, built in the second century. Archaeologists have identified the theater’s stage and the half-circle of the orchestra. Excavations have revealed that the stage was decorated with ornate granite and marble columns, and the excavators estimate it may have had seating for 3500 people. They hope to expose the actual seats and statues that would have graced the theater in future digs. NEWS LINK: 2. Marble Head of Caesar Augustus Discovered in Italy The marble head of Augustus discovered in Italy. Photo: Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio del Molise Construction workers in Isernia, a city in south-central Italy discovered the marble head from a statue of Caesar[...x]

Augustus, who reigned from 27 BC – AD 14. The discovery came during renovations to the town’s walls, some of which were originally constructed during the Imperial Roman era. Despite the fact that only the head was discovered, and it is missing its nose, scholars were able to identify it as Caesar Augustus based on his signature hairstyle and features. The find will eventually be put on display at the nearby Museum of Santa Maria Delle Monache. Caesar Augustus was the Roman emperor who was reigning at the time of Christ (Luke 2:1-7). You can learn more about him in Episode 117 of Digging for Truth.

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1. “Grotesque” Bronze Oil Lamp Discovered in Jerusalem Foundation Deposit

A rare oil lamp discovered in the foundations of a Roman-Era building in Jerusalem. Photo: Koby Harati/City of David

Archaeologists in Jerusalem have discovered a rare oil lamp shaped liked a grotesque face in the foundation of a building that dates to the time between the destruction in AD 70 and the Roman rebuilding of the city as Aelia Capitolina. The unusual bronze lamp was made using a sculpted mold, and features a goat-like, male half-face with a satyr’s beard and a horned forehead; it is the only one of its kind yet discovered in Israel. Archaeologists believe it was left as a foundation deposit in a large building that was constructed upon the famous “Pilgrim Way.” Foundation deposits were common in the ancient world and consisted of a ritual offering buried during construction to bring luck and provide symbolic defense.

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June 2021

This month’s news from the world of biblical archaeology included stories about ancient Roman, Hittite, and Egyptian places/artifacts located in Israel, Turkey, and Egypt. Here were the top three reports in biblical archaeology in June 2021.

3. New Park at Ashkelon Will Open Israel’s Largest Roman Basilica

The 2,000-year-old Roman basilica at Ashkelon will undergo extensive restorations so that it can open to the public. Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority via Facebook

The Israel Antiquities Authority announced plans to renovate the Tel Ashkelon National Park so that a recently excavated 2000-year-old Roman basilica can open it to the public. The basilica, the largest of it’s kind yet discovered in Israel, was originally discovered in the 1920’s and fully excavated from 2008-2012 and 2016-2018. The structure was built during the reign of Herod the Great; Josephus records some of Herod’s building projects at Ashkelon, including a bathhouse, fountains, and colonnaded halls. The basilica was later renovated during the second and third centuries, before it was destroyed by an earth quake in AD 363. While Ashkelon is best-known in Scripture as one of the five Philistine cities, in the first century it was an important seaport near Judea.

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2. New Study Suggests Reliefs in Turkey May Explain Ancient Hittite Cosmology

A group of scholars has proposed a new interpretation of the stone carvings at Yazılıkaya in modern-day Turkey, the site of a 3200-year-old, open-air Hittite shrine. The reliefs, which depict more than 90 figures, have been known for close to 200 years and are located with walking distance of Ḫattuša, the ancient Hittite capital. In the 20th century, the hieroglyphs with the reliefs were deciphered, indicating the figures represented deities, but an overall understanding of the site proved elusive. An international team of researchers from the Luwian Studies foundation, has proposed a model that understands the sanctuary to be a symbolic representation of Hittite cosmology, depicting their understanding of the underworld, earth, and sky, as well as the cycles of the moon and changing seasons. They believe the reliefs depict a procession of Hittite gods, with the supreme deities at the center, which is situated due north. According to their theory, the supreme gods are associated with the circumpolar region of the sky, where the stars never disappear below the horizon. The scholars have concluded that the Hittite belief system had similarities with the beliefs of those in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Some critics, however, have noted that the team’s interpretations are based more on texts from surrounding nations than on Hittite texts, which say little about astronomy. Hittites are referred to over 45 times in Scripture, but only a handful of these relate to the Hittites from the Anatolian region of modern-day Turkey. See the link below to read Dr. Bryant Wood’s important article on Hittites in the Bible.

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1. Stela of Pharaoh Hophra Discovered in Farmer’s Field

A stele naming the Egyptian Pharaoh Wahibre (Hophra in Hebrew and Apries in Greek). Photo: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquties

A stela naming the Egyptian Pharaoh Wahibre (known as Hophra in Hebrew, Apries in Greek) was recently found by a farmer who was cultivating his field; he immediately turned it over to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The stela is carved out of sandstone and has the winged sun-disk and the cartouche of Wahibre on the rounded lunette at the top. Wahibre (Hophra/Apries) was a pharaoh of the 26th dynasty who ruled from ca. 589–570 BC. Egyptian Antiquities authorities believe the stela was erected during one of his military campaigns towards the east. Pharaoh Hophra is mentioned in Jeremiah 44:30, which reads, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I am going to hand Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt over to his enemies who seek his life, just as I handed Zedekiah king of Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who was seeking his life.’” Moreover, the stela was discovered in Ismailia, Egypt, only 29 miles south of the ancient city of Taphanhes, where Jeremiah had been taken (Jer. 43:6-7) and from where he made the prophecy against Pharaoh Hophra (Jer. 44:1).

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July 2021

July was a banner month in biblical archaeology with three significant finds announced, each of which has a good chance of making my year-end top ten list (you can find my list of the top ten discoveries in biblical archaeology for the past five years here: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016). Here were the top three reports in biblical archaeology for July 2021.

3. Magnificent Banquet Hall Discovered Near Western Wall

The remains of a 2000-year-old building discovered beneath the Old City of Jerusalem near the Western Wall. Photo: Yaniv Berman/Israel Antiquities Authority

The Israel Antiquities Authority recently announced the discovery of a lavish structure underneath the Old City of Jerusalem near the Western Wall. Part of the building was noted by British archaeologist, Charles Warren, in the 19^th century, but he only penetrated one of the chambers and found it filled with earth. The recently-excavated structure contains two rooms decorated with Corinthian capitals, which protrude from the walls. These rooms are connected by another which once featured a fountain with running water. Based on pottery and Carbon-14 samples taken from the floor, it was constructed ca. 20 AD, and was likely used as a triclinium, or dining room for the upper class on their way to worship. At one time, the rooms would have had wooden sofas running all around the walls, where visitors reclined and ate; the furniture has not survived, but the imprint on the walls where they once were can still be seen. Sometime prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, the fountain was taken out and a mikveh (ritual bath) was added. This structure will soon be open to the public as a new stop on the Western Wall Tunnels Tour, which allows people to visit the ancient city below the modern one.

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2. Section of Ancient Wall Discovered in Jerusalem

A section of the Iron Age wall recently unearthed in Jerusalem. Photo: Kobi Harati/City of David

A portion of the Iron Age city wall of Jerusalem was recently discovered on the eastern slope of the City of David. It lies between two other sections of the ancient city fortifications: one to the north discovered by Kathleen Kenyon and one to the south unearthed by Yigal Shiloh. It was likely constructed sometime in the 8^th century BC, possibly during King Hezekiah’s reign, although archaeologists are awaiting radiocarbon dating to confirm this. The newly excavated sections are 15 ft/5m wide and stand up to 10 ft/3 m high; one part of the wall extends 130ft/40m and another is 10ft/3m long. Other artifacts, including LMLK jar handles, a bulla, and a small Babylonian stamp seal were also discovered nearby. While other sections of Jerusalem’s wall were destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 or 587 BC (depending on one’s chronology), this portion of the city wall may have been spared as it lies on a such a steep slope and would have been difficult to demolish.

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1. Biblical Name Jerubbaal Found on Pottery Sherd from the Time of the Judges

This ostracon from Khirbet er-Ra’I bears the name Jerubbaal, the same nickname given to the the biblical judge Gideon. Photo: Dafna Gazit / Israel Antiquities Authority

An ostracon (a pottery sherd with writing) bearing the name Jerubbaal, has been unearthed at Khirbat er-Ra‘I, located near the ancient city of Lachish. Jerubbaal (“Let Baal contend against him”) was the nickname that Gideon was given after he destroyed the altar of Baal (Judges 6:32). The ostracon dates to the 12^th-11^th century BC based on typology and radiocarbon dating from organic samples taken from the same archaeological layer in which it was found. The name Jerubbaal is only ever used for Gideon in the Bible, and this is the first discovery of it in an archaeological context. Due to the uniqueness and rarity of the name, some scholars believe this to be a reference to Gideon. Others have urged caution, noting that is impossible to know for certain if this inscription refers to the biblical judge without more information (ie. father’s name, title, or epithet). Regardless, this discovery is significant in that it affirms the name Jerubbaal was used during the time the Bible describes.

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August 2021

This month, news from the world of biblical archaeology involved discoveries related to a Babylonian king, a Philistine battle, and the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah. Here were the top three reports in biblical archaeology for August 2021.

3. New Nabonidus Inscription Discovered in Saudi Arabia

This Inscription from Nabonidus, King of Babylon, was recently discovered in Saudi Arabia. It displays an image Nabonidus, who was father to, and co-regent with, King Belshazzar from the book of Daniel. Photo Saudi Press Agency

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage recently announced the discovery of a 2550-year-old inscription from the Babylonian king, Nabonidus. The engraving was carved on a basalt stone at Al Hait in the Hail region of northern Saudi Arabia. It depicts King Nabonidus holding a scepter along with images of a snake, flower, a stylized sun-disk with wings, and a crescent moon. Beneath the images are 26 lines of cuneiform text, the longest cuneiform inscription ever discovered in Saudi Arabia. It has not been fully deciphered or published yet. While Nabonidus is not mentioned by name in the Bible, his son and co-regent, Belshazzar, was on the throne in Babylon when Daniel read the writing on the wall to him the night the city fell to the Medes and Persians (Dan. 5).

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2. Missing Fortifications May Be the Spot Hazael’s Army Breached the City Walls at Gath

Excavations at the fortified Water Gate of Tell es-Safi/Gath. Photo: Ariel David

Archaeologists excavating at Tell es-Safi (biblical Gath) believe they have discovered the spot where Hazael, the Aramean king of Syria, breached the city walls. The Bible records that “Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath and took it” (2 Ki 12:17). Over the years, the excavation team at Gath has unearthed evidence of Hazael’s destruction (ca. 830 BC), in numerous places throughout the Philistine city. This year, while excavating near the “Water Gate,” an entrance that was used to access the local well and a stream, the team discovered that a section of the wall was missing. The Water Gate, like the rest of the city, was heavily fortified, with walls that were more than three meters thick, constructed of mudbrick on top of massive stone foundations. Next to the gate, the walls are missing for a 10-meter section. The team at Tell es-Safi noted that it appears that someone worked hard to remove the foundation and the brick wall, and they believe that it was here, at the lowest part of the city, Hazael and his army breached the walls of Gath.

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1. Evidence of Earthquake from the Time of King Uzziah Discovered in Jerusalem

Broken pottery and tools are evidence of a significant earthquake in Jerusalem in the 8th century BC, likely the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah mentioned in the Bible. Photo: Eliyahu Yanai/ City of David

Archaeologists excavating in Jerusalem, near the Temple Mount and a First-Temple-era wall have unearthed evidence of an 8th century BC earthquake. The earliest floor of the southernmost room of a building bore evidence of destruction, but not by fire, and was dated to a time period when no known conquest of Jerusalem occurred. Stones from an upper part of the northern walls had collapsed, shattering a row of vessels that had been along the wall beneath. The excavation directors from the Israel Antiquities Authority, Dr. Joe Uziel and Ortal Chalaf, believe this corresponds to the great earthquake which occurred in the days of King Uzziah, and is mentioned in Amos 1:1 and Zech. 14:5. Archaeological evidence for “Uzziah’s earthquake” has been found at other sites in Israel, including at Hazor and Tell es-Safi/Gath, but this is the first time archaeologists have identified evidence of the earthquake in Jerusalem. A similar 8th-century destruction layer was noted in a collapsed building 100 meters south of the current dig, which was excavated by Yigal Shiloh in the 1970’s, but it was not associated with Uzziah’s earthquake at that time. The evidence will be presented to the public in a research article and lecture on September 2, 2021 at the City of David’s Megalim Conference.

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