history of ancient israel

history of ancient israel Latest

A rock-hewn altar carved out of limestone located about a mile from Shiloh. The four corners point to the four directions on a compass (Exodus 27:1-2). Photo: Yoel Elitzur

Feb 22 Blog

High Places, Altars and the Bamah

The open-air altar shrine, called a bamah (plural bamot), is known through several books of the Biblical canon. Often referred to as “high places” in translations of the Bible, bamot were worship sites that usually contained an altar.

Jan 18 Blog

Nehemiah—The Man Behind the Wall

By: Dorothy Willette

Few people are familiar with the Biblical figure Nehemiah, and yet he was instrumental in the rebuilding and reestablishment of Jerusalem in the fifth century B.C. following the Babylonian exile.

Jan 3 Blog

Bible Secrets Revealed, Episode 3: “The Forbidden Scriptures”

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Read what Bible Secrets Revealed consulting producer Dr. Robert Cargill reveals about the third installment of the History Channel series.

Jul 28 Blog

Elite Canaanite Burial Discovered in the Jezreel Valley

By: Robin Ngo

IAA archaeologists have discovered a 3,300-year-old anthropoid coffin with Egyptianizing features belonging to a wealthy Canaanite near Tel Shadud in the Jezreel Valley.

Mar 18 Blog

Site-Seeing: Surprising Susa

By: Todd Bolen

Even for the intrepid traveler who tours Iran, the ancient Persian capital of Susa often gets left off the itinerary.

Jun 1 Blog

Beyond the Texts

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Richard Elliott Friedman reviews Beyond the Texts by William G. Dever.

Apr 10 Blog

Biblical Minimalism and Maximalism in Scholarship

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Bill Dever discusses BAR’s facilitation of the Biblical minimalism-maximalism debate, which centers on whether the establishment of ancient Israel took place in the tenth or the ninth century B.C.E.

May 15 Blog

Who Tells the Truth—the Bible or Archaeology?

By: Marek Dospěl

Is the Hebrew Bible a bunch of tales with no value to a historian? Does archaeology hold the keys to truth instead? What are the limitations of both sources of information? Is it even possible to write a comprehensive and honest history of ancient Israel? Eminent archaeologist William G. Dever attempts to marry archaeology and the Bible.

Dec 5 Blog

Excavating the Bible—A Response

By: Yitzhak Meitlis

In the September/October 2014 issue of BAR, Itzhaq Shai reviewed Yitzhak Meitlis’s book Excavating the Bible (Eshel Books, 2012). Here, Meitlis responds to Shai’s review.

Jul 25 eBook

Israel: An Archaeological Journey

By: BAS Admin

As the point where three of the world’s major religions converge, the history of ancient Israel is one of the richest and most complex in the world. This journey into archaeology, Israel and the Biblical world is free on the Bible History Daily website.

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

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