Excavation update

The discovery of peculiar artifacts that debunk an early scholarly theory about the Bible’s greatest lament

Take an online tour of our exhibit

How have we arrived at the point where many archaeologists consider using Bible history to be the relic of a past era of archaeological research?

‘Dr. Mazar, I presume?’

Coronavirus lockdowns once again interrupted archaeological excavations in Israel in 2021, but it didn’t prevent the discovery of some marvelous artifacts and revelations. Here’s our selection of the top finds of 2021, in ascending order of significance.

Did the events the book of Esther describes really happen?

What archaeology and classical history have to say about a detestable practice the Bible describes in the heart of Jerusalem

Get to know the artifacts that call the University of Oxford home.

Can we know exactly when Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were on the scene?

It’s a commonly cited name for the area between the City of David and the Temple Mount. But what does this enigmatic word really mean?

The archaeological evidence for the battles of the judges

Yes—here’s what those who call her profession into question leave out.

A ‘Stone Age zoo,’ Aboriginal Australians, booze and worldwide calamity at the earliest temple ever found—discoveries at this fantastical Turkish site parallel a peculiar early biblical setting.

Textual critics claim the Song of Songs is a late composition, certainly not the 10th-century b.c.e. product of King Solomon. They are wrong, says Prof. Gabriel Barkay.

Is the criticism warranted? And why the level of vehemence?

How Oklahoma became a destination for some of Israel’s most precious artifacts

When Professor Garfinkel and his team uncovered a large Davidic city at Khirbet Qeiyafa, they changed the narrative about ancient Israel’s greatest king.

Beneath an otherwise seemingly obvious biblical passage lies a much more sinister meaning, as revealed by archaeology.

You’ve heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Have you heard of the Ketef Hinnom Scrolls, which are centuries older and just as extraordinary?

The one biblical book suspiciously missing from this massive corpus of scriptural manuscripts—or is it?

What does archaeology tell us?