The Archaeology of the Old Testament

 Book 21

The Archaeology of the Old Testament: 115 Discoveries That Support the Reliability of the Bible. Biblical Archaeology Series 3. Moncton, NB, Canada: Electronic Christian Media, September 2019. 

For also The Archaeology of the New Testament.

     

 
The Video introduction

 

Thousands of artifacts have been discovered that relate to the Bible, but few of them make the news headlines. Revisionist scholars often seek to undermine and downplay the relevance of many of the discoveries. Experienced archaeologist David Graves has assembled a helpful collection of over 115 significant up-to-date discoveries from the Old Testament (OT) period. He tours sites associated with Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, the Prophets, Ezra, Nehemiah and many of the important site in the OT, showing the significant influence of local references, society, architecture, and religion on the peoples of the OT that confirms the historicity of the OT biblical events and shed light on the text. Graves explores the full range of important OT archaeological discoveries, from manuscripts, pottery, inscriptions, seals, and other artifacts.  This insightful book will: 

     ·  Illustrate archaeological finds with more than 165 pertinent color photographs, detailed maps and carefully crafted charts
     ·  Include a glossary defining technical archaeological terms
     ·  Provide extensive footnotes and bibliography for future study
     ·  Include a detailed subject index
This invaluable resource provides an interesting and informative understanding of the cultural and historical background of the Old Testament illustrated from archaeology. This is an accessible resource intended for laypeople who want to know more about archaeology and the Old Testament, whether in seminary courses, college classrooms, church groups or personal study. 

 

Outline of the Archaeology of the Old Testament

INTRODUCTION TO OT ARCHAEOLOGY   

UNDERSTANDING DATES IN OT ARCHAEOLOGY

• Approach to Numbers    29
• Egyptian Chronology    30
• Old Testament Chronology    31
• New Dating Chronology    32
• Three-Age Dating System    32
• Dating Abbreviations    33
• BC and AD    33
• C.E. and B.C.E.    33
• BP    34

THE ROLE OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN BIBLICAL STUDIES

• MINIMALIST VS MAXIMALIST APPROACH    36
• Minimalist View    36
• Maximalist View    38
• Direct and Indirect Evidence    39
• Tolerance    41

ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE OLD TESTAMENT TEXT

• LANGUAGES OF THE BIBLE

• Semitic Languages    42
• Cuneiform Script    42
• History of Hebrew    43
• Paleo-Hebrew    43
• Classical Biblical Hebrew    44
• Late Biblical Hebrew    44
• Qumran Hebrew    44
• Jerusalem Papyrus    45
• Writing Yahweh    45
• Mishnaic Hebrew    46
• Masoretic Text (MT)    47
• History of Aramaic    47
• IMPORTANT OT MANUSCRIPTS    48
• The Silver Scroll (ca. 600 BC; Num 6:24–26)    48
• The Nash Papyrus (150–100 BC; Exod 20; Deut 6:4–5)    49
• THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS (AD 70)    50
• Discovery of the DSS    50
• Content of the DSS    51
• Significance of DSS    52
• OLD TESTAMENT CODEX    54
• The Codex Orientales (AD 820–950)    54
• The Cairo Geniza Collection (AD 870–1880)    54
• The Codex Cairensis (AD 896)    55
• The Babylonian Codex (AD 916)    55
• The Aleppo Codex (AD 925)    55
• The Leningrad Codex (AD 1008)    56
• THE SEPTUAGINT (LXX)    56

GENESIS

• CREATION AND FLOOD ACCOUNTS (GEN 1–3)    58
• The Epic of Gilgamesh (ca. 2100–1600 BC)    58
• The Ziusudra (Eridu Genesis) Epic (ca. 1600 BC)    63
• The Atrahasis Epic (1646–1626 BC)    64
• The Enuma Elish (ca. 1000 BC)    65

• DEVELOPMENT OF CIVILIZATION (GEN 4)    67
• GENEALOGIES (GEN 5, 11)    67
• Sumerian King List (ca. 2100–1800 BC)    67

• THE FLOOD AND NOAH (GEN 6–9)    69
• Durupinar    70
• Mount Suleiman    71
• Mount Ararat    71
• Eyewitness Accounts    72
• TOWER OF BABEL (GEN 10–11)    72
• PATRIARCHS    74
• Lack of direct Evidence for the Patriarchs    74
• Evidence for the Patriarchs    76
• Ebla Tablets (ca. 2500–2250 BC)    76
• The Beni-Hasan Tomb Painting (ca. 1892 BC)    77
• The Egyptian Execration Texts (1878–1630 BC)    78
• The Mari Tablets (ca. 1800–1750 BC)    79
• ABRAHAM AND UR (GEN 12–25)    80
• Ur, Hometown of Abraham    80
• Understanding Abraham    82
• The Nuzi Tablets (ca. 1500–1350 BC)    82
• An Heir by Adoption and Proxy    83
• Separation of Abraham and Lot (Gen 13:5–13)    83
• SODOM AND GOMORRAH (GEN 10, 18–19)    84
• Criteria for Locating Sodom    85
• Search for the Cities of the Plain    86
• Southern Theory    87
• Northern Theory    91
• Late Bronze Gap in the Jordan Valley    92
• Evidence of Destruction    94
• Trinitite Klinkers    94
• Does Zoar Help Identify Sodom?    95
• Conclusion    96
• CRITERIA FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF SODOM FOR THE SST AND NST    97
• THE FAMINE STELE (GEN 41; 332–331 BC)    98

EXODUS

• THE EXODUS (EXOD 1–40)    99
• MOSES (EXOD 2:1–10)    99
• The Sargon Birth Legend    99

• ISRAEL IN EGYPT: POSSIBLE EVIDENCE    100
• Hyksos and Rameses    101
• Asiatic Residences    101
• Hyksos Palace and Empty Sarcophagus    101
• A Plague and Abrupt End    102
• Possible Egyptian References to the Exodus    102
• MOUNT SINAI (EXOD 19:1)    106
• BIBLICAL COVENANT AND LAW (LEV 26:12; DEUT 29:9–13)    107
• The Boghaz-Köy Tablets (ca. 1570–1200 BC)    109
• The Code of Hammurabi (ca. 1789–1725 BC)    110
• ISRAEL    112
• The Merenptah Stele    112
• The Merenptah’s Battle Reliefs, Karnak Temple    113
• PLAGUES AND THE EXODUS    114
• The Ipuwer Papyrus    114
• The Destruction of Mankind Papyrus    116
• The Tale of Two Brothers Papyrus    117
• Conclusion    118

JOSHUA  

• ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND (JOSH 2:1; 3:1)    119
• CANAAN    120
• The Tell el-Amarna Tablets    120
• The Ras Shamra Tablets    122
• THE CONQUEST    123
• Conquest Theories    123
• The Conquest Theory    123
• The Peaceful Infiltration Theory    123
• The Peasant Revolt Theory    124
• The Peaceful Withdrawal Theory    124
• The Climate Change Theory    124
• Two Inscribed Phoenician columns    125
• Jericho (Josh 2–3)    126
• Archaeological Evidence    128
• Ai (Josh 7–8)    130
• Archaeological Evidence    131
• Hazor (Josh 11)    132
• CONCLUSION    134

SAMUEL, KINGS, AND CHRONICLES

• IMPORTANT INSCRIPTIONS    135
• The Gezer Calendar    135
• The Rosetta Stone    136
• SEALS AND BULLAE    138

UNITED MONARCHY

• Shiloh – Tell-Seilûn (1 Sam 1:3)    141
• KING DAVID (1 SAM 15)    144
• The Mesha Stele    145
• The Tel Dan Stele    147
• Large Stone Structure (1 Kgs 9:15–24)    147
• Archaeological Evidence    148
• Gihon Spring Rock–Cut Pool    150
• Gath – Tell eṣ-Ṣafi (1 Sam 17:4)    151
• The Gath Ostracon    152
• Sha’araîm – Khirbet Qeiyafa (1 Sam 17)    152
• Archaeological Evidence    153
• Khirbet Qeiyafa Ostracon    155
• Esh-baal Inscription    157
• King Achish (705–701 BC; 1 Sam 27)    157
• The Ekron Royal Dedicatory Inscription (1 Sam 27)    157
• Tel Reḥōv and Apiculture (1 Kgs 19:16)    158
• Inscriptions    159
• Apiary    159
• Lachish – Six Chambered Gate-shrine (2 Kgs 18:4)    160
• Ziklag – Tel Zayit Abecedary (1 Sam 27:6)    161

KING SOLOMON (1 KGS 4:21; 2 CHON 9:26)

• The Pomegranate Inscription (1 Kgs 6:1–9)    162
• The 3 Shekel Ostraca    163
• The Arad House of Yahweh Ostracon    164
• Tall el-Ḥammâm – Solomonic Site    165
• Edomite Copper Mines    165
• Khirbet en-Nahas    166
• Khirbet Hamra Ifdan    166
• Timna Valley Site    167

NORTHERN KINGDOM – ISRAEL

• Jeroboam I (930–909 BC)    169
• The Altar of Jeroboam I    170
• King Ahab (874–853 BC)    171
• The Kurkh Stele Monolith Inscription    171
• King Jehu (841–814 BC)    173
• The Black Obelisk    173
• Jeroboam II (793–753 BC)    174
• The Seal of Shema    175
• Balaam, son of Beor    175
• The Deir ‘Alla Inscription    175
• King Menahem (752–742 BC)    176
• Fall of the Northern Kingdom (775 BC)    177
• The Annals of Sargon II (738–720 BC)    177
• The Winged Bull of Sargon II (710–705 BC)    177
• The Jehoash Inscription    178

SOUTHERN KINGDOM – JUDAH

• Jerusalem – Temple Mount Salvage Operation    181
• Governor of the Jerusalem Seal (2 Kgs 23:8; 2 Chr 34:8)    182
• Matanyahu Seal (2 Kgs 24:17)    183
• Rehoboam (ca. 928 BC; 1 Kgs 11:43–14:31; 1 Chr 12:14)    183
• The Karnak or Shishak I Inscription    184
• King Uzziah (Azariah r. ca. 792–740 BC; 2 Kgs 15:1–27)    185
• The Uzziah Epitaph    185
• King Ahaz (ca. 732–715 BC)    186
• The Ahaz Bulla    186
• King Hezekiah (715–686 BC)    187
• Hezekiah Bulla    188
• The Incirli Stele of Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727 BC)    188
• The Royal Steward Inscription (716–686 BC)    189
• Hezekiah’s Tunnel (ca. 701 BC)    190
• The Siloam Inscription (ca. 701 BC)    191
• The Bethlehem Bulla (8th –7th cent. BC)    191
• The Sennacherib (Taylor) Prism (705–681 BC)    192
• The Azekah Inscription (ca. 689 BC)    194
• Jerusalem Captured (597 BC)    195
• The Babylonian Chronicles (626–539 BC)    195
• Siege of Jerusalem (586 BC)    195
• Siege of Lachish (701 BC)    196
• The Lachish Letters    196
• The Lachish Reliefs    198
• CONCLUSION    199

JEREMIAH

• The Baruch Seal (Jer 32:1–16)    201
• The Sarsekim Tablet (Jer 39:3)    202

EZEKIEL

• The Stela of Esarhaddon (Ezek 38:4)    203

DANIEL

• The Nabonidus Chronicle (Dan 5:16)    205
• The Nabonidus Cylinders (Dan 5:16)    206

EZRA AND NEHEMIAH 

• The Cyrus Cylinder (Isa 45:1–3, 13; Ezra 1:1–3)    209
• The Tiled Archer of Susa (Ezra 5–6)    210
• The Persepolis Relief (Ezra 6:6–12)    211
• The Cylinder Seal of Darius I (Ezra 6:15)    211
• The Silver Bowl of Artaxerxes (Neh 2:1)    212
• The Behistun Relief Inscription (Esth 1:21–22)    213

7X10 format, ca. 340 Pages. 

Black and White Softcover ISBN: 978-1672868853. Available from Amazon; AbeBooks; 

Color Softcover ISBN: 978-1692356101. Available from Amazon; AbeBooks;

Color Hardback case laminate  ISBN: 979-8706949532. Available from Amazon

_________

Dr. David Graves PhD. Dissertation, University of Aberdeen. The Influence of Ancient Near Eastern Vassal Treaties on the Seven Prophetic Messages in Revelation.
 

For Journal articles and papers see  Follow me on Academia.edu or Selected Works

For all books by Dr. David E. Graves

 

For Books see Amazon or Amazon

 

The ECM Introduction Video

 

Rumble Video Channel

 

Updated Feb, 2024