This engraved slab of granite is more than ten feet tall and was found in 1896 in Western Thebes, Egypt. It contains the oldest* certain reference to “Israel” outside of the Bible, and is referred to as the Merneptah Stela. It was carved c. 1210 BC in hieroglyphs and is currently located in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. (Note: the word "Israel" is the darkened section in the second line from the bottom, which can be seen more clearly by clicking on the photo to enlarge it.)
In the biblical passage found in 1 Kings 9:15 it notes that King Solomon constructed the city wall for the town of Gezer. Archaeologists working at the site have now identified Solomon's wall, and the photo displayed here shows the remains of the gated portion.
The Moabite Stone, also called the Mesha Stela, is an inscribed black basalt monument written in the Moabite language in c. 835 BC. It stands nearly four feet tall and was found in 1868 in the land of ancient Moab, now modern Jordan. It contains references to biblical figures such as Israelite King Omri and Moabite King Mesha (cf. 1 and 2 Kings), as well as the covenant name of God, YHWH (cf. Exodus 3). It is now located in the Louvre.
The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III was made in c. 827 BC in ancient Assyria. It is about six and a half feet in height and is made of fine grained black limestone. The cuneiform text reads, "Tribute of Jehu, son of Omri...." Both Jehu and Omri were Israelite kings who are referred to in the Bible (cf. 1 & 2 Kings). A close-up photo showing an Israelite, possibly Jehu, bowing to the king of Assyria can be seen by clicking "Read more" below. The obelisk was found in 1846 in Nimrud and is now in the British Museum.
This inscribed basalt slab is known as the Stela of Zakkur. It refers to the Aramaic king Hazael who is also referred to in the Bible in such passages as 1 Kings 19:15. The item was discovered in 1903 at Tel Afis in Syria and dates to approximately 800 BC. The artifact is about 24 inches tall and the language is Aramaic. It is now located in the Louvre.
This seal is a bronze cast replica of the original found at Megiddo in c. 1904. The Hebrew lettering reads, "belonging to Shema, servant of Jeroboam." Scholars believe that the original seal was from King Jeroboam II* who is referred to in such passages as 2 Kings 13:13. The original was made in the 8th century BC of jasper and measured about 1 x 1.5 inches. Unfortunately, the original is now lost but the replica remains in a private collection.
This clay seal impression from the 8th century BC contains the Hebrew text, "Belonging to Ahaz [son of] Jotham, King of Judah." Ahaz was a biblical king referred to in the books of 2 Kings and Isaiah. Fingerprints can be seen on the left side of the impression, possibly those of Ahaz himself. The artifact is roughly one-half inch in size and is now in a private collection. Click on "Read more" below to see how a seal such as this, along with a string, were used to secure a papyrus document.
This artifact is known as the Sennacherib Prism. It was made in ancient Assyria in c. 690 BC of baked clay and is approximately 15 inches tall. The cuneiform script in the Akkadian language refers to Israelite King Hezekiah and to Assyrian King Sennacherib, both of whom are in the biblical text (cf. 2 Kings 19:9). In the inscription the Assyrian talks about trapping Hezekiah in Jerusalem like a caged bird. The artifact was purchased from a Baghdad antiquities dealer in c. 1919 and is now in the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum (formerly the Oriental Institute Museum), University of Chicago. It is one of a number of such prisms found so far (e.g. Taylor Prism, British Museum).
This wall relief carving depicts the siege of Lachish, telling the story from the Assyrian point of view. The carving was created in c. 700 BC and was discovered in the 1850s in the ancient city of Nineveh, Assyria. The full original panel measured sixty-two feet in length and was nearly nine feet tall. The same events are recorded in the Bible in 2 Kings 18-19. The relief now resides in the British Museum.
This clay prism, known as the Esarhaddon Prism, was made by the Assyrian king Esarhaddon in 673-672 BC. It refers to "Manasseh king of Judah," who is also
frequently referred to in the Bible in such passages as 2 Kings 20:21. The prism is written in cuneiform script and was found in the 1920s in the ruins of Nineveh. It is made of clay and is about 13 inches high. It is now located in the British Museum.
Esarhaddon was an Assyrian king noted in biblical passages such as 2 Kings 19:37. He erected the monument shown in the picture to commemorate a military victory in Egypt. The dolerite monument is over ten feet high and was made in the 7th century BC. It was found in 1881 in the modern city of Zinjirli, Turkey, and the text is written in the Akkadian language using cuneiform script. Esarhaddon himself is depicted in the carving, which is now located in the Museum of the Ancient Near East, Pergamum Museum, Berlin.
This photo displays a bronze inscription recently found in southern Arabia (the land of Sheba) that refers to "the towns of Judah." It indicates that there were trade relations between Israel and the homeland of the Queen of Sheba. The artifact is dated to the end of the 7th century BC, after the time of Solomon, though it shows the plausibility of the contact between Israel and the land of Sheba during Solomon's era as portrayed in such passages as 1 Kings 10. The artifact was likely a memorial inscription displayed on a temple wall, and the text is written in the Sabaean language using the South Arabian alphabet. Click "Read more" below to see a map showing the location of Sheba at the southern end of Arabian peninsula.
This ceramic brick is inscribed in cuneiform with the name of Nebuchadnezzar II, who is mentioned some 90 times in the Bible (e.g. Ezra 1:7). Ancient kings often used inscribed bricks in their building projects. This one was originally made in c. 604-562 BC and was found in the ruins of ancient Babylon during excavations in 1927. It reads, "Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Guardian of the temples of Esagila and Ezida, Firstborn son of Nabopolasser, king of Babylon." At one time (2011) it was located in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on loan from Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin.
This ceramic cylinder is inscribed in cuneiform script with the name of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II, who is referred to in the Bible more than any other foreign king (e.g. 2 Kings 24:1). The cylinder enumerates his building activities and was made in c. 604-562 BC. The artifact is 8.38 inches long. At one time (2011) it was located in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on loan from the Yale Babylonian Collection.
This ancient Babylonian tablet is part of the Babylonian Chronicles, which, among other events, records the capture of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 597 BC. The event is also recorded in the Bible in 2 Kings 24. The tablet was written in the 6th century BC, and is made of baked clay. It is a little over three inches in height and the writing is in the Akkadian language using cuneiform script. It was discovered in the late 1800s in Babylon and is now located in the British Museum.
This clay tablet from ancient Babylon describes monthly rations allowed to Jehoiachin, a Jewish king. The biblical account of King Jehoiachin is found in 2 Kings 25:29-30, which also states that he received a "regular allowance" from the king of Babylon. The tablet was made in c. 595-570 BC, and was discovered in Babylon in c. 1900. The text is in the Akkadian language using cuneiform script, and the tablet measures roughly 4 x 4 inches. The artifact is now located in the Museum of the Ancient Near East, Pergamum Museum, Berlin.
This arrowhead was recently found in Jerusalem in material retrieved from the Temple Mount. It is of the type used by the Babylonian army that destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BC. The attack from which the arrowhead might have come is recorded in the Bible in 2 Kings 24:10.
This artifact, known as the Cyrus Cylinder, was discovered in Babylon in 1879. Using the Akkadian language in cuneiform script, it recounts the exploits of the Persian King Cyrus, who is referred to frequently in the Bible (e.g. Isaiah 40-55). The text contains a description of Cyrus returning captives to their homeland. This is similar to Cyrus' actions with the Jews, though they are not specifically mentioned on this artifact. The cylinder is made of clay and is about nine inches long. The artifact was fashioned in the 6th century BC and now resides in the British Museum. In 2013 it toured 5 cities in the US, and the photo shown here was taken at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The reverse side of the object can be seen by clicking "Read more" below.
This alabaster jar comes from 5th century BC Egypt, and is inscribed with the name of the Persian King Xerxes–sometimes called Ahasuerus–who is referred to in the Bible in such passages as Ezra 4: 6. It is inscribed in both cuneiform and hieroglyphs, and is about ten inches high. It is now located in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
This silver bowl dates to the 5th century BC and comes from ancient Persia. It was used as a wine-drinking vessel, and it comes from the royal house of the Persian ruler Artaxerxes I. It is inscribed with the name of Artaxerxes himself, as well as his father Xerxes and his grandfather Darius. Of interest is the fact that the biblical figure Nehemiah is listed as a cup-bearer to Artaxerxes in Nehemiah 2:1. Found before 1935,* it is nearly 12 inches in diameter and is one of four such bowls discovered so far. The inscription is in the Old Persian language using cuneiform script, and the bowl is on display in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
The third of the three Roman emperors mentioned in the Bible is Claudius who reigned from 41-54 AD. He is noted in Acts 11:28 and 18:2. Ancient historians such as Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio also wrote about him. The photo here shows a model head located in the Museum of Roman Civilization, Rome.
View of the Western Wall,* which is part of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Many people from around the world come here to place written prayers into the crevices between the building blocks. The lower portion of the wall displayed in the photo represents part of the Temple complex that was rebuilt by King Herod starting in c. 19 BC. Herod's rebuilt Temple was the one visited by Christ. The Gospels record Christ at the Temple in such passages as John 2:12-25. Click "Read more" below to see an aerial photo of the Temple Mount.
This photo displays the location of a first-century AD house in the village of Capernaum that archaeological evidence indicates was quite likely the home of the Apostle Peter with whom Jesus may have lived (Mark 1 and 2). The miracle during which a paralyzed man was lowered through the roof likely occurred at this location. Excavations were carried out on the site between 1968 and 1998, and it was learned that it was used early in the Christian era as a church and as a place of pilgrimage. Also, inscriptions that refer to Jesus Christ were found. Today the structure is still visible under a larger modern church that was built over it to commemorate the site. To see a photo of this modern church, click "Read more" below.
In 2004 workers digging a sewer line in Jerusalem uncovered this terraced stone pool that was identified by archaeologists as the Pool of Siloam referred to in John's Gospel. This pool is noted in John 9:7 as the place where Jesus sent a blind man to be healed. The approximate date the pool was originally constructed was indicated by coins placed in antiquity into the plaster pool lining. The pool, which is about 225 feet wide, is located near the end of Hezekiah's tunnel (discussed above) and can be seen by visitors to the area.
This inscribed limestone slab was found in Caesarea Maritima, Israel in 1961. It was originally made in c. 30 AD. It is written in Latin and reads, "Tiberium Pontius Pilate Prefect of Judea." Pontius Pilate is known from the Bible as the one who condemned Jesus to death (Matthew 27).The artifact is about 32 inches in height and is now housed in the Israel Museum.
