Life in the Ancient World

Life in the Ancient World Latest

19th-century painting of Jezebel by John Liston Byam Shaw

Mar 3 Blog

Scandalous Women in the Bible

Mary Magdalene, Jezebel, Rahab, Lilith. Today, each are popularly considered scandalous women in the Bible. Are these so-condemned salacious women misrepresented?

An excavated site showing several large clay storage jars (pithoi) in situ. Photo: ASOR, Punic Project/James Whitred

Feb 22 Blog

At Carthage, Child Sacrifice?

By: Robin Ngo

Was child sacrifice really practiced at ancient Carthage? In BAR, Patricia Smith discusses the research she and her team conducted on the cremated remains from the Carthage Tophet.

Sep 28 Blog

The 10 Strangest Foods in the Bible

By: David Moster

Many Biblical stories are set within the context of a meal. While most of these are about regular meals, others refer to more bizarre, extreme or supernatural cases of eating and drinking.

Ancient tekhelet: the Jewish prayer shawl

Sep 11 Blog

What Color Was Tekhelet?

By: Robin Ngo

In the Bible, a shade of blue called tekhelet was God’s chosen color for the ancient Israelites. Tekhelet drapes adorned Solomon’s Temple, and tekhelet robes were worn by Israel’s high priests. What was the actual color of ancient tekhelet and tzitzit?

Aug 30 Blog

Daily Life in Ancient Israel

By: BAS Staff

What was life like for the tribes of Israel in the time of the Biblical Judges, the period archaeologists call Iron Age I (1200–1000 B.C.E.)?

A stone relief created in 1958 by sculptor Ferdinand Heseding. The relief, which appears on a fountain in Dusseldorf, Germany, depicts the Biblical spies Joshua and Caleb carrying a cluster of grapes back from the Promised Land (Numbers 13:1-33)

Aug 26 Blog

No, No, Bad Dog: Dogs in the Bible

By: Ellen White

Dogs—or celeb in Hebrew—were not well loved in the Bible. Given the negative associations with dogs, it is surprising that one of the great Hebrew spies bears this name.

Aug 7 Blog

Cats in Ancient Egypt

By: Robin Ngo

According to a recent study, cats were domesticated in Egypt 5,700 years ago—almost two millennia earlier than previously thought.

Apr 15 Blog

Fruit in the Bible

By: David Moster

Seeds and fruit remains are exciting discoveries for archaeologists, and they provide radiocarbon data to help date buried strata. Fruit also plays an important role in the Biblical narrative.

1813 painting Vesuvius Erupting by Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes

Mar 22 Blog

The Destruction of Pompeii—God’s Revenge?

By: Hershel Shanks

The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius destroyed the opulent vacation destinations of Roman elites in August 79 C.E.—almost exactly nine years after Roman troops destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem. Did this seem like more than mere coincidence to the ancients?

Mar 13 Blog

Origins: 3.14159265…

By: Kim Jonas

Why did the ancients invent increasingly subtle and ingenious methods to arrive at an exact value of pi? Human curiosity.

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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