ancient inscriptions

ancient inscriptions Latest

Ostraca with Hebrew inscriptions excavated from the Iron Age fortress at Arad in Israel. Photo: Michael Cordonsky, courtesy Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities Authority

Feb 17 Blog

When Was the Hebrew Bible Written?

When was the Hebrew Bible written? Ostraca with Hebrew inscriptions excavated from the Iron Age fortress at Arad in Israel may provide clues, say researchers from Tel Aviv University.

Dec 2 Blog

Why Did the Magi Bring Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh?

By: BAS Staff

Were the gifts of the magi meant to save Jesus from the pain of arthritis? It’s possible, according to researchers at Cardiff University in Wales who have been studying the medical uses of frankincense.

Feb 9 Blog

30 People in the New Testament Confirmed

By: Lawrence Mykytiuk

Archaeology has confirmed 53 people from the Hebrew Bible. What about the New Testament? In BAR, Lawrence Mykytiuk examines the political figures in the New Testament who can be identified in the archaeological record and by extra-Biblical writings.

Jul 25 Blog

The Earliest Evidence of Christianity in Arabia?

By: Marek Dospěl

Before the emergence of Islam in the early seventh century, Arabia was home to a different monotheistic faith. Centuries before Muhammad, some ancient Arabian tribes […]

Jul 20 Blog

Latin Over Aramaic?

By: Marek Dospěl

The ancient oasis city of Palmyra—located northeast of Damascus in present-day Syria—abounds with archaeological treasures of the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Owing to its crucial […]

Oct 28 Blog

The Nabonidus Inscription at Sela

By: Megan Sauter

In the sixth century B.C.E., the Neo-Babylonian king Nabonidus inscribed imperial propaganda on a cliff at Sela, a mountain fortress in modern Jordan, after conquering the Edomite site. The 10-by-6.5-foot inscription rests 300 feet above ground—halfway up a 600-foot-tall cliff!

Jan 1 Blog

How Ancient Taxes Were Collected Under King Manasseh

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

A seventh-century B.C.E. clay bulla inscribed in paleo-Hebrew script provides evidence for how ancient taxes were collected during the reign of the Biblical King Manasseh.

Jul 28 Blog

Word Play

By: Glenn J. Corbett

Three thousand years ago, when alphabetic writing had just begun to spread across the masses of the ancient Near East, written words were far more than idle marks meant simply to be read.

Jul 10 Blog

Doyenne of Hebrew Paleography

By: André Lemaire

André Lemaire reflects on the legacy of Ada Yardeni, a world-renowned scholar in the field of Hebrew and Aramaic paleography.

Nov 4 Blog

First Person: Why Consult Scholarship to Judge “Jesus’ Wife” Fragment?

By: Hershel Shanks

BAR editor Hershel Shanks discusses a recent article in the Atlantic unmasking a fake ancient inscription in which Jesus refers to “my wife.”

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