daily life in ancient israel

daily life in ancient israel Latest

Jan 1 Blog

Who Were the Ammonites, Moabites and Edomites in the Bible?

During the Iron Age, when Israel and Judah ruled Canaan, the kingdoms of Ammon, Moab and Edom ruled east of the Jordan River. Recent archaeological discoveries vastly increase our understanding of these kingdoms and their religion.

Nov 11 Blog

Biblical Bread: Baking Like the Ancient Israelites

By: Cynthia Shafer-Elliott

A team from the Tell Halif archaeological excavation made their own tannur, a traditional oven referenced in the Hebrew Bible, and baked bread in it.

Photo of Torah Scroll. Photo: “Open Torah and Pointer” by Lawrie Cate is licensed under CC-by-SA-2.0

Oct 9 Blog

What Does the Bible Say About Tattoos?

By: Megan Sauter

Although Leviticus 19:28 clearly prohibits tattoos, it does not give an explicit reason why. This begs the question: Why does the Bible prohibit tattoos?

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.)?

The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man (c. 1617) by Flemish painters Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder

Aug 14 Blog

Should We Take Creation Stories in Genesis Literally?

By: Robin Ngo

Were the creation stories in Genesis meant to be taken literally? Maybe not, says Biblical scholar Shawna Dolansky in her Biblical Views column “The Multiple Truths of Myths” in the January/February 2016 issue of BAR.

Dec 19 Blog

Understanding Israel’s 10 Commandments

By: Shawna Dolansky

Are the 10 Commandments really a moral code, or did the ancients understand them rather as the constitutional basis of a political theocracy?

Aug 4 Blog

Does a Jordan Valley Site Reveal the Origin of Ancient Israel?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Hidden in the Jordan Valley, Khirbet el-Mastarah may shed light on the origin of ancient Israel. The site contains numerous enclosures and structures, which appear to have been used by a nomadic or semi-nomadic group at the beginning of the Iron Age.

Aug 26 Blog

Evidence of Elusive Edom

By: John Drummond

As the descendants of Jacob’s twin brother Esau, the people of Edom have been traditionally connected to their cousins in Israel. According to the account […]

Oct 20 Blog

What Does the Aegean World Have to Do with the Biblical World?

By: Ellen White

What does the ancient Aegean world in the west have to do with the Biblical world in the east? Quite a lot, according to Aegean archaeology specialist Louise Hitchcock.

Mar 26 Blog

Was Biblical Israel an Egalitarian Society?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Although excavated structures, pottery and other household artifacts offer a glimpse of daily life in the Iron Age highlands of Canaan, no burials or tombs have been found. What do these findings reveal about the ideology of early Iron Age Israelite society?

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Ancient Israel in Egypt and the Exodus

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