• Archaeology is a science that uncovers and explains the past evidence of man’s civilization.

• Webster’s Dictionary defines archaeology as the systematic study of past human life and culture by the recovery and examination of remaining material evidence.

Archaeology is a science because there are scientific procedures that must be followed. It is not a treasure hunt where digging is conducted in a haphazard manner.

Archeology gradually uncovers, meaning that digging takes place layer-by-layer. However, it is not enough to just uncover something, it must also be studied and explained.

Archaeology is that science or art—it can be maintained that it is both—which is concerned with the material remains of man’s past. There are two aspects to the archeologist’s concern. The first of these is the discovery and reclamation of the ancient remains; this usually involves field excavation or at least surface collecting. The second concern is the analysis, interpretation, and publication of the findings. Hoerth, Archaeology and the Old Testament, 14.

DEFINITION OF BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY

Traditionally, biblical archaeology is the name given to the study of the archaeological aspects of the history of the Jewish and Christian churches as provided in the Judeo-Christian Bible.

Near Eastern archaeology is the term that refers to the same region, but, since not all archaeological studies done in the area is referred to in the Old or New Testament, it covers a broader range of topics.

Biblical archaeology therefore is looking at the past biblical evidences of man’s civilizations. It is confined to Biblical places, Biblical people, and Biblical periods.

Biblical Places

There are nine different present day countries involved when looking at biblical archaeology (Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Iraq and Iran).

Right around the turn of the second millennium B.C. the Amorites came and swallowed up every kingdom and city in the Middle East that they attacked. They built new cities on the mounds of the destroyed kingdoms which later became the Canaanite cities of the Bible. They spoke a west-Semitic dialect and were called the Amurru (people of the west) by the Akkadian peoples of Mesopotamia. The story of Sinuhe describes the land of Canaan almost identical to the Promised Land of the Bible.

PATMOS

The Ancient Theater Epidaurus (Greece)

Pella

ROMAN COLISEUM

Vergina

Biblical Peoples

The Bible mentions many different peoples such as the Romans, the Greeks, the Galatians, the Cretans, the Jews, the Samaritans, the Philistines, the Hittites, the Egyptians and more. In studying Biblical peoples the goal is to discover any evidence of these civilizations.

KING HEZEKIAH (Hezekiah’s tunnel)

The Construction 2 Kings 20:20 "As for the other events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city..." 2 Chron. 32:30 "It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihonspring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David."

A 1750-foot (530m) tunnel carved during the reign of Hezekiah to bring water from one side of the city to the other. It is considered as one of the greatest works of water engineering technology in the pre-Classical period. Had it followed a straight line, the length would have been 1070 ft(335m) or 40% shorter.

Recent ExcavationsDiscovered in modern times by Edward Robinson (1838), cleared by Montague Parker's team (1909-11). The work continues on the tunnel and related passageways under the direction of Ronny Reich (1995-). Recent work has uncovered some of the archaeological tools and equipment abandoned by the Parker expedition.

The Location of the Siloam Inscription

“[...when] (the tunnel) was driven through. And this was the way in which it was cut through: While [...] (were) still [...] axe(s), each man toward his fellow, and while there were still three cubits to be cut through, [there was heard] the voice of a man calling to his fellows, for there was an overlap in the rock on the right [and on the left]. And when the tunnel was driven through, the quarrymen hewed (the rock), each man toward his fellow, axe against axe; and the water flowed from the spring toward the reservoir for 1200 cubits, and the height of the rock above the head(s) of the quarrymen was 100

Pontius Pilate was the governor of the Roman Iudaea Province from A.D. 26- 36. In modern times, he is best known as the man who presided over the trial of Jesus and ordered his crucifixion according to the Gospels.

The first physical evidence Pontius Pilate’s existence was discovered in 1961. A block of black limestone was found in the Roman theatre at Caesarea Palestine, the capital of the province of Iudaea, bearing a damaged dedication by Pilate of a Tiberieum. This dedication states that he was [...]ECTVS IUDA[...] (usually read as praefectusiudaeae), that is, prefect/governorof Iudaea. The early governors of Iudaea were of prefect rank, the later were of procurator rank, beginning with Cuspius Fadus in 44.The inscription is currently housed in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem

Latin inscription: ERASTUS PRO AEDILITATE S P

STRAVIT, which could be translated as

“Constructed at the expense of Erastus while he

was aedile” (Rom 16:23)

Biblical PeriodsThe period of time for the Old Testament

starts with Creation in Genesis 1:1 and runs through the return from exile in Babylon. Then the period of the post-Babylonian captivity (time of Ezra and Nehemiah).

There was a four hundred years of silences after Malachi (inter-testamental period) before the period of the New Testament (until the time of John the Revelator).