Hagia Sophia 1 Hagia Sophia Mosaic of the Imperial Door Hagia Sophia 2 Located in Istanbul, Turkey, the Hagia Sophia is considered to be the epitome of Byzantine architecture. It was originally constructed as a church, beginning in 532, on the orders of the Emperor Justinian. At the opening in 537, Justinian arrived in his […]
A huge, exquisitely carved marble statue of the Roman emperor Hadrian is the latest find from Sagalassos, an ancient Greco-Roman city in south-central Turkey. Archaeologists estimate that the figure was originally between 13 and 16 feet in height (four to five meters). It is, says excavation director Marc Waelkens, one of the most beautiful portraits […]
The Israelite monarchy came into being as a result of an external threat. The tribes of Israel had entered the Land of Canaan and settled in it, retaining a tribal organization. However, in the late eleventh century BCE, the Philistines began to dominate the Canaanite cities on the coastal plain as well as other Sea […]
Oldest Text from the New Testament Gospel of John This papyrus fragment includes a portion of The Gospel of John 18-31-33 (left side) and 18-37-38 (right side). It was discovered in Egypt, demonstrating that Christianity had already spread beyond Palestine. Although John was one of the last books of the New Testament to be written, […]
GlassVessel Decorated with Crosses Mold-blown glass vessel, decorated with crosses, which may have been used for oil for the Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
Ennion Glass Jug Full View This fine glass jug was unearthed in one of the mansions excavated in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, which was an affluent district in the Second Temple period. The jug bears the name of its maker—Ennion—one of the greatest glass artisans of all times. Ennion is […]
The Babylonian Flood Story tablet was not excavated; it was found by a shepherd of Kibbutz Megiddo after the Oriental Institute excavators had closed shop. In a dump of excavated soil, the shepherd found a broken tablet, inscribed in cuneiform, bearing (on both sides) 37 lines of writing that included a portion of the […]
The Sumerian flood story cannot serve as the basis for independent meaningful comparison with the Bible for it has survived only in a very fragmentary state. The first 38 lines are missing, and there are long gaps in the narrative. As a result the outlines of the story must be reconstructed from the other […]
Three different Babylonian stories of the flood have survived- the Sumerian Flood Story, the eleventh tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic, and the Atrahasis Epic. Of these, the best known is Gilgamesh XI, which was one of the earliest cuneiform texts to be discovered and published. In 1872 George Smith read a paper called “The Chaldean […]
“Six days and seven nights the wind and storm flood” – Gilgamesh XI,127 Gilgamesh Epic Three different Babylonian stories of the flood have survived- the Sumerian Flood Story, the eleventh tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic, and the Atrahasis Epic. Of these, the best known is Gilgamesh XI, which was one of the earliest cuneiform texts […]