The New York Times reported on March 17, 1929 that clay tablets, ten-stringed harp, and other parallels to the Old Testament had been found at Ur. “The graves of the kings of Ur” — so Woolley, in the exuberance of his delight at discovering them, had dubbed the tombs of Sumerian nobles whose truly regal […]
Werner Keller. The Bible as History. Bantam Books. New York. 1982. p.5.
The statue of Lamgi-Mari was discovered on Jan. 23, 1934 by Andre Parrot at Mari. The sculpture is carved in stone and contains an inscription in cuneiform- “I am Lamgi-Mari… king … of Man… the great … Issakkv … who worships his statue… of Ishtar.” The statue shows a commanding broad-shouldered figure upon its base. […]
In 1936, Andre Parrot made great discoveries at Mari. His finds include- remains of a grand palace dating to the early second millennium B.C., including largely intact archives containing nearly 25,000 cuneiform tablets, and a temple dedicated to the goddess Ishtar and several other sanctuaries. “The History Behind the Bible; BAR Interviews Avraham Malamat,” BAR […]
The beginnings of Mari around 1800 B.C. agree extremely well with the traditional dating of the Biblical patriarchs, somewhere around or shortly after 2000 B.C. Paradoxically it was the astonishing confirmation of statements in the Bible connecting the time of the patriarchs with a period of the history of the Ancient East some 500 years […]
With the campaign of Sesostris III about 1850 B.C. we are right in the middle of the patriarchal period. Meantime Egypt had taken possession of the whole of Canaan- the country now lay under the suzerainty of the Pharaohs. Thanks to the archaeologists we possess a unique document from this epoch, a gem of ancient […]
Cuneiform texts have this to say of King Sargon, the founder of the Semitic dynasty of Akkad in 2360 B.C.- “I am Sargon, the powerful king, the king of Akkad. My mother was an Enitu priestess, I did not know any father…. My mother conceived me and bore me in secret. She put me in […]
The “serpent of brass” is a serpent idol to which magical powers were attributed (Num. 21-9). It is reported that there was a similar idol in the temple at Jerusalem which was not removed until it was broken in pieces by King Hiskia (Hezekiah) of Judah, who reigned around 700 B.C. (2 Kings 18-4). The […]
Excavated Ruins at Ugarit On the north coast of Syria exactly opposite the east tip of Cyprus lies Minet El-Beida, the “White Haven.” The Mediterranean waves break here on dazzling snow white limestone rocks in a wonderful display of colour, changing from light green to deep violet. Inland, great banks of clouds surrounded the lonely […]
According to the inscriptions on the pedestal they lived in Thebes in the 15th century B.C.E. and were priests of the funeral cult of pharaoh Tutmes I in the temple Amona-Ra in Karnaka. The sculptor subtly conveys the texture of the fabric of the transparent material of Rannai, long dress and the flat starched garment […]