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Historical context

Historical context for understanding and deepening Scripture.

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Explore Historical Evidence

A visual observatory of archaeological finds, inscriptions, and documentary sources that illuminate the biblical world.

8curated piecesBronze Age - Second Temple
Dead Sea Scrolls. Ancient copies showing the textual transmission of the Old Testament.Manuscripts

Dead Sea Scrolls

Ancient copies showing the textual transmission of the Old Testament.

3rd c. BC-1st c. ADQumran

Source: The Israel Museum

Merneptah Stele. The earliest extra-biblical reference to Israel, carved in Egyptian royal stone.Inscriptions

Merneptah Stele

The earliest extra-biblical reference to Israel, carved in Egyptian royal stone.

c. 1208 BCThebes, Egypt

Source: The Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Sennacherib Prism. An Assyrian chronicle describing the campaign against Judah and Jerusalem’s siege.Objects

Sennacherib Prism

An Assyrian chronicle describing the campaign against Judah and Jerusalem’s siege.

c. 691 BCNineveh

Source: British Museum

Tel Dan Inscription. A famous Aramaic fragment mentioning the House of David in royal context.Inscriptions

Tel Dan Inscription

A famous Aramaic fragment mentioning the House of David in royal context.

9th c. BCTel Dan, Israel

Source: The Israel Museum

Siloam or Hezekiah’s Tunnel. A defensive waterwork connecting the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam.Monuments

Siloam or Hezekiah’s Tunnel

A defensive waterwork connecting the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam.

c. 701 BCJerusalem

Source: City of David

City of David. Strata, seals, and structures placing Davidic monarchy in Jerusalem.Places

City of David

Strata, seals, and structures placing Davidic monarchy in Jerusalem.

10th-8th c. BCJerusalem

Source: City of David

Amarna Tablets. A diplomatic archive illuminating Canaanite cities and their political tensions.Objects

Amarna Tablets

A diplomatic archive illuminating Canaanite cities and their political tensions.

14th c. BCAmarna, Egypt

Source: Vorderasiatisches Museum

Hezekiah Coin. Seal and administrative symbols associated with Judah’s reforming reign.Coins

Hezekiah Coin

Seal and administrative symbols associated with Judah’s reforming reign.

8th c. BCJudah

Source: Israel Antiquities Authority

0Archaeology
2Inscriptions
1Manuscripts
1Monuments
1Coins
1Places
0Papyri
2Objects