THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH [Text, Translation, & Tablets]

Depiction of Anzu pursued by Ninurta, palace relief, Nineveh

Epic Tablets The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest stories, not just in the setting of the narrative but also in the fact that there are tablets of this story that reach back to the times of Abraham. In comparison, the oldest pieces of the Old Testament that have been discovered are the … Read more

Who is Ishtar in the Bible? [A Comprehensive Study]

Representation of the goddess Ishtar

Who Ishtar is NOT! In Christian circles it is believed that Easter was named after Ishtar and that the celebration with bunnies and eggs is all about the cult worship of her as a fertility goddess. However, this is false. Ishtar has nothing to do with bunnies or eggs. To read more on this issue … Read more

Top 10 Discoveries of Old Testament Biblical Archaeology

Cyrus Cylinder Display

10. THE CYRUS CYLINDER Date of Artifact: 6th century BCE Location of Creation: Persia Date of Finding: 1879 Location Found: Iraq Biblical passages related: Isaiah 44:28 | Ezra 1:1-4 | 2 Chronicles | 36:22-23 | Ezra 6:4-5 | Daniel 10:1 | Daniel 6:28 The Cyrus Cylinder dates from the 6th century BCE and was discovered … Read more

Why Is Moses Pictured With Horns?

Brigstocke, Thomas, 1809-1881; Moses with His Arms Supported by Aaron and Hur

If you’ve been a fan of biblical art or art history then you have probably seen some strange images or statues of biblical characters with horns on their heads. If you have not, here are some examples. TLDR Video Summary Why Moses Has Horns Let me first state that there is no reason to believe … Read more

The Bible Unearthed – Book Review

The-Bible-Unearthed-Archaeologys-New-Vision-of-Ancient-Israel-and-the-Origin-of-Its-Sacred-Texts-0

I initially discovered The Bible Unearthed, when searching the Ashland Seminary Library for resources that might help me with some research on Akkadian archaeology from the same time period as our OT time periods. It did not really help me that much with my research paper but the second chapter on the Exodus archaeology was so … Read more

Where Archaeology Meets The Bible: Middle Babylonian Period [1000 – 625 BCE]

Sargon II Lion Hunting

This is now the 4th installment of “Where Archaeology Meets The Bible”. The previous installments can be found below in chronological order. #1 Kassite Period [1600-1160 BCE]. #2 Middle Babylonian Period [1000 – 625 BCE]. #3 Middle Babylonian Period [1000 – 625 BCE]. Below I will be examining a number of texts from the Akkadian and Babylonian time of domination … Read more