BIBL 471 - Biblical Archaeology

Liberty University Students

These tips will help you with writing your Sodom Papers.

Please print and keep these handy while you write your Sodom Paper.

Index

TIPS TO CONSIDER

• Recommended Book
  
• Don't retell the Sodom Story
  
• New Research
  
• Two Separate Sites
• Destruction
• Maps
• Sodom Update
• National Geographic

FACTS TO CONSIDER
8 facts from my book Key Fact for the Location of Sodom

1. The NST is not a new Theory FACT 3
2. Few sites have ever been identified using an inscription FACT 11
3. Both sites are located in the Great Rift Valley FACT 25
4. Most scholars place the date of the Patriarchs in the MBA FACT 37
5. Numeira was destroyed 250 years before BeD FACT 39
6. Use of flaming Arrows for Battle FACT 54
7. This century the Dead Sea is at its lowest point in history FACT 56
   
8. Bitumen Pits Location of the Battle FACT 57

RESOURCES

Tips to Consider

1. Book that is Recommended:but not compulsory. This book would be highly recommended for background material and sources, including maps, charts, and timelines, for your Sodom Papers, but you are not obliged to purchase it.
       Graves, David E. Key Facts for the Location of Sodom Student Edition: Navigating the Maze of Arguments, 2014. ISBN: 978-1499660241.LINK
   
   The advantage of such a book is that it provides a collective source of material for students that would otherwise take a long time to assemble or otherwise be inaccessible. Numerous detailed maps, charts, tables, and photographs are included which will help facilitate understanding of the unfamiliar terrain of the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley. A glossary defines technical terms, and extensive footnotes, a bibliography, and reference to a large index of subjects and authors provides an invaluable resource to students for future study. Index
2. Don't retell the Sodom Story: Don't spend time in your introduction retelling the Sodom story. We all know the story and for such a short paper start with a good thesis statement about your task. Index
   
3. New Research: However, there is some new research on the subject of Sodom, that has been released since Randall Price published his book. Chapter 6 of Price,The Stones Cry Out is on Sodom but it is out of date. (See LINK for the up-to-date material). The  “Sodom and Gomorrah paper” is designed to evaluate some of this new research on the location of Sodom. Index
4. Two Separate Sites: Sodom and Gomorrah have traditionally been named together, although they are two separate sites, however you are just researching Sodom, although it would be good to name the site that each side understands to be Gomorrah.  Index
   
5. Destruction: In describing the destruction for each site we are not interested in how they were destroyed (earthquake, volcano, thunder, asteroid, etc.) but in the evidence that is left behind. Is there evidence of burning, high temperatures, bodies, pottery left behind, etc.? Index
   
6. Maps:Be sure to check out a good map for the location of Bab edh-Dhra and Tall el-Hammam. There are several maps in the Key Facts for the Location of Sodom.Looking from the surrounding mountains one would be looking down into the Jordan Valley like looking into the Grand Canyon. Picture of Jordan Valley from Mt. Nebo (can you see the southern end of the Dead Sea?) Index
   

Facts to Consider in your Sodom Papers

1. CHAPTER THREE – PRELIMINARY FACTS  page 56

• FACT 1: SODOM IS NOT A FICTION FOR WOOD AND COLLINS. page 56
• FACT 2: THE SST IS NOT A NEW VIEW. page 57
• FACT 3: THE NST IS NOT A NEW VIEW.page 58. The northern location for Sodom in the Jordan Valley is not a new theory: It was argued by most archaeologists prior to W. F. Albright.
  
•  Charles W. Wilson, “On the Site of Ai and the Position of the Altar Which Abram Built Between Bethel and Ai.” Palestine Exploration Fund: Quarterly Statement 1, no. 4 (1869): 123-26. Edward H. Palmer, The Desert of the Exodus: Journeys on Foot in the Wilderness of the Forty Years’ of Wanderings Undertaken in Connexion with the Ordance Survey of Sinai and the Palestine Exploration Fund (Vol. 2. 2 vols. Cambridge, U.K.: Deighton, Bell & Co., 1871), 2:480.
  
• Henry Baker Tristram, The Land of Moab Travels and Discoveries on the East Side of the Dead Sea and the Jordan, 2nd ed.(Piscataway, N.J.: Gorgias, 1874), 326–33. LINK
  
• Selah Merrill, East of the Jordan: A Record of Travel and Observation in the Countries of Moab, Gilead, and Bashan (London, U.K.: Darf, 1881), 239.
  
• Selah Merrill, “Modern Researches in Palestine.” Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York 9 (1877): 109–25.
  
• Selah Merrill “Modern Researches in Palestine.” Palestine Exploration Fund: Quarterly Statement 11, no. 1 (1879): 138–54.
  
• William F. Birch, “Zoar.” Palestine Exploration Fund: Quarterly Statement 11, no. 1 (1879): 15–18, 99–101.
  
• William F. Birch, “Sodom.” Palestine Exploration Fund: Quarterly Statement 13 (1881): 101–102.
  
• Claude Reignier Conder, and Horatio H. Kitchener. The Survey of Eastern Palestine: The Adwan Country (Vol. 1. 7 vols. London, U.K.: Palestine Exploration Fund, 1881), 1:229–30.
  
• Claude Reignier Conder, Heth and Moab (London, U.K.: Bentley & Son, 1883), 151, 153–55.
  
• William M. Thomson, The Land and the Book: Southern Palestine and Jerusalem (New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, 1882), 371–76.
• William M. Thomson, TThe Land and the Book: Lebanon, Damascus, and Beyond Jordan (New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, 1885), 668–70. LINK
  
• George Grove, “Zoar,” ed. William Smith, A Dictionary of the Bible(Philadelphia, Pa.: Winston, 1884), 1153.
  
• J. Cunningham Geikie, The Holy Land and the Bible: A Book of Scripture Illustrations Gathered in Palestine (2 vols. London, U.K.: Cassell & Company, 1887), 2: 118–20.
• Index
• FACT 4: WOOD BELIEVES THAT BeD IS SODOM. page 59
• FACT 5: ALBRIGHT DID NOT BELIEVE THAT BeD WAS SODOM. page 60
• FACT 6: RAST AND SCHAUB DID NOT BELIEVE THAT BeD WAS SODOM. page 61
• FACT 7: COLLINS BELIEVES THAT TeH IS SODOM. page 61
• FACT 8: PUBLICATIONS PRIOR TO 2006 DO NOT INCLUDE COLLINS’ TeH RESEARCH.page 63

• FACT 9: THE A PRIORI METHOD IS GOOD SCIENCE.page 64
• FACT 10: THE SERIAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE BIBLE IS RELIABLE. page 65
• FACT 11: FEW BIBLICAL SITES HAVE EVER BEEN IDENTIFIED USING AN INSCRIPTION. page 66. Of all the biblical cities on your Bible maps, only Dan, Gezer, Gibeon, Hazor, Hebron, Jerusalem have a secondary inscription identifying their location. Steven Collins, and Latayne C. Scott. Discovering the City of Sodom: The Fascinating, True Account of the Discovery of the Old Testament’s Most Infamous City (New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, 2013), 273-96. Look Inside Only Ekron has a primary inscription identifying its location. Usually scholars use geographic indicators to identify a cities location (i.e., by this river, by this mountain, etc.). Sodom has 25 geographic indicators while Jerusalem has only 18. For more details see LINK  Index
• FACT 12: WOOD HAS NEVER EXCAVATED BeD. page 67
• FACT 13: THE EARLY READ OF THE TEH STRATIGRAPHY WAS DUE TO MODERN MILITARY ACTIVITY. page 67
• FACT 14: A SURFACE SURVEY IS DIFFERENT TO AN EXCAVATION. page 69

• FACT 15: THE KEY PASSAGE ON SODOM’S GEOGRAPHY IS GEN 13:1-12. page 70
• FACT 16: GENESIS 14:10 IS REFERRING TO THE LOCATION FOR THE BATTLE OF THE MESOPOTAMIAN KINGS, NOT THE LOCATION OF THE CITIES OF THE PLAIN. page 71
• FACT 17: ZEBOIIM IS PLURAL IN HEBREW. page 72
• FACT 18: HEBREW DOES NOT HAVE THE WORDS NORTH, SOUTH, EAST OR WEST. page 73
• FACT 19: EZEKIEL IS NOT BIBLICAL NARRATIVE. page 74
• FACT 20: JEREMIAH 50:35-46 IS PROPHETIC LITERATURE. page 75
• FACT 21: THERE IS A SALT CURSE MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE. page 77

• FACT 22: THE JORDAN VALLEY WAS VISIBLE FROM BETWEEN BETHEL AND AI. page 78
• FACT 23: SODOM WAS LOCATED ON THE PLAIN (KIKKĀR) OF THE JORDAN. page 80
• FACT 24: THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE VALLEY OF SIDDIM IS NOT KNOWN. page 82
• FACT 25: Bab edh-Dhra and Tall el-Hammam ARE BOTH LOCATED IN THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY.page 83.   along a fault line which is known to have asphalt /bitumen, sulfur, tar, and natural gas (Pliny the Elder Nat. Hist. 2.226; 5.72; 7.65; 28.80; 35.178). Petroleum products are not unique to Bab edh-Dhra.  I’m working beside the hot springs at Hammam (means "hot springs") and while we are working you can smell the sulfur. Collins points to bitumen (tar) chunks that have been mined all around the area, including at Tall el-Hammam. Steven Collins. “Where Is Sodom? The Case for Tall el-Hammam.” Biblical Archaeology Review39, no. 2 (2013). For more details seeLINK. Index
• FACT 26: SMOKE FROM BOTH TeH AND BeD WOULD HAVE BEEN VISIBLE FROM HEBRON. page 84
• FACT 27: TeH IS ALSO ABEL-SHITTIM. page 85
• FACT 28: TeH IS ALSO LIVIAS. page 85
• FACT 29: ABRAHAM WAS GIVEN THE LAND OF CANAAN. page 86
• FACT 30: FOR THE SST ADVOCATES, GEN 14:1-14 WOULD REQUIRE CHEDORLAOMER TO HAVE GONE BACK ON HIS TRACKS. page 86
• FACT 31: THE SOUTHERN DEAD SEA REGION LOOKS CURSED. page 87
• FACT 32: SHEA’S IDENTIFICATION OF CITIES BASED ON THE EBLAITE GEOGRAPHIC ATLAS IS SUSPECT. page 88
• FACT 33: THERE ARE SEVERAL POSSIBLE LOCATIONS FOR ZOAR. page 89

• Southern Zoar – Ghor eṣ-Ṣafi page 89
• Northern Zoar 1 – Tall Iktanu  page 91
• Northern Zoar 2 – Serâbît el-Mushaqqar page 92
• Northern Zoar 3 – On the Arnon River page 93
• FACT 34: LOT’S CAVE IS LOCATED ON THE MADABA MAP. page 93

• FACT 35: NOT ALL ARCHAEOLOGISTS APPROACH BIBLICAL NUMBERS IN THE SAME WAY. page 96
• FACT 36: CONSERVATIVE SCHOLARS DEBATE THE DATE OF THE EXODUS.  page 96
  
• FACT 37: MOST MAXIMALISTS BELIEVE THAT THE PATRIARCHS LIVED IN THE MIDDLE BRONZE AGE.page 98. Most evangelical scholars and maximalists would place the date of the Patriarchs (Abraham and Lot) in the Middle Bronze Age(MB). See the chart in J. Randall Price, The Stones Cry Out: What Archaeology Reveals About the Truth of the Bible (Eugene, Oreg.: Harvest House, 1997), 106, John J. Bimson , “Archaeological Data and the Dating of the Patriarchs” Essays on the Patriarchal Narratives. Leicester:, U.K. InterVarsity (1980). 59-92. Collins, Steven. “Tall el-Hammam Is Still Sodom: Critical Data Sets Cast Serious Doubt on E.H. Merrill’s Chronological Analysis.” Biblical Research Bulletin 13, no. 1 (2013): 1–27. Link The question to answer is: When were the cities of Bab edh-Dhra and Tall el-Hammam destroyed?  Index
• FACT 38: BeD WAS DESTROYED IN THE EB III BUT WAS REOCCUPIED IN EB IV. page 99
• FACT 39: BeD AND NUMEIRA WERE DESTROYED AT DIFFERENT TIMES. page 102. Schaub, who dug at Bab edh-Dhra, indicates that Numeira was destroyed at a different time period (2600 BC) from Bab edh-Dhrâ (2350–2067 BC). Also see Steven, Collins, and Latayne C. Scott, Discovering the City of Sodom: The Fascinating, True Account of the Discovery of the Old Testament’s Most Infamous City (New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, 2013), 152, 231. Index
• FACT 40: TeH WAS DESTROYED IN THE MBA AND LAY UNOCCUPIED FOR OVER 500 YEARS. page 104

• FACT 41: TeH IS THE LARGEST EB SITE AND THIRD LARGEST MB SITE IN THE SOUTHERN LEVANT. page 105
• FACT 42: BeD IS THE LARGEST EB SITE IN THE SOUTHERN DEAD SEA REGION. page 109
• FACT 43: BeD AND NUMEIRA ARE THE ONLY INHABITED TOWNS IN THE SOUTHERN DEAD SEA REGION IN THE EBA.  page 110

• 1. Bâb edh-Dhrâʿ  page 110
• 2. Numeira page 111
• 3. eṣ-Ṣafi page 111
• 4. Feifa  page 112
• 5. Khirbet al-Khanazir  page 112
• FACT 44: THERE ARE FOUR MB SITES IN THE JORDAN VALLEY WITH EVIDENCE OF DESTRUCTION. page 113
• 1. Tall el-Ḥammâm  page 113
• 2. Tall Nimrin page 114
• 3. Tall al-Kafrayn  page 114
• 4. Tall Bleibel and Tall el-Musṭāḥ page 114
• FACT 45: THERE IS NO LBA ARCHITECTURAL OCCUPATION IN THE JORDAN VALLEY. page 115
• Tall el-Ḥammâm  page 115
• Tall Nimrin page 115
• Tall al-Kafrayn page 116
• Tall Iktanu  page 116
• Tell Al Sultan (Jericho)  page 116
• Tall Bleibel (Tall Bulaybil) page 117
• Tall el-Musṭāḥ (Tall al-Musṭāḥ) page 117
• FACT 46: TeH IS NOT HESHBON. page 118
• FACT 47: THE PENTAPOLIS ARE NOT ALL MENTIONED TOGETHER IN THE EBLA TABLETS, AND MANY PEOPLE DOUBT WHETHER THEY ARE LISTED AT ALL.    119
• FACT 48: THERE ARE REPORTS OF A MINOAN CONNECTION AT TEH.    121

• FACT 49: BOTH SITES PROVIDE FIERY DESTRUCTION EVIDENCE.  page 123
• Bâb edh-Dhrâʿ  page 123
• Tall el-Ḥammâm  page 124
• FACT 50: BOTH SITES HAVE A CITY GATE COMPLEX THAT WAS DESTROYED.  page 124
• Bâb edh-Dhrâʿ  page 124
• Tall el-Ḥammâm  page 125
• FACT 51: HUMAN REMAINS HAVE BEEN FOUND AT BOTH SITES. page 126
• Bâb edh-Dhrâʿ page 126
• Tall el-Ḥammâm page 126
• FACT 52: THERE ARE VARIOUS THEORIES FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF THE PENTAPOLIS. page 127
• Destroyed by a volcano:  page 127
• Destroyed by an earthquake:  page 128
• Destroyed by liquefaction:  page 128
• Conclusion:  page 129
• FACT 53: THE CEMETERY AT BeD WAS BURNED.  page 129
• FACT 54: SHOOTING FLAMING ARROWS INTO THE AIR WAS COMMONLY USED BY ENEMIES IN THE ANE. page 131. In the ancient world it was common to destroy cities by means of shooting flaming arrows into the air and they would land on the roof of buildings and catch the wattle and daub (twigs and sticks which the roof is made from) on fire. See the siege of Lachish reliefs in the British Museum where the fiery arrows are depicted on the reliefs. Page 80 in Price, The Stones Cry Out. Prior to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18) we know that the region as far south as the Amorites, who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar (= En Gedi in the Israeli side of the Dead Sea 2 Chronicles 20:2),  had conflict with foreign nations (Shinar, Ellasar, Elam, Goiim, Gen 14:1-7). Index
• FACT 55: MYSTERIOUS CLINKERS, IDENTIFIED AS TRINITITE, WERE DISCOVERED AT TeH.  page 132

• FACT 56: THE DEAD SEA IS AT ITS LOWEST POINT IN HISTORY AND THERE ARE NO EXPOSED RUINS. page 133
• This century the Dead Sea is at its lowest point in history (except the Byzantine period) and no ruins has been found along the shores that were once submerged under the Dead Sea. For more details see the interactive Dead Sea Level chart.Index
• FACT 57: BITUMEN IS FOUND ALL AROUND THE DEAD SEA.  page 135. The mention of bitumen/tar (literally slime) pits in Genesis 14:10 are stated in the context of the battle of the Elamite king (Chedorlaomer, King of Elam) and the kings of Cities of the Plain.  The passage states that the kings of the cities of the plain “joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea)” (Gen 14:3 ESV). This does not say that this is where the Cities of the Plain were located, but this is where the battle took place. The text indicates that the battle took place in a different location than where the “cities of the plain” were situated, as the kings “went out, came out, or marched out” from the cities. Bitumen pits (sink holes) are located on the western side of the Dead Sea and not the southern end (Meir Abelson et al., “Evaluation of the Dead Sea Sinkholes,” in New Frontiers in Dead Sea Paleoenvironmental Research, ed. Yehouda Enzel, Amotz Agnon, and Mordechai Stein, Special Papers: Geological Society of America 401 (Boulder, Colo.: Geological Society of America, 2006), 248; O. Amit and A. Bein, “The Evolution of the Dead Sea Floating Asphalt Blocks: Simulations by Pyrolisis,” Journal of Petroleum Geology 2, no. 4 (1980): 429–47; Tina M. Niemi, Zvi Ben-Avraham, and Joel R. Gat, eds., The Dead Sea: The Lake and Its Setting, Oxford Monographs on Geology and Geophysics 36 (New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, USA, 1997).Index
• South  page 137
• North  page 137
• East  page 137
• West  page 137
• Location of bitumen pits  page 138
• FACT 58: JEBEL USDUM IS NOT SODOM OR LOT’S WIFE.  page 139
• FACT 59: TeH IS WELL WATERED.  page 139
• FACT 60: THE SOUTHERN JORDAN VALLEY WAS WELL-WATERED IN ANCIENT TIMES. page 140
• FACT 61: THE DEAD SEA EXISTED PRIOR TO GENESIS 19. page 140
• FACT 62: THERE IS PALEO-BOTANICAL EVIDENCE AT BOTH SITES. page 141

Sodom Resources

Some Journal articles are not available from my blog but may be accessed through Liberty Library Online. I would also recommend reading Dr. Collins newly published article on Sodom in BAR magazine. All Tall el-Hammam dig reports are available at this LINK. Good to look at the Latest Dig Report for an overview of what was discovered. More free downloadable research by Collins is available at the official Tall el-Hammam site and Biblical Research Bulletin(The online Bible and Spade articles are missing the color photographs which would have been helpful for you).

• Collins, Steven. “Where Is Sodom? The Case for Tall el-Hammam.” Biblical Archaeology Review 39, no. 2 (2013).
  
• Graves, David E. “Re-Examination of the Location for the Ancient City of Livias.” co-authored with Scott Stripling. Levant: The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant 43.2 (2011): 178-200. My article must be requested through Liberty InterLibary Loan. Here I identify the Roman remains as the Roman/Byzantine city of Livias (Hammam may be Sodom, Abel-Shittim, Iron age administrative center and Livias all in different periods).
  
• Schaub, R. Thomas. “Bâb edh-Dhrâʿ.” In The New Encyclopaedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land,edited by Ephraim Stern, Ayelet Levinson-Gilboa, and Joseph Aviram, 1:130–36. Jerusalem: The Israel Exploration Society, 1993.This article on the work at Bab edh-Dhra and Numeria is reproduced on their websiteExpedition to the Dead Sea Plain under the direction of Dr. Walter Rast – Emeritus, Valparaiso University and Dr. R. Thomas Schaub – Emeritus, Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
• Wood, Bryant G. “Have Sodom And Gomorrah Been Found?” Bible and Spade 3, no. 3 (1974): 65–90. Here Wood identifies Bab edh-Dhra with Zeboiim and not Sodom.
  
• Collins, Steven. “Sodom: The Discovery of a Lost City.” Bible and Spade20, no. 3 (2007): 70–77.
  
• Wood, Bryant G. “Locating Sodom: A Critique of the Northern Proposal.” Bible and Spade20, no. 3 (2007): 78–84.
• Collins, Steven. “A Response to Bryant G. Wood’s Critique of Collins’ Northern Sodom Theory.” Biblical Research Bulletin7, no. 7 (2007): 1–36. 
• Billington, Clyde E. “Tall el-Hammam Is Not Sodom.” Artifax(Spring 2012): 1–3.
• Collins, Steven. “Tall el-Hammam Is Sodom: Billington's Heshbon Identification Suffers From Numerous Fatal Flaws.”Artifax 27, no. 3 (Summer 2012): 16–18.
• Collins, Steven. “Forty Salient Points on the Geography of the Cities of the Kikkar.” Biblical Research Bulletin7, no. 1 (2007): 1–7. 
• Collins, Steven. “Tall el-Hammam Is Still Sodom: Critical Data Sets Cast Serious Doubt on E.H. Merrill’s Chronological Analysis.” Biblical Research Bulletin 13, no. 1 (2013): 1–27. This article includes the full text of Merrill, Eugene H. “Texts, Talls, and Old Testament Chronology: Tall Hammam as a Case Study.” Artifax27, no. 4 (2012): 20–21.
• Norman L Geisler and Joseph M. Holden. The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible. Eugene, Oreg.: Harvest House, 2013. Look Inside Pages 70, 191, 202, 214-220, 383-387.
• Olson, Craig. “Which Site Is Sodom?: A Comparison of Bab edh-Dhra and Tall el-Hammam.”Biblical Research Bulletin 14, no. 1 (2014): 1-18. An independent scholar working on his PhD. at Dallas Theological Seminary.
  

Back to the Index at the Top

Modified Sept 8, 2014 Copyright © 2014 Dr. David E. Graves

BIBL 471 - Biblical Archaeology

Liberty University Students

Your Excavation Report is not limited to these sites. If you would like to write your papers on a site that is not listed here, please contact me for approval. The following bibliograhies are provided for your convenience, however you must choose your sources wisely. A bibliography for some sites may be found here LINK.Some journal articles require EZproxy login(i.e., JSTOR, ProQuest, etc.). The student is responsible for the accuracy of the bibliographic information used. It would be to your benefit to use my Key Themes books that are listed under each site.

TIP: If you want the correct TURABIAN format in your paper you can copy and paste these items "as is" into your Bibliography but do not copy the hyperlinks (i.e. LINK or JSTOR buttons). To create your footnotes some changes will be required. See Turabian help LINK

INDEX

Both my books, Key Themes of the Old Testament and Key Themes of the New Testament, are full of archaeology side bars with lots of helpful information and bibliographies.

•     Ashkelon
•     Bab edh-Dhra
•     Beersheva (Tel Be’er Sheva)
•     Bethsaida
•     Caesarea
•     Corinth
•     Dan
•     Ephesus
•     Gezer
•     Hazor
•     Herodium
•     Jericho (Tell es-Sulṭân)
•     Jerusalem_Hezekiah Tunnel
•     Jerusalem_Palace of David
•     Jerusalem_Pool of Siloam
•     Jerusalem  Temple Mount
  
•     Jerusalem_Temple Mount Salvage Project
•     Jerusalem_Warren's Gate
•     Jerusalem_Western Wall
•     Lachish
•     Masada
•     Migiddo
•     Nineveh
•     Pergamum
•     Qumran
•     Sardis
•     Smyrna
  
•     Tall el-Hammam
•     Online Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Ashkelon

Here is the official site for Ashkelon. LINK. The four volumnes of the dig reports are available as PDF at their website LINK. There is an authoritative bibliography at the official Ashkelon websiteLINK. Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

• Hoffman, Tracy. “Excavating Ashkelon in 2014.”Bible History Daily.2014. LINK
• Golan, Arnon. “Jewish Settlement of Former Arab Towns and their Incorporation into the Israeli Urban System (1948–1950).”Israel Affairs 9 (2003): 149–164. LINK
  
• Garfinkel,Yosef, D. Dag, B. Hesse, P. Wapnish, D. Rookis, G. Hartman, D. E. Bar-Yosef and O. Lernau.“Neolithic Ashkelon: Meat Processing and Early Pastoralism on the Mediterranean Coast.”Eurasian Prehistory 3 ( 2005): 43–72.
  
• Garfinkel,Yosef and D. Dag.  “Neolithic Ashkelon.”Qedem 47. Jerusalem: Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University, 2008.
• Negev, Avraham. “Ashkelon.” In Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land. 3rd ed. Edited by  Avraham Negev and Shimon Gibson. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1996.
• Esse,“ Douglas. “Ashkelon.”Anchor Bible Dictionary.Ed. D. N. Freedman, vol. 1, 477-490. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1992. 
• Gore, Rick. “Ancient Ashkelon.”National Geographic Magazine 199/1(2001): 66-90. LINK
• Schloen, David. “Ashkelon.” In Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East. Ed. E. Meyers, vol. 1, 220-223. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1997.
• Stager, Lawrence E. “Ashkelon and the Archaeology of Destruction.”In Eretz Israel 25 [Joseph Aviram Volume]. Ed. A. Biran, et al., 61-74. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1996.
• ——. “Ashkelon.”New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations In the Holy Land. Ed. E. Stern, vol. 1, 103-112. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1993.
• ——.  Ashkelon Discovered: From Canaanites and Philistines to Romans and Moslems. Washington, DC: Biblical Archaeology Society, 1991.
• ——.   “When Canaanites and Philistines Ruled Ashkelon.”Biblical Archaeology Review 17 No. 2 (Mar/Apr 1991): 24-43. LOOKUP  or LINK.
  
•  White, W. “Ashkelon” in Vol. 1 of Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible,Vols. 1-5. Edited by Tenney, Merrill C., and Moisés Silva. Revised, Full-Color ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2009.
  

Bab edh-Dhra'

The Official Website for Bad edh-Dhra is Expediation Dead Sea PlainLINK. The Follow the Pots website is not the official website for the excavation but is doing research on the looting that is taking place at the Bab edh-Dhra cemetery and contains helpful current information about the site. Consult their Bibliography.There is alot of information in my new book Key Fact for the Location of Sodom. LINK. Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

• Bolen, Todd. “Bab Edh-Dhra.” Pictorial Library of Bible Lands,2014. LINK.
• Chesson, Meredith S. “Libraries of the Dead: Early Bronze Age Charnel Houses and Social Identity at Urban Bab Edh-Dhraʿ, Jordan.” Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 18 (1999): 137–64.
• Chesson, Meredith S., and R. Thomas Schaub. “Life in the Earliest Walled Towns on the Dead Sea Plain: Numayra and Bab Edh-Dhraʿ.” In Crossing Jordan: North American Contributions to the Archaeology of Jordan, edited by Thomas Evan Levy, P. M. Michèle Daviau, Randall W. Younker, and May Shaer, 245–52. London, U.K.: Equinox, 2007.
• Dever, William G. “Review of Bab Edh-Dhraʿ: Excavations in the Cemetery Directed by Paul W Lapp, 1965-1967.” Israel Exploration Journal 43, no. 4 (1993): 281–83. LINK
  
• Donahue, Jack. “Geology and Geomorphology.” In Bab Edh-Dhraʿ: Excavations at the Town Site (1975-1981): Part 1: Text,edited by Walter E. Rast and R. Thomas Schaub, 2:18–55. Reports of the Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain, Jordan. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2003.
• Graves, David E. Key Facts for the Location of Sodom Student Edition: Navigating the Maze of Arguments. Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2014. LINK
  
• Harlan, Jack R. “Natural Resources of Bab Edh-Dhraʿ Region.” In Bab Edh-Dhraʿ: Excavations at the Town Site (1975-1981): Part 1: Text, edited by Walter E. Rast and R. Thomas Schaub, 2:56–61. Reports of the Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain, Jordan. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2003.
• ———. “Natural Resources of the Southern Ghor.” In The Southeastern Dead Sea Plain Expedition: An Interim Report of the 1977 Season, edited by R. Thomas Schaub and Walter E. Rast, 155–64. AASOR 46. Boston, Mass.: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1981.
• Lapp, Paul W. “Bab Edh-Dhraʿ (RB 1966).” Revue Biblique 73 (1966): 556–61.
• ———. “Bab Edh-Dhraʿ (RB 1968).” Revue Biblique 75 (1968): 86–93, pls. 3–6a.
• ———. “Bâb edh-Dhrâ' Tomb Tomb A 76 and Early Bronze I in Palestine.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 189 (1968): 12–41. JSTOR
  
• ———. “Bab Edh-Dhraʿ, Perizzites and Emim.” In Jerusalem Through the Ages: The Twenty-Fifth Archaeological Convention, 1–25. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1968.
• ———. “The Cemetery at Bab Edh-Dhraʿ, Jordan.” Archaeology 19, no. 2 (1966): 104–11. JSTOR
  
• Lev, David. “Russia Decides to Search for Sodom and Gomorrah-in Jordan.” Arutz Sheva 7: Israel National News, December 14, 2010. LINK.
• McCreery, David W. “The Paleoethnobotany of Bab Edh-Dhraʿ.” In Bab Edh-Dhraʿ: Excavations at the Town Site (1975-1981): Part 1: Text, edited by Walter E. Rast and R. Thomas Schaub, 2:449–63. Reports of the Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain, Jordan. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2003.
• Ortner, Donald J. “A Preliminary Report on the Human Remains from the Bab Edh-Dhra’ Cemetery.” In The Southeastern Dead Sea Plain Expedition: An Interim Report of the 1977 Season, edited by R. Thomas Schaub and Walter E. Rast, 119–32. AASOR 46. Boston, Mass.: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1981.
• Rast, Walter E. “Bab Edh-Dhraʿ.” Edited by David Noel Freedman, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins. Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1996.
  
• ———. “Bab Edh-Dhraʿ and the Origin of the Sodom Saga.” In Archaeology and Biblical Interpretation: Essays in Memory of D. Glenn Rose, edited by Leo G. Perdue, Lawrence E. Toombs, and Gary L. Johnson, 185–201. Atlanta, Ga.: John Knox, 1987.
• ———. “Bronze Age Cities along the Dead Sea.” Archaeology 40, no. 1 (1987): 42–49. JSTOR
  
• ———. “Patterns of Settlement at Bab Edh-Dhraʿ.” In The Southeastern Dead Sea Plain Expedition: An Interim Report of the 1977 Season, edited by R. Thomas Schaub and Walter E. Rast, 7–34. AASOR 46. Boston, Mass.: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1981.
• ———. “The 1975-1981 Excavations at Bab Edh-Dhraʿ.” In Bab Edh-Dhraʿ: Excavations at the Town Site (1975-1981): Part 1: Text,edited by Walter E. Rast and R. Thomas Schaub, 1:1–17. Reports of the Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain, Jordan 2. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2003.
• ———. “The Southeastern Dead Sea Valley Expedition, 1979.” The Biblical Archaeologist 43, no. 1 (1980): 60–61. JSTOR
  
• Rast, Walter E., and R. Thomas Schaub. “A Preliminary Report of Excavations at Bab Edh-Dhraʿ, 1975.” In Preliminary Excavation Reports: Bab Edh-Dhrac, Sardis, Meiron, Tell El-Hesi, Carthage (Punic), edited by David Noel Freedman, 1–32. AASOR 43. Chicago, Ill.: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1978.
• ———. , eds. Bab Edh-Dhraʿ: Excavations at the Town Site (1975-1981): Part 1: Text. Reports of the Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain, Jordan 2. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2003.
• ———. , eds. Bab Edh-Dhraʿ: Excavations in the Cemetery Directed by Paul W Lapp, 1965-1967. Reports of the Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain, Jordan 1. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1989.
• ———. “The Dead Sea Expedition: Bab Edh-Dhraʿ and Numeira, May 24-July 10, 1981.” American Schools of Oriental Research Newsletter, no. 4 (1982): 4–12.
• Rast, Walter E., R. Thomas Schaub, David W. McCreery, Jack Donahue, and Mark A. McConaughy. “Preliminary Report of the 1979 Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain, Jordan.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 240 (1980): 21–61. JSTOR
  
• Schaub, R. Thomas. “Bab Edh-Dhraʿ.” In The New Encyclopaedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land,edited by Ephraim Stern, Ayelet Levinson-Gilboa, and Joseph Aviram, 1:130–36. Jerusalem: The Israel Exploration Society, 1993.
  
• ———. “Bab Edh-Dhraʿ.” In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East, edited by Eric M. Meyers, 1:248–51. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1997.
• ———. “Ceramic Sequences in the Tomb Groups at Bab Edh-Dhraʿ.” Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research 46 Boston, Mass.: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1979, 69–118. JSTOR
  
• Schaub, R. Thomas, and Walter E. Rast. “Preliminary Report of the 1981 Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain, Jordan.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 254 (1984): 35–60. JSTOR
  
• ———. "The Southeastern Dead Sea Plain Expedition: An Interim Report of the 1977 Season."Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research 46. Boston, Mass.: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1979. JSTOR
  
• Udd, Kris J. “Bab Edh-Dhraʿ, Numeira, and the Biblical Patriarchs: A Chronological Study.” Ph.D. diss., Andrews University, 2011. I have noticed several errors in the facts which she presents in this dissertation. You should use it with caution and double check her sources and facts.
  
• Weinstein, James M. “A New Set of Radiocarbon Dates from the Town Site.” In Bab Edh-Dhraʿ: Excavations at the Town Site: 1975-1981: Part 1 Text, edited by Walter E. Rast and R. Thomas Schaub, 1:638–48. Reports of the Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain, Jordan 2. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2003.
• "Bab edh-Dhra'" University of Melbourne. LINK
  

Back to the Index

Beersheva (Tel Be’er Sheva)

The site is now an archaeological park and may not have a website that is active for archaeology. The best work, if you can locate it at your library, would be Aharoni, Yohanan, ed. Beer-Sheba I: Excavations at Tel Beer-Sheba. Jerusalem: Institute of Archeology, 1973. It would be advisable to get a good survey of the different periods at Beersheva from a good Bible Dictionary listed below.  Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

• "Archaeological Sites in Israel-Beersheba." Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. LINK
  
• "Tel Be’er Sheva National Park – Remains of biblical Beersheba"  Negev National Parks October 25, 2011. LINK
  
• Berenbaum, Michael, and Fred Skolnik, eds. Encyclopedia Judaica.22 vols. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y.: MacMillan, 2006.LINK
• Carson, Thomas, ed. The New Catholic Encyclopedia. 15 vols. 2nd ed. Detroit, Mich.: Gale, 2003.LINK
• Easton, Mathew George. Illustrated Bible Dictionary. 3rd ed. Nashville, Tenn.: Nelson, 1897. Older research but good for an overview of previous views. 
• Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992.
• Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, eds. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000.
• Graves, David E. “Facts from Archaeology: Beersheba Altar.” Key Themes of the Old Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes(Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2013), 257-58. Look Inside
  
• le-arkheʼologyah, Makhon. The Tel Beer-Sheba Negev Expedition. Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, 1976.
  
• Masterman, E. W. G. “Beersheba,”in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.5 vols. Edited by James Orr, and Melvin Grove Kyle. Howard-Severance Co., Chicago, 1915. LINK
  
• Pallen, Condé Bénoist, Charles George Herbermann, and Edward Aloysius Pace, eds. The Catholic Encyclopedia; An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church. 19 vols. New York, N.Y.: Appleton Company, 1913. New Advent
• Pfeiffer, Charles F, Howard Frederic Vos, and John Rea, eds. The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago, Ill.: Moody, 2005. 
• Tenney, Merrill C., and Moisés Silva, eds. Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible,Vols. 1-5.Revised, Full-Color ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2009. 

Back to the Index

Bethsaida (et-Tell)

Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to use a good encyclopedia article to get a broad overview of the previous research.

• Arav, Rami. “Bethsaida (et-Tell).” In The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land.4 vols. Stern, Ephraim, Ayelet Levinson-Gilboa, and Joseph Aviram, eds. New York, N.Y.: MacMillan, 1993.
  
• ———. “Report on the 2012 Excavations.” University of Nebraska at Omaha. PDF.
• Arav, Rami, and Freund, Richard A., and Shroder, John F., Jr. “Bethsaida Rediscovered.” Biblical Archaeology Review 26, no. 1 (Jan/Feb 2000): 44-51, 53-56. LOOKUPorProQuest
  
• Arav, Rami. “A Mamlūk Drum from Bethsaida.”Israel Exploration Journal  43, no. 4 (1993): 241-245. JSTOR
  
• Brown, W. Gordon. “Bethsaida.” In The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia.Pfeiffer, Charles F, Howard Frederic Vos, and John Rea, eds.Chicago, Ill.: Moody, 2005. 
• Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds.“Beth-saida (Place),”The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992. Often minimalist in its conclusions but the facts are generally accurate.
• Hoffmeier, James K. The Archaeology of the Bible. Oxford, England: Lion, 2008.
• Savage, Carl E. “Et-Tell (Bethsaida): A study of the first century CE in the Galilee.” Masters Dissertation. Drew University, 2007. ProQuest
  

Back to the Index

Caesarea

Modern Akko or Acre. Known as Caesarea Maritima and not to be confused with Philipi. Be sure to consider the harbor excavations, theater and aqueduct, etc. Make sure to consider the Mosaic quoting Romans and Pilate inscription.  For a bibliography see LINK. Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

• Avi-Yonah, Michael, and Ephraim Stern, eds. “Caesarea.”Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land.4 vols. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1978.
• Blaiklock, Edward M. “Caesarea.”in Vol. 1 of Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible,Vols. 1-5.Revised, Full-Color ed.Edited by Tenney, Merrill C., and Moisés Silva. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2009. 
• Bull, Robert J. “Caesarea Maritima: The Search for Herod’s City.” Biblical Archaeology Review 8, no. 3 (1982): 24–40. LOOKUP
• Collins, John J., and Daniel C. Harlow, eds.“Caesarea Maritima.”in The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2010.
• Cotton, Hannah, and Werner Eck. “A New Inscription from Caesarea Maritima and the Local Elite of Caesarea Maritima.” In What Athens Has to Do with Jerusalem, 375–91. Leuven: Peeters, 2002. EBSCO
  
• DeVries, LaMoine F. “Caesarea Martima: Seaport  Gateway to Herods's Kingdom.” Cities of the Biblical World: An Introduction to the Archaeology, Geography, and History of Biblical Sites. Eugene, Oreg.: Wipf & Stock (2006): 255-263.
  
• Graves, David E. “Caesarea.” Key Themes of the New Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes (Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2013), 268-69. Look Inside
  
• Hohfelder, Robert L. “Caesarea (Place).” inThe Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols.Edited by David Noel Freedman, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins.  New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992. 1:798-803.
  
• Hohlfelder, Robert L. “A Roman Engineering Tour de Force: The Building of King Herod's Harbor at Caesarea Maritima.”Archaeological Institute of America, 2010 LINK
  
• Hohlfelder, Robert L. “Caesarea Beneath the Sea.” Biblical Archaeology Review8, no. 3 (1982): 24–40. LOOKUP
• Hohlfelder, RobertL., “Beyond coincidence? Marcus Agrippa and King Herod’s Harbour,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 59 (2000): 241–53.
  
• Holum, Kenneth G. “Caesarea.”Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, eds.  Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000.
• Holum, Kenneth G. “Caesarea’s temple hill: the archaeology of sacred space in an ancient Mediterranean city.”Near Eastern Archaeology 67 no. 4 (2004):184-99. EBSCO
  
• Oleson, John P., Christopher Brandon, Robert L. Hohfelder. “Constructing The Harbour Of Caesarea On The Sea: New Evidence From The Romacons Field Campaign Of October 2005.” The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 36 no. 2 (2007): 409-15. LINK
  
• Oleson, John P.  The Harbours of Caesarea Maritima. Vol. 1: The Site and the Excavations, BAR International Series, supplement 491, 1989 (editor and co-author), ISBN 0-86054-628-4
• Oleson, John P.  The Harbours of Caesarea Maritima. Vol. 2: The Finds and the Ship, BAR International Series, supplement 594, 1994 (editor and co-author), ISBN 0-86054-768-X
• Raban, Avner, and Kenneth G. Holum. Caesarea Maritima: A Retrospective After Two Millennia. Leiden: Brill Academic, 1996.
• Raban, A., Hohlfelder, R.L., Oleson, J.P. The Harbours of Caesarea Maritima: results of the Caesrarea Ancient harbour Excavation Project, 1980-1995. I. The Site and the excavations. Oxford: BAR 1989.
• Magness, Jodi. “Review of Caesarea Maritima: A Retrospective after Two Millennia by Avner Raban; Kenneth G. Holum.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 308 (November 1, 1997): 108–10. LINK
  
• Singer, Isidore, Cyrus Adler, Gotthard Deutsch, Kaufmann Kohler, and Emil G. Hirsch, eds. “Caesarea.”in  The Jewish Encyclopedia.12 vols. New York, NY: Funk & Wagnalls, 1906. LINKNot to be confused with theBridger, David, and Samuel Wolk. The New Jewish Encyclopedia.Springfield, NJ: Behrman, 1962.
• Storvick, Olin J. and Govaars, Marylinda, “Excavations at Caesarea Maritima and the Vardaman Papers.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 371 (May2014): 163-184.EBSCO
  
• Vailhé, S. “Caesarea.”in The Catholic Encyclopedia. 16 vols. Edited by Condé Bénoist Pallen, Charles George Herbermann, and Edward Aloysius Pace. New York, N.Y.: Appleton Company, 1913. LINK
• 
  

Back to the Index

Corinth

Make sure to check out the work being done by the The American School of Classical Studies at AthensLINK.Also, be sure to consider any inscriptions that have helped us understand the book of Acts (i.e.,“Erastus, the city Treasurer” in Romans 16:23). You can check a good Romans commentary (Key Themes of the New Testament, Anchor Bible or Commentary) for these terms and how archaeology had helped understand them. Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material..

• “Corinth Excavations 2014 Update.”The American School of Classical Studies at Athens. May21, 2014. LINK.
• Blegen, Carl W. “Corinth in Prehistoric Times.”American Journal of Archaeology 24, no. 1 (1920): 1-13
  
• Cole, Dan P. “Corinth & Ephesus: Why did Paul spend half his journeys in these cities.” Bible Review 4, no. 6 (December 1988): 20-30. LINK
• Fant, Clyde E., and Mitchell G. Reddish. A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2003. Look Inside
• Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds. “Corinth (Place).”The Anchor Bible Dictionary.6 vols. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992. LINK
• Friesen, Steve, Daniel N. Schowalter, and James Walters, eds. Corinth in Context: Comparative Studies on Religion and Society. Supplement to Novum Testamentum 134. Leiden: Brill, 2010. Google Books PreviewVery important recent work by various leading archaeologists and scholars. You should consult this work.
  
• Furnish, Victor Paul. “Corinth in Paul’s Time: What Can Archaeology Tell Us?” Biblical Archaeology Review 14, no. 3 (May/June 1988): 14-27. LOOKUPorLINK
• Graves, David E. “Facts from Archaeology: Erastus Inscription.” Key Themes of the New Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes (Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2013), 281-82. Look Inside
  
• Kohler, and Emil G. Hirsch, eds.“Corinth.”in  The Jewish Encyclopedia.12 vols. New York, NY: Funk & Wagnalls, 1906. LINKNot to be confused with the Bridger, David, and Samuel Wolk. The New Jewish Encyclopedia.Springfield, NJ: Behrman, 1962. 
• McRay, John. “Archaeology and the Bible: How Archaeological Findings have Enhanced the Credibility of the Bible.”4 Truth.net Bible. North American Mission Board, 2013. LINK
• Murphy-O’Connor, Jerome.“The Corinth That Saint Paul Saw.” The Biblical Archaeologist 47, no. 3 (September 1984): 147-59. JSTORSinger, Isidore, Cyrus Adler, Gotthard Deutsch, Kaufmann
  
• _____. St. Paul’s Corinth. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2002. Look Inside
• Pettegrew, David K. “The Diolkos of Corinth.” American Journal of Archaeology 115 no.4 (2011): 549-574. LINK.
• Petrides, S.“Corinth.”in The Catholic Encyclopedia. 16 vols. Edited by Condé Bénoist Pallen, Charles George Herbermann, and Edward Aloysius Pace. New York, N.Y.: Appleton Company, 1913. LINK
• Rupprecht, A. “Corinth.”in Vol. 1 of Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible,Vols. 1-5. Revised, Full-Color ed. Tenney, Merrill C., and Moisés Silva, eds. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2009. 
• Sanders, Guy D.R. “Beyond the Digging at Corinth Excavations,” ASCSA Newsletter byAmerican School of Classical Studies at Athens, December 2012.
• Slane, Kathleen Warner. “The Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore: The Roman Pottery and Lamps.” Corinth 18, no. 2 (1990): 1. JSTOR
  
• Stillwell, Richard. “The Theatre at Corinth.”American Journal of Archaeology 33, no. 1 (1929):77-97.
• Thallon-Hill, Ida, and Lida Shaw King. “Decorated Architectural Terracottas.” Corinth 4, no. 1(1929): 1.  JSTOR
  
• T.W.H “Excavations at Corinth.”American Journal of Archaeology 7, no. 3 (1903): 350.
  
• Willis, Wendell “Corinth.”Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, eds.  Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000.
• Williams, Charles K. “Bones In The Theater.”The Corinth Excavations of 2011 53, no. 3(2011): 1-3.
  
  

Back to the Index

Tel Dan

The official site for Tel Dan is this link. Be sure to discuss the Tel Dan Stele as it is relevant in the Iron Age and for our discussion of King David. Be sure to look at the controversy between Anson Rainey and Philip Davies over the inscription. Also, be sure to talk about the mud brick MB gate complex. It is interesting that we found the MB gate complex at Tall el-Hammam (Sodom?) that makes the Tel Dan gate look very small. We have just uncovered the largest MB gate complex that is known in the MB period LINK.Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

• “Professor Avraham Biran, 1909-2008 In Memoriam”. Israel Exploration Journal 58, no. 2 (2008): 129-131. JSTOR
  
• Ahituv, Shmuel. “Suzerain or Vassal? Notes on the Aramaic Inscription from Tel Dan”. Israel Exploration Journal 43, no. 4 (1993): 246-247. JSTOR
• Athas, George. The Tel Dan Inscription: A Reappraisal and a New Interpretation. New York and London: T&T Clark International, 2003.
• Ben-Dov, Rachel and Azriel Gorski. “A Metal Implement Wrapped in Linen at Tel Dan”. IsraelExploration Journal 59, no. 1 (2009): 80-85. JSTOR
• Biran, Avraham. “Two Discoveries at Tel Dan.” Israel Exploration Journal 30 no. 1/2 (1980): 89-98. LINK
  
• ———. “Sacred Spaces: Of Standing Stones, High Places and Cult Objects at Tel Dan.” Biblical Archaeology Review 24, no. 5 (1998): 38-41, 44-45, 70.
• ———. “An Israelite Horned Altar at Dan.” The Biblical Archaeologist37, no. 4 (1974): 106-107. JSTOR
• ———. “Tel Dan.” The Biblical Archaeologist 37, no. 2 (1974): 26-51. JSTOR
  
• ———.  “The Dancer from Dan, the Empty Tomb and the Altar Room.” Israel Exploration Journal 36, no. 3/4 (1986): 179-187. JSTOR
• ———. “The Discovery of the Middle Bronze Age Gate at Dan.” The Biblical Archaeologist 44, no. 3 (1981): 139-144. JSTOR
• ———. “The Triple-Arched Gate of Laish at Tel Dan.” Israel Exploration Journal 34, no. 1 (1984): 1-19. JSTOR
• ———.  “Two Bronze Plaques and the Hussot of Dan.” Israel Exploration Journal 49, no. 1/2 (1999): 43-54.JSTOR
• Biran, Avraham and Joseph Naveh. “An Aramaic Stele Fragment from Tel Dan.” Israel Exploration Journal 43 no. 2, 3 (1993): 81-98. JSTOR
• ———. “The Tel Dan Inscription: A New Fragment.” Israel Exploration Journal 45 no. 1 (1995): 1-18. JSTOR
  
• Davis, Andrew R.. “Tel Dan in its Northern Cultic Context.” The Johns Hopkins University, UMI Dissertations Publishing, 2010. Archaeological data from the
  Iron II temple complex at Tel Dan. Published by Society of Biblical Literature, 2013.ProQuest
• Davies, Philip R.  “House of David” Built on Sand: The Sins of the Biblical Maximizers.” Biblical Archaeology Review 20 no. 4 (1994): 54-55. LOOKUPorBAR
  
• Driscoll, James F. “Dan.”in The Catholic Encyclopedia. 16 vols. Edited by Condé Bénoist Pallen, Charles George Herbermann, and Edward Aloysius Pace. New York, N.Y.: Appleton Company, 1913. LINK
• Greer, Jonathan S. “An Israelite ‘Mizraq’ at Tel Dan?” Bulletin of the American Schools ofOriental Research 358 (2010): 27-45. JSTOR
  
• Greer, Jonathan S. “New Archaeological Data for the Study of Ancient Israelite Religion and Society from Tel Dan.”The Ancient Near East Today, Current News About the Ancient Past: Friends of ASOR. 2, no. 1 (January 2014). LINK
  
• Hagelia, Hallvard. The Dan Debate: The Tel Dan Inscription in Recent Research. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2009.
• Freedman, David Noel and Jeffrey C. Geoghegan “House of David is There.”Biblical Archaeology Review 21 no. 2 1995 78-79. LOOKUPorBAR
  
• Ilan, David. “‘Stepped Rim’ Juglets From Tel Dan and the ‘MBI-II (MB IIA-B) Transitional Period’.” Israel Exploration Journal 41, no. 4 (1991): 229-238. JSTOR
  
• Ilan, David and Pamela Vandiver and Maud Spaer. “An Early Glass Bead from Tel Dan”. IsraelExploration Journal 43, no. 4 (1993): 230-234. JSTOR
  
• Schniedewind, William M. “Tel Dan Stela: New Light On Aramaic and Jehu's Revolt.” Bulletin of the American Schools ofOriental Research 302 (1996): 76-90. PDF or  JSTOR.
• Laughlin, John. “The Remarkable Discoveries at Tel Dan.” Biblical Archaeology Review 7 No. 5. (1981): 20-37. LOOKUPorLINK
• Mobley, Gregory. “Dan (Place)”. Pages 310-11 in Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible. David Noel Freedman, ed. Grand Rapids and Cambridge, UK: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000.
• Na’aman, Nadav. “Three Notes on the Aramaic Inscription at Tel Dan.” Israel ExplorationJournal 50 no. 1/2 (2000): 92-104. JSTOR
  
• Negev, Avraham, and Shimon Gibson, eds. Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land.1 vol. 3rd ed. New York, N.Y.: Continuum International, 1996. There is a newer version with updated articles but not online:Stern, Ephraim, Ayelet Levinson-Gilboa, and Joseph Aviram, eds. The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land.4 vols. New York, N.Y.: MacMillan, 1993.
• Ortiz, Steven M. “Deconstructing and Reconstructing the United Monarchy: House of David or Tent of David (Current Trends in Iron Age Chronology).” In The Future of Biblical Archaeology: Reassessing Methodologies and Assumptions, edited by James Karl Hoffmeier and Alan R. Millard, 121–47. The Proceedings of a Symposium, August 12-14, 2001 at Trinity International University. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2004. Amazon Look Inside
• Ruderman, Abraham. “Excavations at Tel Dan.” Jewish Bible Quarterly24, no. 2 (April 1, 1996): 129-130. EBSCO
  
• Rainey, Anson F. “The ‘House of David’ and the House of the Deconstructionists: Davies is an Amateur Who "Can Safely be Ignored"”. BiblicalArchaeology Review 20, no. 6 (1994): 47. BAR
  
• Schniedewind, William M. “Tel Dan Stela: New Light on Aramaic and Jehu’s Revolt”. Bulletinof the American Schools of Oriental Research 302 (1996): 75. JSTOR
  
• Shanks, Hershel. “BAR Interview: Avraham Biran – Twenty Years of Digging at Tel Dan.” Biblical Archaeology Review13, no. 4 (1987): 12-18, 21-25. LOOKUPorBAR
  
• ———. “The Tel Dan Inscription: The First Historical Evidence of King David from the Bible.”Bible History Daily: Biblical Archaeology Society,November 22, 2013. LINK
• Stager,Lawrence E.and Samuel R. Wolff. “Production and Commerce in Temple Courtyards: An Olive Press in the Sacred Precinct at Tel Dan.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research243 (1981): 95-102.  JSTOR
• Thompson, Thomas L. “House of David: An Eponymic Referent to Yahweh as Godfather.” Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament 9 (1995): 59-74. Request through ILL
  

Back to the Index

Ephesus

Ephesus (or Ephesos) is a large site so it would be advisable to narrow the survey of your paper. Provide an overview of the archaeological work that has been done over the years at Ephesus. You will want to mention the “Marble Sacred Street,” the “Great Theatre,” the “Library of Celsus,” the “Façade,” the “Commercial Agora,” the “Library Square,” the “Gate of Augustus,” and the “Curetes Street”, just to name a few. Perhaps list the buildings which have been discovered  and then focus on one or two of them in more detail. Be sure to discuss the relevance to your understanding of Acts and the NT Epistles. The official website for this large site is found at Austrian Archaeological InstituteLINK.For background material you should use a good Bible Dictionary (listed below).The archaeological history is presented at "Excavation History."Ephesus Foundation LINK and then maybe some individual buildings from the various teams working there at the moment. Most of the site has been excavated and depending on the year there may or may not be anything being done on the site. Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

Some articles and books to get you started: (Most of these are available through the Liberty Library). I highly recommend my books and articles on Ephesus.

• Arnold, Irene Ringwood. “Festivals of Ephesus”. American Journal of Archaeology 76.1 (1972): 17–22. JSTOR
• Aune, David E. “Ephesus,” Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, eds.  Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000. 
• Blaiklock, E. M. “Ephesus,” in Vol. 2 of Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible,Vols. 1-5. Revised, Full-Color ed. Tenney, Merrill C., and Moisés Silva, eds. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2009. 
• Foss, Clive. Ephesus after Antiquity: A Late Antique, Byzantine, and Turkish City. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979. Look Inside
• Friesen, Steven J. “Ephesus: Key to a Vision in Revelation.” Biblical Archaeology Review 19 no. 3 (May /June 1993): 24–37. LOOKUPorBAR
• ———. Twice Neokoros: Ephesus, Asia and the Cult of the Flavian Imperial Family. Leiden: Brill Academic, 1993. Google Books Preview
• Graves, David E. Key Themes of the New Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes. Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2013. pages 80-83. Look Inside
• ———.  “Appendix B – The Graeco-Roman Literary Context For The Seven Messages Of Revelation.” In Key Themes of the New Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes,335–48. Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2013. PDF
  
• ———.  “Jesus Speaks to Seven of His Churches, Part 1.” Bible and Spade 23, no. 2 (Spring 2010): 46–56. PDF or Color Photos LINK
  
• ———.  “Jesus Speaks to Seven of His Churches, Part 2.” Bible and Spade 23, no. 3 (Summer 2010): 66–74. PDF or  Color Photos LINK
• ———.  The Seven Messages of Revelation and Vassal Treaties: Literary Genre, Structure, and Function.Gorgias Dissertations Biblical Studies 41. Piscataway, N.J.: Gorgias, 2009.  Amazon Look Inside
• Laale, Hans Willer. Ephesus (Ephesos): An Abbreviated History from Androclus to Constantine XI. Bloomington, Ind.: WestBow, 2011. Google Books Preview
• Lethaby, W. R. “The Earlier Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.” Journal of Hellenic Studies 37 (1917): 1–16. JSTOR
• ———. “The Sculptures of the Later Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.” Journal of Hellenic Studies 33 (1913): 87-96. JSTOR
• ———. “Further Notes on the Sculptures of the Later Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.” Journal of Hellenic Studies 34 (1914) 76-88. JSTOR
• LiDonnici, Lynn R. “The Images of Artemis Ephesia and Greco-Roman Worship: A Reconsideration.” Harvard Theological Review85 no.4 (1992): 389–415. JSTOR
• Murphy-O’Connor, Jerome. St. Paul’s Ephesus: Texts and Archaeology. Minneapolis, MN: Liturgical, 2008. Look Inside
• Vailhé, S. “Ephesus,” in The Catholic Encyclopedia.16 vols. Edited by  Condé Bénoist Pallen, Charles George Herbermann, and Edward Aloysius Pace. New York, N.Y.: Appleton Company, 1913. LINK
• Ramsay, William M. St. Paul the Traveler and Roman Citizen. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel, 1896. LINK
• ———.  The Letters to Seven Churches. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1904. LINKThere is an newer edition with few differences but not online. Ramsay, William M. The Letters to Seven Churches: Updated Edition.Edited by Mark W. Wilson. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1994.
• Ramsay, William M. The Church of the Roman Empire Before AD 170.Whitefish, MT: Kessinger, 2004. PDF
• Richardson, Terry, “Unearthing Ephesus with John Turtle Wood.” Today’s Zaman, Jan 26, 2010. LINK 
• Roberts, Mark D. “Ancient Ephesus and the New Testament: How Our Knowledge of the Ancient City of Ephesus Enriches Our Knowledge of the New Testament.” Reflections on Christ, Church, and Culture, 2011. LINK 
• Singer, Isidore, Cyrus Adler, Gotthard Deutsch, Kaufmann Kohler, and Emil G. Hirsch, eds.“Ephesus,” in  The Jewish Encyclopedia.12 vols. New York, NY: Funk & Wagnalls, 1906. LINKNot to be confused with the Bridger, David, and Samuel Wolk. The New Jewish Encyclopedia.Springfield, NJ: Behrman, 1962.
• Strelan, Rick. Paul, Artemis, and the Jews in Ephesus. 80 Berlin: de Gruyter, 1996. Look Inside
• Trebilco, Paul. The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius.Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2007. Look Inside
• Wood, John Turtle.Discoveries at Ephesus: Including the Sites and Remains of the Great Temple of Diana. London, U.K.: Longmans, Green & Company, 1877. PDF

Back to the Index

Gezer

Here is the official site for GEZER, if you have not already found it. Be sure to talk about the Gezer calendar, Gezer high place, the New (2006) Gezer Boundary Inscription, Astarte figurine, and water system, just to mention a few.  Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

• Albright, William F. “The Gezer Calendar.”Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research (BASOR). 92 (1943):16–26. JSTOR Original description of the find.
• Avi-Yonah, Michael, and Ephraim Stern, eds. “Gezer,”Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land.4 vols. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1978. 
• Oded, Bustanay. “Gezer Calendar.”Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Vol. 7. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007, page 569. LINK
  
• Bolen, Todd, Bible PlacesLINK
• Borowski, Oded “Not All That Glitters is Gold—But Sometimes It Is.” Biblical Archaeology Review 7 no. 6 (Nov Dec 1981): 58-59. Article is on the Astarte figurine. LOOKUP
• Dever,  WilliamG. “Gezer.”Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, eds.  Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000. 
• Dever, William G., H. Darrell Lance, and G. Ernest Wright. Gezer I: Preliminary Report of the 1964-66 Seasons. Jerusalem: Hebrew Union College Biblical and Archaeological School, 1970.
  
• Dever, William G. “Gezer”. In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East vol. 2, Edited by Eric M. Meyers, 396–400. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
• Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds.“Gezer (Place).” inThe Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992. 
• Fritz, Volkmar. “Solomon and Gezer.” In Confronting the Past: Archaeological and Historical Essays on Ancient Israel in Honor of William G. Dever, edited by Seymour Gitin, J. Edward Wright, and J. P. Dessel, 303–8. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2006. Look Inside
  
• Geva, Hillel. “Gezer,”Jewish Virtual LibraryLINK
• Graves, David E. “Facts from Archaeology: The Gezer Calendar.” Key Themes of the Old Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes(Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2013), 32-33. Look Inside
  
• Gitin, Seymour, J. Edward Wright, and J. P. Dessel, eds. Confronting the Past: Archaeological and Historical Essays on Ancient Israel in Honor of William G. Dever.Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2006.
  
• MacAlister, R. A. S.  The Excavation of Gezer 1902–1905 and 1907–1909. 3 vols. London: John Murray, 1912. PDF
  
• Maeir, Aren M. Bronze and Iron Age Tombs at Tel Gezer, Israel: Finds from Raymond-Charles Weill’s Excavations in 1914 and 1921.British Archaeological Reports British Series 1206. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2004.
  
• Mitchell, Eric and Jason Zan. “Southwestern Students Find Ancient Inscription in Tel Gezer.”Israel Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, May 25, 2012, n.p. LINK
  
• Pardee, Dennis. “Gezer Calendar”. In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East vol. 2, Edited by Eric M. Meyers, 396–400. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
• R., A. F. and J. R. “Gezer,”The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia.Pfeiffer, Charles F, Howard Frederic Vos, and John Rea, eds.Chicago, Ill.: Moody, 2005.
• Shanks, Hershel.  “Bilingual Boundary Stone Discovered at Tel Gezer,”Bible History Daily: Biblical Archaeology SocietyMay 30, 2012. LINK
  
• Shanks, Hershel. “The Sad Case of Tell Gezer.” Biblical Archaeology Review9 no. 4 (Jul/Aug 1983): 30-35, 38-42. LOOKUP
• Singer, Isidore, Cyrus Adler, Gotthard Deutsch, Kaufmann Kohler, and Emil G. Hirsch, eds.“Gezer.” in  The Jewish Encyclopedia.12 vols. New York, NY: Funk & Wagnalls, 1906. LINKNot to be confused with the Bridger, David, and Samuel Wolk. The New Jewish Encyclopedia. Springfield, NJ: Behrman, 1962.
• Sivan, Daniel. “The Gezer Calendar and Northwest Semitic Linguistics.”Israel Exploration Journal 48 no. 1/2 (1998): 101–105. An up-to-date linguistic analysis of this text. JSTOR
  

Back to the Index

Hazor

Hazor (Tell el-Qedah) is a large site so you may need to narrow your survey a bit. The dig director is Amnon Ben-Tor a Jewish maximalist. Be sure to look at the newly discovered piece of the Hammurabi law code (2010) and consider the debate and evidence for Hazor's destruction during Joshua's time. Also, examine the significance of the site for biblical studies. Remember to provide “the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a broad cross-section of material.

• “The Selz Foundation Hazor Excavations in Memory of Yigael Yadin,” The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.2013. LINK.
• “Tel Hazor.”Archaeological Institute of America. 2009. LINK.
• Avi-Yonah, Michael, and Ephraim Stern, eds.“Hazor," in Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land.4 vols. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1978. 
• Ben-Tor, Amnon. “The Sad Fate of Statues and the Mutilated Statues of Hazor.” In Confronting the Past: Archaeological and Historical Essays on Ancient Israel in Honor of William G. Dever,edited by Seymour Gitin, J. Edward Wright, and J. P. Dessel, 3–16. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2006. Look Inside
• Coker, W. B. “Hazor," inZondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vols. 1-5. Revised, Full-Color ed. Tenney, Merrill C., and Moisés Silva, eds.Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2009.
• Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds. “Hazor" inThe Anchor Bible Dictionary.6 vols. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992. You will find a lot of good factual material on Hazor. Some of the conclusions are from a minimalist perspective but the facts are good.
• Finkelstein, Israel. “Hazor and the North in the Iron Age: A Low Chronology Perspective.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 314 (May 1999): 55-70.ProQUST
• Ben-Tor, Amnon. “Hazor and the Chronology of Northern Israel: A Reply to Israel Finkelstein.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 317 (2000): 9–16.ProQUST
  
• Mazar, Amihai. “The Fall of Canaanite Hazor–The ‘Who’ and ‘When’ Questions.” In Mediterranean Peoples in Transition, 13th to 10th Centuries BC, edited by Sterne Mazara, A. Gitin, and Amihai Mazar, Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1998. 456–67. Order through ILL.
  
• Petrovich, Doug. “The Dating of Hazor’s Destruction in Joshua 11 Via Biblical, Archaeological, and Epigraphical Evidence.” Associate for Biblical Research, January 6, 2011. Website.
  
• Pfeiffer, Charles F, Howard Frederic Vos, and John Rea, eds.“Hazor" in The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago, Ill.: Moody, 2005.
• Rabinovich, Abraham, and Neil Asher Silberman. “The Burning of Hazor,” Archaeology51, no. 3 (May/June 1998): 50-55. JSTOR.
• Segal, J. B. “Hazor I: An Account of the First Season of Excavations, 1955. By Yigael Yadin, Yohanan Aharoni, Ruth Amiran, Trude Dothan, Immanuel Dunayevsky, Jean Perrot. (The James A. de Rothschild Expedition at Hazor). Jerusalem: Magnes Press, the Hebrew University, [1958].” Bulletin of The School of Oriental and African Studies-University of London 23, no. 01 (1960).
• Shtull-Trauring, Asaf. “‘Hammurabi-like’ Cuneiform Discovered at Tel Hazor.” Haaretz, July 27, 2010. LINK.
  
• Weinberger, Ram, Amihai Sneh, and Eyal Shalev. “The Fault beneath their Feet: How the Israelites Found Water Inside Hazor.”Biblical Archaeology Review Sept/Oct 2010): 65-67. LOOKUPorPDF 
• Weinberger, Ram, Amihai Sneh, and Eyal Shalev. “Hydrogeological insights in antiquity as indicated by Canaanite and Israelite water systems,” Journal of Archaeological Science 35, no. 11 (November 2008): 3035-3042. PDF
• Yadin, Yigael. “The Fourth Season of Excavations at Hazor.” The Biblical Archaeologist22, No. 1, (Feb., 1959): 1-20. JSTOR
• Yadin, Yigael. Hazor:The Rediscovery of a Great Citadel of the Bible.New York, N.Y.: Random House, 1975.

Back to the Index

Herodium

The Herodium dig director was Ehud Netzer until his untimely death. Who is directing the dig now? Were any excavations conducted prior to Netzer? On the Herodium you many find information connected with the director of the dig Ehud Netzer. LINK You might also mention how he died, as it was both ironic and tragic but remember this is not a biography of Netzer but an excavation report on the archaeology of the Herodium. Be sure to look at the synagogue , small theatre, and controversy over the tomb of Herod that has been in the news lately. Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

• “Herodium-King Herod's Palace-Fortress.”Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.November 20, 2000. LINK.
• Avi-Yonah, Michael, and Shimon Gibson.“Herodium.”Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Page 39 in Vol. 9. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. LINK.
• Berlin, Andrea M. “Herod the Tastemaker .”  Near Eastern Archaeology 77 no. 2 (2014): 108-119. LINK
• Binder, Donald D.“Herodium.”Second Temple Synagogues. November 25, 2013. LINK. 
• Bronner, Ethan. “Ehud Netzer, Archeologist Who Unearthed Herod’s Tomb, Dies at 76.”The New York Times. October 29, 2010. 
  
• Burrell, Barbara. “The Legacies of Herod the Great.”  Near Eastern Archaeology 77 no. 2 (2014):  68-74.  LINK
• Dolphin. Lambert. Geophysical Exploration in Israel: The 1983 Field Season.LINK
• Gleason,  Kathryn L. “The Landscape Palaces of Herod the Great.”  Near Eastern Archaeology 77 no. 2 (2014): 76-97. LINK
• Hasson, Nir. “Archaeological stunner: Not Herod's Tomb after all?” Haaretz(October 11, 2013), n.p.. LINK
• Kahn, Lisa C.“Herodian Innovation: The Glass Industry.”  Near Eastern Archaeology 77 no. 2 (2014):  129-139. LINK
• Kreiger, Barbara. “Finding King Herod's Tomb.”Smithsonian Magazine, August 2009
  
• Netzer, Ehud. “Herodium,” Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds. The Anchor Bible Dictionary.6 vols. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992.
  
• Netzer, Ehud. “Greater Herodium.”Qedem13. Jerusalem 1981.
•  Netzer, Ehud. Herodium: An Archaeological Guide.Northamptonshire: Cana, 1987.
• Netzer, Ehud. “In Search of Herod's Tomb.”Biblical Archaeology Review37, no. 1 (2011). LOOKUP
• Porat, Roi,Yakov Kalman, Rachel Chachy-Laureys. “The Continuation of the Activity of the Herodium Expedition for the Promotion of Research and Development of Herodium.”The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 2013. LINK
• Rozenberg, Silvia. “Wall Painters in Herodian Judea .”  Near Eastern Archaeology 77 no. 2 (2014):  120-128. LINK 
  
• Shanks, Hershel. “Was Herod’s Tomb Really Found?.” Biblical Archaeology Review, May/Jun 2014. LOOKUP
• Weiss,  Zeev. “Buildings for Mass Entertainment: Tradition and Innovation in Herodian Construction.”  Near Eastern Archaeology 77 no. 2 (2014): 98-107. LINK 
• Wiener, Noah.“Herodium: The Tomb of King Herod Revisited Was Herod’s Tomb Really Found?”Bible History Daily: Biblical Archaeology Society, May  02, 2014. LINK
• Zias, Joseph.“Was Byzantine Herodium a Leprosarium?”The Biblical Archaeologist 49, no. 3 (September 1986): 182-86. JSTOR

Back to the Index

Jericho(Tell es-Sulṭân)

NOTE: If you do your paper on Jericho you cannot write your Biographical paper on Dame Kathleen Kenyan.

On the Jericho site make sure you deal with more than the controversy surrounding the date of the destruction of Jericho, between Dr. Bryant Wood and Dame Kathleen Kenyan.  For the Kenyon/Wood debate you can use the Associates for Biblical Researchsite LINK.  It is relevant as Kenyan’s excavation reports were not published until after her death and so scholars did not have the opportunity to examine her research and just took her word for her dates. You can check out Dr. Wood’s bibliography for some good material for your paper on Jericho that is available online. While there is useful information on other sites they often do not mention the debate with Dr. Wood. You MUST also include the research by The Italian-Palestinian Expedition (1997-2014, see below).  Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

Also, be careful as there is an OT Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) and NT Jericho (NT or Herodian Jericho stood on both sides of the Wadi Qelt almost two miles SW of Tell es-Sultan). These are two separate archaeological sites. I have up-to-date material in my book “God’s Sovereignty Expressed in the Conquest of Jericho.”  Key Themes of the Old Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes (2013), 211-216. LINK

The current excavation The Italian-Palestinian Expedition (1997-2014) at Jericho is being conducted by the Sapienza University of Rome. Make sure you interact with their research. LINK.

Here is a list of current research by The Italian-Palestinian Expedition:

• Nigro, Lorenzo,  “Tell es-Sultan/Jericho and the Origins of Urbanization in the Lower Jordan Valley: Results of Recent Archaeological Researches,” in P. Matthiae et al. (eds.), 6 ICAANE. Proceedings of the 6th International Congress of the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. 5 May – 10 May 2008, “Sapienza”, Università di Roma, Roma 2010, Vol. 2, 459-481. LINK
• Nigro, Lorenzo,  H. Taha, “Renewed Excavations and Restorations at Tell es-Sultan/Ancient Jericho. Fifth Season – March-April 2009”, in Scienze dell’Antichità 15 (2009): 733-744. LINK
• Nigro, Lorenzo,  “When the Walls Tumble Down. Jericho: Rise & Collapse of an Early Bronze Age Palestinian City,” in R. Peroni - A. Cardarelli (a cura di), Le ragioni del cambiamento. Reason for Changes. ‘Nascita’, ‘declino’ e ‘crollo’ delle società tra fine del IV e inizio del I millennio a.C. (Scienze dell’Antichità 15), Roma 2009, 173-192. LINK
• Nigro, Lorenzo,  “The Built Tombs on the Spring Hill and The Palace of the Lords of Jericho (‘dmr rha) in the Middle Bronze Age,” in J.D. Schloen (ed.), Exploring the longue durée.Essays in Honor of Lawrence E. Stager,Winona Lake, In. 2009, pp. 361-376. LINK
• Maura Sala, “Khirbet Kerak Ware from Tell es-Sultan/ancient Jericho: a reassessment in the light of the finds of the Italian-Palestinian Expedition (1997-2000),” in J. Córdoba - M. Molist - M. C. Pérez - I. Rubio - S. Martínez (eds.), Proceedings of the Fifth International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Madrid 2008, 111-133. LINK
• Nigro, Lorenzo. “Expedition To Palestine & Jordan Results Of The Italian-Palestinian Expedition To Tell Es-Sultan: At The Dawn Of Urbanization In Palestine.” In Tell Es-Sultan/Jericho in the Context of the Jordan Valley: Site Management, Conservation, and Sustainable Development, edited by Lorenzo Nigro and Hamdan Taha, 1–40. Studies on the Archaeology of Palestine & Transjordan 2. Rome: University of Rome, “La Sapienza,” 2006. LINKAn excellent survey of the first part of their excavation with over 50 photographs and site maps.
• Nigro, Lorenzo,  “Tell es-Sultan in the Early Bronze Age IV (2300-2000 BC). Settlement vs Necropolis - A Stratigraphic Periodization,” in Contributi e Materiali di Archeologia Orientale IX (2003): 121-158. LINK
• Nigro, Lorenzo, Nicolo Marchetti, Jihad Yassin, “Second season of excavations of the Italian - Palestinian expedition at Tell es-Sultan/Jericho, October - November 1998,” in Orient - Express1 (1999): 17-20. LINK
• Nigro, Lorenzo,  Nicolo Marchetti, Hamdan Taha, “Preliminary report on the second season of excavations of the Italian-Palestinian Expedition at Tell es-Sultan/Jericho, 1998", in P. Matthiae - A. Enea - L. Peyronel - F. Pinnock (eds.), Proceedings of the First International Congress of the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Roma 2000, 867-881, pls. 1-24. LINK
• Nigro, Lorenzo, Nicolo Marchetti, Jihad Yassin, and M. Ghayada. “Third Season of Excavations of the Italian - Palestinian Expedition at Tell Es-Sultan/Jericho, October - November 1999.” Orient - Express4 (2000): 82–84. LINK
• Nigro, Lorenzo,  Nicolo Marchetti, Issa Sarie', “Preliminary report on the first season of excavations of the Italian-Palestinian Expedition at Tell es-Sultan/Jericho, April-May 1997", in Palestine Exploration Quarterly 130 (1998): 121-144. LINK

Other online sources:

• Annie Brule, Munish Dabas, Amy Guthrie, Nikhil Kumar “Jericho,” Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY. LINK
• Archer, Gleason Leonard. “Has not the Joshua 6 account of the capture of Jericho by the Israelites been discredited by the modern archaeological investigations at Tell es-Sultan?” Page 153 in Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties.Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1982. PDF
• Bernard Reich and David H. Goldberg, “Jericho.” Historical Dictionary of Israel. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2008. LINK
• Bienkowski, Piotr. “Jericho Was Destroyed in the Middle Bronze Age, Not the Late Bronze Age.” Biblical Archaeology Review16, no. 5 (1990): 45-46, 69. LOOKUPSee Wood's careful response. Wood, Bryant G. “Dating Jericho’s Destruction: Bienkowski Is Wrong on All Counts.” Biblical Archaeology Review 16, no. 5 (Sep/Oct 1990): 45, 47–49, 68–69. LOOKUP
• Easton, M. G. “Jericho.”Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, Nashville, Tenn.: Nelson, 1897. LINK
  
• Garstang, John, and J. B. E. Garstang. The Story of Jericho.New revised edition. London, U.K.: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1948.
• Gibson, Shimon, and Nachman Avigad. “Jericho.” Pages 137-39 in Encyclopaedia Judaica. Edited by Fred Skolnik and Michael Berenbaum. New York, N.Y.: MacMillan, 2006. LINK
• ———.  “Jericho (Place).” Page 723-37 in Vol. 3. Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 Vols. Edited by David Noel Freedman, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1996.
• Graves, David E. “God’s Sovereignty Expressed in the Conquest of Jericho.” Key Themes of the Old Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes (Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2013), 211-16. Look InsideGood up to date information.
  
• Grisanti  Michael A.  “Recent Archaeological Discoveries That Lend Credence to the Historicity Of The Scriptures.” Journal of Evangelical Theological Society 56 no. 3 (2013): 475–97. PDFGood up to date information.
  
• Jacobs, Paul F. “Jericho.” In Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible,edited by David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000. 
• Kaiser, Walter C. History of Israel. Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman, n.d. 151-154. LINK
• Davis, Miriam C. Dame Kathleen Kenyon: Digging Up the Holy Land. Wallnut Creek, Calf.: Left Coast, 2008.  Google Look Inside  Biography of Kenyon who dug Jericho
• Lussier, E. “Jericho.” In The New Catholic Encyclopedia,edited by Thomas Carson, 755–757. 2nd ed. Detroit, Mich.: Gale, 2003. LINK
• Negev, Avraham. “Jericho.” In Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land. 3rd ed. Edited by  Avraham Negev and Shimon Gibson. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1996. 
• Smith, William. “Jericho.” Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray, 1901. LINK
  
• S., E. B. “Jericho.” In The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia,edited by Charles F Pfeiffer, Howard Frederic Vos, and John Rea. Chicago, Ill.: Moody, 2005. 
• Tucker, Spencer C. “Jericho.” Page 540 in The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History, edited by Spencer C. Tucker and Priscilla Roberts. Santa Barbara, Calf.: ABC-CLIO, 2008. LINK
• Wood, Bryant G.  “Did the Israelitesconquer Jericho? A New Look at the Archaeological Evidence.” Biblical Archaeology Review 16 no. 2 (1990): 44–59. Look up in BAR
  
• Wood, Bryant G. “Dating Jericho’s Destruction: Bienkowski Is Wrong on All Counts.” Biblical Archaeology Review 16, no. 5 (Sep/Oct 1990): 45, 47–49, 68–69.Look up in BAR

Back to the Index

Jerusalem - Hezekiah's Tunnel

On Hezekiah's Tunnel you will need to deal with several aspects. Some questions you might answer are: How was it discovered and who discovered it? Why is it important? How does this relate to Jerusalem and their water supply? How is it related to the Pool of Siloam and the Gihon Spring? How many Pools have been discovered? You may mention the Pool of Siloam and the new discovery but don't get bogged down with this issue as there is enough material here to be its own topic. To get your feet wet here is a short video.  Remember you are focusing on Hezekiah's tunnel.Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

Also, I have material in my book along with photographs and illustrations. Key Themes of the Old Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes (Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2013), 282-84. LINK

Possible Research help but much of this is out of date:   

• Amihai Sneh, Ram Weinberger and Eyal Shalev. “Again the Siloam Tunnel.” Bible History Daily: Biblical Archaeology Society(December 12, 2013). LINK.
• Blake, Frank R. “The Word ‏הדז‏ in the Siloam Inscription.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 22 (January 1, 1901): 55–60.
• Biblical Archaeology Society Staff. “Hezekiah’s Tunnel Reexamined: The dates assigned the Siloam Inscription and Jerusalem tunnels are questioned.”  Bible History Daily: Biblical Archaeology Society. August 23, 2013.
  
• Brisco, Thomas V., ed.“Jerusalem: The water systems.” Page 146 in The Holman Bible Atlas: A Complete Guide To The Expansive Geography of Biblical History. Broadman & Holman Reference. Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman, 1978.
• Charlesworth, James H. “The Tale of Two Pools: Archaeology and the Book of John.” Near East Archaeological Society Bulletin56 (2011): Pages 1–14. Liberty ILL
• Cole, Dan P. “How Water Tunnels Worked.”Biblical Archaeology Review 6 no.2 (March/April 1980): 8–29. LOOKUPor BAR
• Coote, Robert B. “Siloam Inscription.” Pages 23-24 in vol. 6 of The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols. Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds. New York: Doubleday, 1992. 
• Dahood, M. J. “Siloam Inscription.”New Catholic Encyclopedia.2nd ed. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 120. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 1 July 2014. LINK
• Elitzur, Yoel “The Siloam Pool-- ‘Solomon’s Pool-- Was a Swimming Pool’.” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 140, no. 1 (2008): 17–25. LINK
• Frumkin, Amos, Aryeh Shiron and Jeff Rosenbaum. “Radiometric Dating of the Siloam Tunnel, Jerusalem.”Nature 425, no. 6954 (September 2003): 169-71. ProQuest
• Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, eds. “Siloam.”Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000. 
• Frumkin, Amos, and Aryeh Shimron. “Tunnel engineering in the Iron Age: geo-archaeology of the Siloam Tunnel, Jerusalem.” Journal of Archaeological Science 33, no. 2 (2006): 227-237.
• Görg, M. “Gihon (Place).” Pages 1018-1019 in vol. 2 of The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols. Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1996. 
• Graves, David E. “Moments in History: Hezekiah.” Key Themes of the Old Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes(Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2013), 278-80. Look Inside
• Gill, Dan. “Jerusalem’s Underground Water Systems: How they Met: Geology Solves Long-Standing Mystery of Hezekiah’s Tunnelers.”Biblical Archaeology Review 20, No. 4 (Jul/Aug 1994): 20-33, 64. LOOKUP
• Hayes, Holly. “Pool of Siloam, Jerusalem” Sacred Destinations: Sacred Sites, Religious Places  LINK
• Jackson, Wayne “Hezekiah’s Tunnel.” The Christian Courier.2014. LINK.
• Kleven, Terence. “Up the Waterspout: How David’s General Joab Got Inside Jerusalem.”Biblical Archaeology Review 20, no. 4 (Jul/Aug 1994): 34-35. LOOKUP
• Mare, W. Harold, “Siloam, Pool of (Place).”Page 24-26 in vol 6 of The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols. Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992. 
• Masterman, E. W. G. “Recent Excavations in Jerusalem.” The Biblical World 39, no. 5 (May 1, 1912): 295–306. (outdated on the old pool)
• Maugh, Thomas H. II. “Biblical Pool of Siloam Uncovered in Jerusalem.” Pittsburgh Post Gazette, August 09, 2005.
• Negev, Avraham. The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land.3rd ed. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1996.  (outdated on the old pool).
• Reich, Ronny. Excavating the City of David: Where Jerusalem’s History Began.Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 2011.
• Reich, Ronny and Eli Shukron. “Light at the End of the Tunnel.”Biblical Archaeology Review 25, no. 1 (Jan/Feb 1999): 22-33, 72. 
• Shiloh, Yigal. “Jerusalem’s Water Supply During Siege—The Rediscovery of Warren’s Shaft.”Biblical Archaeology Review 07:04 (July/Aug 1981) 
• Schick, C. “Phoenician Inscription in the pool of Siloam.” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 12, no. 4 (1880): 238-239. (outdated on the old pool)
• Shaheen, Naseeb. “The Siloam End of Hezekiah’s Tunnel.” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 109, no. 2 (1977): 107–12.
• Shanks, Hershel. “Ritual Bath or Swimming Pool?” Biblical Archaeology Review 34, no. 3 (2008): 18. LOOKUP
• ———.   “The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Cured the Blind Man.” Biblical Archaeology Review 31, no.5 (2005): 17-23. PDFor LINK
• ———.  “Will King Hezekiah Be Dislodged from His Tunnel?”  Biblical Archaeology Review 39, no. 5 (Sep/Oct 2013).LOOKUP orLINK
  
• Sinay, Reenat. “Excavators Discover 3,800 year old Biblical Fortress in City of David.” The Jerusalem Post. (April 2, 2014), n.p. LINK
  
• Waterman, H. B. “The Siloam Inscription.” The Hebrew Student1, no. 3 (June 1, 1882): 52–53. (outdated on the old pool)
• Wright, Theodore F. “Nehemiah’s Night Ride (Neh. Ii. 12-15).” Journal of Biblical Literature 15, no. 1/2 (January 1, 1896): 129–134. (outdated on the old pool)
• ———.  “The Siloam and Simplon Tunnels.” The Biblical World27, no. 6 (June 1, 1906): 468–472. LINK(outdated on the old pool)
• Wilkinson, J. “The Pool of Siloam.” Levant 10 (1978) 116-25. (outdated on the old pool).

Back to the Index

Jerusalem- Palace of David

Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material. You may find more information under Eilat Mazar who is the director of the dig for the Excavations at the City of David.

• Bolen, Todd. “Identifying King David’s Palace: Mazar’s Flawed Reading of the Biblical Text.”Bibleplaces.com(September 2010): n.p. LINK.
• Cahill, Jane “Jerusalem in David and Solomon’s Time: It Really Was a Major City in the Tenth Century B.C.E,” Biblical Archaeology Review 30 no. 6 (November/December 2004) 20. LOOKUP
  
• Faust, Avraham. “Did Eilat Mazar Find David’s Palace?” Biblical Archaeology Review 38, no. 5 (2012): 47–52, 70. This article is LINK.
• ——.“The Large Stone Structure in the City of David: A Reexamination.”Zeitschriftdes Deutschen Palästina-Vereins 126 vol. 2 (2010): 116-130. PDF
• Finkelstein, Israel, David Ussishkin, Ze’ev Herzog, and Lily Singer-Avitz. “Has King David’s Palace in Jerusalem Been Found?” Tel Aviv 34 (2007): 142-164. PDF
  
• Grisanti  Michael A.  “Recent Archaeological Discoveries That Lend Credence to the Historicity Of The Scriptures.” Journal of Evangelical Theological Society 56 no. 3 (2013): 475–97. PDF
• Hazony, David. “‘Find of the century’ may be King David’s palace” Canadian Jewish News(Don Mills, Ont, 2005): 11.
• Laskin, Dafna. “Shake-up at City of David.”The Jerusalem Post. April 14, 2013, n.p. LINK
• Mazar, Eilat. “Excavate King David’s Palace,” Biblical Archaeology Review 23:01 (1997): 50–57, 74.LOOKUP
• ———. Discovering the Solomonic Wall in Jerusalem: A Remarkable Archaeological Adventure.Jerusalem: Shoham Academic Research and Publication, 2011.
• ———. “Did I Find King David’s Palace?” Biblical Archaeology Review 32:1 (January/February 2006): 16.  LINK .
• ———. The Complete Guide to the Temple Mount Excavations. Jerusalem, Israel: Shahom Academic Research and Publication, 2002.
  
• ———. Preliminary Report on The City of David Excavations 2005 at the Visitors Center Area. Jerusalem, Israel: Shalem Press, 2008.
  
• ———. The Palace of King David Excavations at the Summit of the City of David: Preliminary Report of Seasons 2005-2007.Jerusalem, Israel: Shoham Academic Research and Publication, 2009.
  
• Mazar, Eilat, David Ben-Shlomo, and Shmuel Ahituv. “An Inscribed Pithos from the Ophel, Jerusalem.” Israel Exploration Journal63, no. 1 (2013): 39–50. PDF
  
• Hasson, Nir. “Excavations uncover 3,000-year-old palace, believed to be that of King David.”Haaretz. Tuesday, June 17, 2014. LINK
• Na’aman, Nadav. “The Interchange Between Bible and Archaeology: The case of David’s Palace and the Millo.” Biblical Archaeology Review40:1 (2014): 57-61. LINK. or LOOKUP
• Ngo,  Robin. “King David’s Palace and the Millo: Nadav Na’aman Explores the Biblical and Archaeological Evidence.” Bible History Daily: Biblical Archaeology Society(2014): n.p. LINK
• Ngo,  Robin.  “Canaanite Fortress Discovered in the City of David.”Bible History Daily: Biblical Archaeology Society(April 7, 2014): n.p. LINK
• Pioske, Daniel D. “David’s Jerusalem: A Sense of Place.” Near Eastern Archaeology 76, no. 1 (2013): 4-15. LINK
  
• Steiner, Margreet L.“The ‘Palace of David’ Reconsidered in the Light of Earlier Excavations: Did Eilat Mazar Find King David’s Palace? I Would Say Not,” The Bible and Interpretation, September 2009. LINK
  

Back to the Index

Jerusalem - Pool of Siloam

On the Pool of Siloam there are two proposed locations for the pool.You should consider the question of whether it is a Ritual Bath [miqveh] or just a large bathing pool. There has been some debate over this in the last couple of years after finding, what they believe to be, the real pool of Siloam. Articles prior to the discovery of the new candidate for the Pool would not have access to this research. Be sure to consider the opinions of Dr. James H. Charlesworth, Professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Princeton Theological Seminary. Charlesworth, James H. “The Tale of Two Pools: Archaeology and the Book of John.” Near East Archaeological Society Bulletin56 (2011): Pages 1-14. Request through Liberty ILL. Also, Yoel Elitzur, “The Siloam Pool-- ‘Solomon’s Pool-- Was a Swimming Pool’.” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 140, no. 1 (2008): 17–25. LINK. Josephus mentioned a swimming pool in his Jewish War 5.145.Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

Also, I have material in my book along with photographs and illustrations.  Key Themes of the Old Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes (Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2013), 282-84. LINK

Possible Research help but much of this is out of date:

• Armstrong, Chris. “Pool of Siloam Discovered.”Christian History and Biography 88 (Fall 2005): 9.  EBSCO
  
• Blake, Frank R. “The Word ‏הדז‏ in the Siloam Inscription.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 22 (January 1, 1901): 55–60. JSTOR
• Charlesworth, James H. “The Tale of Two Pools: Archaeology and the Book of John.” Near East Archaeological Society Bulletin 56 (2011): 1–14. Liberty ILL
• Coote, Robert B. “Siloam Inscription.”Pages 23-24 in vol 6 of The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols. Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds. New York: Doubleday, 1992. 
• Elitzur, Yoel. “The Siloam Pool-‘Solomon’s Pool-- Was a Swimming Pool’.” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 140, no. 1 (2008): 17–25. LINK.
  
• Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, eds. “Siloam.” Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000.
• Frumkin, Amos, and Aryeh Shimron. “Tunnel engineering in the Iron Age: geo-archaeology of the Siloam Tunnel, Jerusalem.” Journal of Archaeological Science 33, no. 2 (2006): 227-237. LINK
• Graves, David E. “Moments in History: Hezekiah.” Key Themes of the Old Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes(Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2013), 278-80. Look Inside
• Hayes, Holly. “Pool of Siloam, Jerusalem.” Sacred Destinations: Sacred Sites, Religious Places  LINK
• Mare, W. Harold, "Siloam, Pool of (Place)." Page 24-26 in vol 6 of The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols. Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992. 
• Masterman, E. W. G. “Recent Excavations in Jerusalem.” The Biblical World 39, no. 5 (May 1, 1912): 295–306. JSTOR  (outdated - article is on the old pool)
• Maugh, Thomas H. II. “Biblical Pool of Siloam Uncovered in Jerusalem.” Pittsburgh Post Gazette, August 09, 2005. LINK
• Negev, Avraham (ed.). “Siloam.” The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land. 3rd ed. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1996. (outdated - article is on the old pool)
• Phillip J. Long, “Two Pools in Jerusalem - Bethesda and Siloam.” Reading Acts: Some thoughts on the Book of Acts and Pauline Theology, November 27, 2010. LINK
• Reich, Ronny. Excavating the City of David: Where Jerusalem’s History Began.Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 2011. LINK
• Reich, Ronny, Eli Shukron and Omri Lernau. “Recent Discoveries in the City of David, Jerusalem.”  Israel Exploration Journal 57 no. 2 (2007): 153-169. JSTOR.
  
• Rendsburg, Gary A.  and William M. Schniedewind  “The Siloam Tunnel Inscription: Historical and Linguistic Perspectives.” Israel Exploration Journal 60 no. 2, (2010): 188-203. JSTOR 
  
• Shanks, Hershel. “Ritual Bath or Swimming Pool?” Biblical Archaeology Review 34, no. 3 (2008): 18. LOOKUPorLINK
• ———.   “The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Cured the Blind Man.” Biblical Archaeology Review 31, no.5 (2005): 17-23. PDFor LINK
• Sneh, Amihai, Ram Weinberger and Eyal Shalev “The Why, How, and When of the Siloam Tunnel Reevaluated.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 359 (August 2010):  57-65. JSTOR
  
• Waterman, H. B. “The Siloam Inscription.” The Hebrew Student1, no. 3 (June 1, 1882): 52–53. JSTOR(outdated - article is on the old pool)
• Wright, Theodore F. “Nehemiah’s Night Ride (Neh. 2:12-15).” Journal of Biblical Literature 15, no. 1/2 (January 1, 1896): 129–134. JSTOR(outdated - article is on the old pool)
• Wright, Theodore F. “The Siloam and Simplon Tunnels.” The Biblical World 27, no. 6 (June 1, 1906): 468–472. LINK(outdated - article is on the old pool)
• Wilkinson, John. “The Pool of Siloam.” Levant 10 no. 1 (1978) 116-25. (outdated - article is on the old pool)

Back to the Index

Jerusalem - Temple Mount: General Area

On the Temple Mount/City of David (Jerusalem) Excavation Paper, because there are so many projects in Jerusalem connected with the Temple Mount (the Temple Mount Sifting Project, Western Wall Tunnels excavations, Southern Temple Mount excavations, the archaeological park, Palace of David excavations, Givati Parking Lot excavations, Warren’s Gate, Hezekiah’s tunnel [including Ghihon Spring], pool of Siloam, Robinson’s arch, etc.), I would strongly advise that you select one of these and focus on that one topic. Otherwise, you will not be doing any one of them justice. This City of David LINKmight get you started.

• Geva, Hillel. “The history of Archaeology Research in Jerusalem.”The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the HolyLand. Edited by E. Stern. 4 vols. Jerusalem, 1993 2:801-4.
• Geva, Hillel, ed. Ancient Jerusalem Revealed. Jerusalem, Israel: Israel Exploration Society, 1994.
• Selavan, Barnea Levi. “15th Annual City of David Conference,” Foundation Stone. September 4, 2014.  LINKSee this article which reports what various archaeologists have uncovered around Jerusalem in 2014.

Back to the Index

Jerusalem-Temple Mount: Salvage Project

On the Temple Mount Salvage Project in Jerusalem there is not much to say except note the importance of the non-provenance nature of the project. Where does the dirt come from and is it really any value in determining the location of the items? (We are not even certain where all the dirt came from so have no real certainty about the provenance of the artifacts). Although some refer to it as the Temple Mount Sifting Project it is offically called the Temple Mount Salvage Project. Image  I have worked on the project on two separate occasions and can hardly call it an excavation. The usefulness of this site is limited at best since there is no stratification and nothing found insitu. Remember to provide "the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

Official Blog Website LINK

Also, you will want to consult Dr. Leen Ritmeyeras he is the world’s leading expert on the Temple Mount and one of the consultants on the Tall el-Hammam excavation project. I think he has expressed some views on the Salvage Project on his blog.

Back to the Index

Jerusalem - Warren's Gate & Tunnel

On Warren's Gate you can begin with the Palestine Exploration Fund(PEF) as this was where Warren worked. LINK Try not to get side tracked on issues other than his work and this is not a biography of Warren's life so don't provide a lot of details on Warren himself, other than a brief introduction to who he was and his work in Jerusalem at LINK. The primary source material of the correspondence and articles of his travels are available at LINKand Primary source documents at LINK. Most information on Charles Warren and the Gate he discovered can be found in the history of Jerusalem or history of archaeology and under Warren himself. Remember to provide “the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

• Fagan, Brian M. A Brief History of Archaeology: Classical Times to the Twenty-First Century. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2004.
• Fagan, Brian M.  Return to Babylon: Travelers, Archaeologists and Monuments in Mesopotamia. Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown & Co., 1979.
• Geva, Hillel. “The history of Archaeology Research in Jerusalem.”The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land.Edited by E. Stern. 4 vols. Jerusalem, 1993 2:801-4.
• Reich, Ronny, and Eli Shukron. “Light at the End of the Tunnel.” Biblical Archaeology Review 25, no 1, January 1999: 22-25. LOOKUP
• Reich, Ronny and Eli Shukron. “Jerusalem, Robinson’s Arch: Preliminary Report.”Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel 123 (2011). LINK
• Smith, “The Survey of Western Palestine: Special Papers on Topography, Archaeology, Manners, and Customs.” In The Survey of Western Palestine: Special Papers on Topography, Archaeology, Manners, and Customs, by Palestine Exploration Fund, 2-42. England: Northwestern University Library, 1902. LINK.

Back to the Index

Jerusalem - Western Wall

On the Western Wall Tunnels excavations in Jerusalem you will want to consult Dr. Leen Ritmeyer as he is the world’s leading expert on the Temple Mount [LINK] and one of our consultants/architects on the Tall el-Hammam excavation project. Remember that you need at least 6 sources (books not 6 footnotes) for each paper. The Bible does not count as a source. Remember to provide “the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

This site has some valuable research and photos.  LINK. He has a book that is downloadable Wiemers, Galyn. Jerusalem: History, Archaeology and Apologetic Proof of Scripture. Waukee, Iowa: Last Hope Books, 2010.   Also, you may find this work useful: Price, J. Randall. Rose Guide to the Temple. Torrance, Calif.: Rose, 2012. You can read it in Google books or Amazon.com. Sources available through Liberty Library EZProxy login are:

• Bahat, Dan. “Jerusalem Down Under: Tunneling Along Herod’s Temple Mount Wall.” Biblical Archaeology Review 21 no. 6 (Nov/Dec 1995): 31-47. LOOKUPorLINK
• Bahat, Dan. The Western Wall Tunnels: Touching The Stones of Our Heritage. Jerusalem: The Western Wall Heritage Foundation, 2002.
  
• Geva, Hillel. “The history of Archaeology Research in Jerusalem.”The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land.Edited by E. Stern. 4 vols. Jerusalem, 1993 2:801-4.
• Gibson, Shimon. “In the Footsteps of Wilson and Warren.”Reviews of The Walls of the Temple Mount, (2 vols.) by Eilat Mazar, 2011.  Biblical Archaeology Review 39 no. 3 (2013), 64. LOOKUPorLINK
• Mazar, Benjamin. “Excavations Near Temple Mount Reveal Splendors of Herodian Jerusalem.” Biblical Archaeology Review6 no. 4, July/August 1980, 44–59. LOOKUPorLINK
• Rainey, Anson F. Review of “Mazar and Mazar, ‘Excavations in the South of the Temple Mount.’” The Jewish Quarterly Review 84, no. 1 (1993): 109–11. JSTOR
  
• Reich, Ronny. Excavating the City of David: Where Jerusalem’s History Began.Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 2011.
• Reich, Ronny and Eli Shukron. “Light at the End of the Tunnel.” Biblical Archaeology Review 25 no. 1, Jan/Feb 1999, 22-33, 72. LOOKUPorLINK
• Western Wall Virtual TourLINK

Back to the Index

Lachish

The official website for Lachish is at this LINK. This was recently posted on Tall Lachish and there are several free articles attached. LINK. You may also rely on the dig reports LINK if possible. You can use the Lachish reliefs in your reports but also mention other discoveries. Be sure to examine the importance of the “Lachish letters.” You must of course use other publications (at least 6 sources) for an overview of the previous archaeological research and not just the website. Remember to provide “the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

• "Lachish (Place)."The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols. Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992. 
• "Lachish Letters."The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols. Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins, eds. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992. 
• "Lachish." Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, eds. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000.
• "Lachish." Avi-Yonah, Michael, and Ephraim Stern.Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land.4 vols. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1978. 
• Cornfeld, Gaalyah. Archaeology of the Bible: Book by Book. London, England : A & C Black, 1977.
• Feldman, Steven “Return to Lachish,” Biblical Archaeology Review28 no. 3 (May/June 2002):18-27. LOOKUPorLINK
• Finkelstein, Israel and Silberman, Neil Asher. The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Visionof Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts. New York, N.Y.:Touchstone, 2001.
• King, Philip J. “Why Lachish Matters: A Major Site Gets the Publication It Deserves,” Biblical Archaeology Review 31 no. 4 (Jul/Aug 2005): 36-47. LINK
• Longman, Tremper III, eds. “Lachish (Place)” The Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids, Miss.: Baker, 2013.
• Thompson, J. Arthur. "Lachish."  Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vols. 1-5.Revised, Full-Color ed. Tenney, Merrill C., and Moisés Silva, eds. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2009.
• Ussishkin, David. “Answers at Lachish.” Biblical Archaeology Review 5 no. 6 (Nov/Dec 1979):16–39. (contains the The Stratigraphy of Tel Lachish). 
• ———.    “News from the Field: Defensive Judean Counter-Ramp Found at Lachish in 1983 Season,” Biblical Archaeology Review 10 no. 2 (Mar/Apr 1984): 66-73. LOOKUP
• ———.   “Lachish—Key to the Israelite Conquest of Canaan?” Biblical Archaeology Review 13 no. 1 (January/February 1987): 18-29. LOOKUP
• ———.   “Restoring the Great Gate at Lachish,” Biblical Archaeology Review 14 no. 2 (March/April1988) 42-47. LOOKUP
• Yadin, Yigael. “The Mystery of the Unexplained Chain,” Biblical Archaeology Review 10 no. 4 (July/August 1984): 65-67. LOOKUP

Back to the Index

Masada

On Masada be sure not to get sidetracked with the story of Roman conquest and suicide at Masada. Be sure to look at the archaeological work that has been done there in the different periods and be sure to look at the oldest synagogue, and ancient scrolls found, just to name a couple of the significant discoveries. Make sure to deal with the significance of the site for first century studies.  The official website for Masada is at this LINK.Remember to provide “the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material.

• Avi-Yonah, Michael, and Ephraim Stern.“Masada.” Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land.4 vols. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1978.
• Avi-Yonah, Michael N. Avigad, Y. Aharoni, I. Dunayevsky And S. Gutman, “The Archaeological Survey of Masada.” Israel Exploration Journal 7 no. 1, 1957, 1–60. JSTOR
• Ben-Yehuda, Nachman.The Masada Myth: Collective Memory and Mythmaking In Israel. University of Wisconsin Press: December 8, 1995.Look Inside
  
• ———.   Sacrificing Truth: Archaeology and the Myth of Masada.Amherst, N.Y.: Humanity Books, 2002. Look Inside
  
• Bar-Nathan, R., Masada; The Yigael Yadin Excavations 1963–1965, Vol 7. IES Jerusalem, 2006.
• Crawford, Sidnie White. “Scribe Links Qumran and Masada.” Biblical Archaeology Review 38:06 (Nov/Dec 2012): n.p..LOOKUPordLINK
• Davies,Gwyn “The Masada Siege—From the Roman Viewpoint.”Biblical Archaeology Review 40 No. 4 (Jul/Aug 2014), 28-36,  76. LINKView through Liberty Library login orBAR
• Foerster, Gideon. “Masada.” Edited by Merrill C. Tenney and Moisés Silva. Pages 122-24 in  Vol 4: Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible. 5 vols. Revised, Full-Color Edition. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2009.
• Hall, J. F.and J. W. Welch, Masada and the World of the New Testament, 1997. Look Inside
  
• Hurvitz, Gila. The Story of Masada: Discoveries from the Excavations.The Hebrew University of Jerusalem: The Institute of Archaeology 2002. LINK
  
• Jacobson, David, “The Northern Palace at Masada – Herod’s Ship of the Desert?” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 138 no. 2 (2006), 99–117. LINK
• Kadman, L. “A Coin Find at Masada.”Israel Exploration Journal 7 no. 1, 1957, 61–65. LINK
  
• Kogel, Lynne Alcott “Masada," Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, eds. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000. 
• Netzer, Ehud. “The Last Days and Hours at Masada: Zealots Scavenged Roof Beams to Build Wall to Resist Attack by Roman Siege Machines.” Biblical Archaeology Review17, no. 6  (1991): 20-32.
  LOOKUP
• ———. “Masada.” Edited by David Noel Freedman, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins. Pages 586-87 in Vol. 4: The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary.6 vols. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992. 
• ———. The Palaces of the Hasmoneans and Herod the Great. Jerusalem: Yed Ben-Zvi Press and The Israel Exploration Society, 2001.
• Ngo, Robin. Masada: The Dead Seas's Desert Fortress.Washington, D.C.: Biblical Archaeology Society, 2014. Five articles by various authors.PDF
• ———. “The Masada Siege: The Roman Assault on Herod’s Desert Fortress.” Bible History Daily, June 13, 2014. LINK
• Roller, Duane W. The Building Program of Herod the Great. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1998.
• Shanks,  Hershel.  “Masada—The Final Reports.”Biblical Archaeology Review 23 no. 1 (Jan/Feb 1997): 58-63. BAR
  
• Stern, Ephraim, Ayelet Levinson-Gilboa, and Joseph Aviram, eds.“Masada.”  Pages 973-85 in Vol. 3: The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land. 4 vols. New York, N.Y.: MacMillan, 1993.
• Stiebel, Guy D. “Masada.” Encyclopaedia Judaica.Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Vol. 13. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 593-599. Available through Liberty Ezproxy signin.
• Yadin, Yigael, Joseph Naveh, and Yaacov Meshorer. Masada I: The Yigael Yadin Excavations 1963-1965:Final Reports. The Masada Reports. 6 vols. Atlanta, Ga.: Biblical Archaeology Society, 1989–99.
• Yadin, Yigael. “The Excavation of Masada—1963/64: Preliminary Report.” Israel Exploration Journal 15, no. 1/2 (January 1, 1965): 1–120. JSTOR
  
• Yadin, Yigael. Masada: Herod’s Fortress and the Zealots’ Last Stand.London, 1966.

Back to the Index

Megiddo

On Megiddo be sure to look at the controversy over the so called “Solomonic Stables”, the sacred compound, the monumental fortifications and gates, oldest remaining Christian Church, Megiddo Ivories, the impressive water systems of the site, various palaces, and the high place, just to name a few of the significant discoveries. There are important rare seals and inscriptions that have been discovered. Be sure to mention these and their implications for biblical studies. As far as books of the Bible, just do a search in any good Bible Commentary on the passage that mentions Megiddo or look Megiddo up in a good Bible Dictionary. Don’t get tied up with Armageddon in the Book of Revelation as it is not that relevant to archaeology and most non-dispensationalists agree that the reference to Megiddo was only a symbolical place for the ultimate battle between good and evil. Those familiar with Megiddo would know that this was a strategic military location in ancient times and John used the site to symbolize the final battle. You may mention its relevance to prophecy but remember that this is an archaeology paper and not an exegetical paper. I am looking for the archaeological finds that were uncovered at this site and the history of the excavations. Remember to provide “the historical background of the site (including history of previous archaeological excavations, if any), objectives of the current excavation, progress at the site, and significance of discoveries to biblical study.” Make sure to choose a good encyclopedia, journal articles, and books that specialize in the subject. This will give you a cross section of material:

Official Website LINK and Megiddo Bibliographies LINKand LINK

Articles (PDF) by Israel Finkelstein who is excavating Megiddo LINK

On the discovery of the new house church(prayer Hall) see:

• Adams, Edward. “The Ancient Church at Megiddo: The Discovery and an Assessment of Its Significance.” The Expository Times 120 no. 2 (2008): 62–69. SAGE
• BAR Staff, “Prison Makes Way for the Holy Land’s Oldest Church.”Bible and Archaeology News, April 23, 2012 LINK
  
• Tzaferis, Vassilios. “Oldest Church Found? Inscribed ‘To God Jesus Christ’ Early Christian Prayer Hall Found in Megiddo Prison.” Biblical Archaeology Review 33 no.2 (2006). LINK.
• Yotam Tepper and Leah di Segni, A Christian Prayer Hall of the Third Century C.E. at Kefar Óthnay (Legio), Jerusalem: IAA Publications, 2006

• “Megiddo-The Solomonic Chariot City.” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs,2013.LINK
• “Introducing Megiddo.”The Megiddo Expedition, Tel Aviv University.  2013. LINK
  
• “History of Megiddo.”The Megiddo Expedition,Tel Aviv University. 2013, LINK.
• “Past Excavations.”The Megiddo Expedition,Tel Aviv University. 2013, LINK.
• Adams, M. J., J. David, R. Homsher, M. E. Cohen, “New Evidence for the Rise of a Complex Society in the Late Fourth Millennium at Tel Megiddo East in the Jezreel Valley,” Near Eastern Archaeology 77:1 (2014) 32-43.
  
• Avi-Yonah, Michael, and Ephraim Stern.“Megiddo.”in Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land.4 vols. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1978. 
• Finkelstein, I., M. J. Adams, and D. Ussishkin, “The Great Temple of Early Bronze I Megiddo,” American Journal of Archaeology 118.2 (2014) 1-21.
  
• Finkelstein, Israel, and David Ussishkin. “Back to Megiddo.” Biblical Archaeology Review 20, no. 1 (1994): 26–43.  LINK
  
• Finkelstein, Isreal, David Ussishkin, Baruch Halpern, and Jared Miller, eds. Megiddo III: The 1992-1996 Season. 2 vols. Tel Aviv: Emery and Claire Yass, 2000. Order book chapters through ILL Outline LINK
  
• Joffe, Alexander H. “Megiddo.” Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, eds. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000. 
• Myers, Allen C. ed.“Megiddo.”The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary.Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1996.
• Rainey, Ansin. F. “Megiddo.” in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible,Vol. 4, ed. Merrill C. Tenney. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2009. 
• Silberman, Neil Asher, Israel Finkelstein, David Ussishkin, and Baruch Halpern. “Digging at Armageddon: A New Expedition Digging at Armageddon.” Archaeology 52, no. 6 (1999). LINK.
  
• Ussishkin, David. “Megiddo.” Edited by David Noel Freedman, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, and John David Pleins. Pages 666–679 in Vol. 4: The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary.6 vols. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1992. 
• Van Beek, G. W., “Megiddo” in The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible: An Illustrated EncyclopediaVol. 3. New York: Abingdon Press, 1962.