The Fight for History
In the Holy Land, archaeology itself is a battleground. Will the Bible win out?
The Bible says the invading Israelites destroyed Jericho and Ai, but archaeologists theorize that both sites were unoccupied at the time.
5. CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
Scholars debate whether hundreds of recently discovered villages dating to the late 13th and 12th centuries B.C. were settled by Israelites.
6. THEBES
The earliest known reference to Israel outside of the Bible was found here, etched into an Egyptian monument to the pharaoh.
7. PI-RAMESSE and PITHOM
According to the Bible, the pharaoh used Hebrew slaves to build the cities of Pithom and Ramses (now thought to be Pi-Ramesse).
8. JERUSALEM
David captured it and made it his capital, Solomon built it into a regal city, but archaeologists to date have found no direct evidence here.
9. UR and HARAN
Evidence suggests that Haran was a commercial hub when Abraham would have arrived from Ur on his way to Canaan.
10. DAN
The David inscription appeared on a monument to the king of Damascus's victory over the kings of Israel and Judah.
11.SHECHEM and HEBRON
Abraham migrated through Shechem to Hebron, where the Bible says he settled and is buried. Archaeologists have clearly identified ancient ruins of these cities.
[Main map labels]
Mediterranean Sea
Dead Sea
Lebanon
Syria
Damascus
Dan
Jordan
Israel
Hazor
Sea of Galilee
Megiddo
Jezreel Valley
Shechem
Central Highlands
Ai
Jericho
Jerusalem
Gezer
Ekron
Ashdod
Ashkelon
Gaza
Hebron
[Inset map labels]
Mediterranean Sea
Pi-Ramesse
Pithom
Haran
Syria
Iran
Iraq
Ur
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
Thebes
Red Sea
Area of detail
Stephen Rountree--USN&WR
A related documentary, Digging for the Truth: Archaeology and the Bible, premieres Dec. 17 on the History Channel.
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