A solar eclipse that appeared in the sky in 1207BC.
An earthquake that rattled Jerusalem 28,000 years ago.
And an ancient royal’s mines uncovered in Israel.
These are not just archeological discovers made throughout history, but they are also details described in the Bible.
Troves of ancient artifacts, landmarks and celestial discoveries have been made that can all be found written in the pages of the religious book, suggesting the stories are true.
A clay seal unearthed In Jerusalem dating from the eighth century BC may bear the signature of the Prophet Isaiah, according to author Eilat Mazar
The signature of Prophet Isaiah
A clay seal unearthed in Jerusalem in 2019 dating from the eighth century BC may bear the signature of the Prophet Isaiah, according to Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Isaiah was said to have predicted the coming of the Messiah, which is found in the Book of Isaiah chapter 53.
In the Bible, Isaiah is described as a close advisor to Hezekiah, who was the king of Judah, and the clay seal that may read ‘Prophet Isaiah’ was found near one bearing Hezekiah’s name in the Ophel, an ancient fortified area of Jerusalem.
A clay seal unearthed In Jerusalem dating from the eighth century BC may bear the signature of the Prophet Isaiah, according to author Eilat Mazar
‘We found the eighth-century BC seal mark that may have been made by the prophet Isaiah himself only 10 feet away from where we earlier discovered the highly-publicized bulla of King Hezekiah of Judah.
‘If it is the case that this bulla is indeed that of the prophet Isaiah, then it should not come as a surprise to discover this bulla next to one bearing King Hezekiah’s name given the symbiotic relationship of the prophet Isaiah and King Hezekiah described in the Bible.’
If confirmed to be Isaiah’s seal, it would be the first evidence of the prophet outside the Bible.
The earthquake in ancient Jerusalem
Books of Amos and Zechariah in the Old Testament describe an earthquake that rocked the city Jerusalem about 2,800 years ago – and archaeologists found evidence of the biblical event in 2021.
Researchers uncovered evidence of damage to buildings and pottery that may have been a result of a massive eight-century BC quake.
In the book of Amos, the passage reads: ‘The words of Amos, a sheep breeder from Tekoa, who prophesied concerning Israel in the reigns of Kings Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
‘And the Valley in the Hills shall be stopped up, for the Valley of the Hills shall reach only to Azal; it shall be stopped up as it was stopped up as a result of the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah,’ reads another passage in Zechariah, recalling the event some 200 years later, to suggest how strong of a collective memory it left.’
Evidence suggests that the wall was built by Uzziah – just as the Bible said
Since the artifacts were discovered deep into excavation site, experts say residents had to have built on top of the ruins following the earthquake, which preserved traces the event occurred.
In addition to the earthquake, researchers uncovered a stretch of wall that was built by Uzziah, grandfather of King Hezekiah – information written in scripture.
Joe Uziel of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said: ‘For decades, it was assumed that this wall was built by Hezekiah, King of Judah.
‘But it is now becoming clear that it dates back to the days of King Uzziah, as hinted at in the Bible.
‘Until now, many researchers assumed that the wall was built by Hezekiah during his rebellion against Sennacherib, King of Assyria, in order to defend Jerusalem during the Assyrian siege.
‘It is now apparent that the wall in its eastern part, in the area of the City of David, was built earlier, shortly after the great earthquake of Jerusalem, and as part of the construction of the city.’
Researchers used carbon-14 dating on artifacts including grape seeds, date pits and even bat skeletons.
to confirm the age of the wall.
All were cleaned, converted into graphite, then put into a particle accelerator at speeds of 1,865 miles per second to separate the carbon-14 from other organic material.
Measuring the carbon then revealed the wall’s true age.
The eclipse that made the ‘sun stand still’
When Joshua, the leader of the Israelite tribes after the death of Moses, led his people to victory he witnessed that the ‘sun stood still and the moon stopped’ in the sky.
In Joshua 10:18, 12-14 reads: ‘Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel: ‘Sun, stand still upon Gibeon.’
Was the incident in the Book of Joshua an eclipse?
Researchers believe that the sun ‘standing still’ was a real event, a solar eclipse three millennia ago – and have been able to precisely date it to October 30, 1207BC.
Professor Sir Colin Humphreys, of Cambridge University’s Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy said: ‘If these words are describing a real observation, then a major astronomical event was taking place – the question for us to figure out is what the text actually means.
‘Going back to the original Hebrew text, we determined that an alternative meaning could be that the sun and moon just stopped doing what they normally do – they stopped shining.’
An Egyptian text, the Merneptah Stele, offers confirming evidence that the Israelites were in Canaan between 1500 and 1050 BC, the researchers said.
The siege of Jerusalem
The siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD was an event of the First Jewish-Roman War.
The Romans invaded the city and destroyed much of it – and the battle is described in the second Book of Kings.
In 2 Kings 25:2-4, it reads: ‘So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
‘On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
Researchers found a unique mix of artefacts in 2019, which suggested the fiery siege of the city really happened, with Scythian-type bronze and iron arrowheads, pottery and lamps and burnt wood and ashes
‘Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls.’
Researchers found a unique mix of artifacts in 2019, which suggested the fiery siege of the city really happened, with Scythian-type bronze and iron arrowheads, pottery and lamps and burnt wood and ashes.
Researchers believe this is evidence of the conquest of Jerusalem by Babylon in 587/586C.
UNC Charlotte professor of history Shimon Gibson said: ‘We know where the ancient fortification line ran, so we know we are within the city.
‘For archaeologists, an ashen layer can mean a number of different things. However, in this case, the combination of an ashy layer full of artifacts, mixed with arrowheads, and a very special ornament indicates some kind of devastation and destruction. Nobody abandons golden jewelry and nobody has arrowheads in their domestic refuse.’
King Solomon’s mines
Solomon is known for being the king of Israel and his significant wealth that was believed to have been stashed in underground mines.
In 2 Chronicles 1:11, the scripture describes: ‘But since you have asked for wisdom and knowledge to lead my people, over whom I have made you king, I will give you wisdom and knowledge. I will also give you more wealth, riches, and honor than any king who has lived before you or any who will live after you.’
Solomon is known for being the king of Israel who built the first Temple in Jerusalem along with his significant wealth that was believed to have been stashed in underground mines, which were found in an area under the kings rule
In 2017, archaeologists at the University of Tel Aviv uncovered 3,000-year-old organic matter in Timna Valley in Israel’s Aravah Desert.
Scholarly work and materials found in the area suggest the mines were operated by the Edomites, a semi-nomadic tribal confederation that according to the Bible warred constantly with Israel. ‘The mines are definitely from the period of King Solomon,’ said Dr. Ben-Yosef.
‘They may help us understand the local society, which would have been invisible to us otherwise.’
Ben-Yosef believes that copper mines in Timna may have been controlled by Biblical nomads in the Iron Age.