Below are the biblical kings of Israel and Judah whose existence have been independently confirmed by archaeology. These kings are documented on discoveries from the last two centuries at sites across the Middle East. Most of these biblical kings have been confirmed by multiple artifacts.
Jewish Tomb of Patriarchs Desecrated by Muslims
Originally Posted: 08 Sep 2008 02:36 PM CDT “Ma’arat HaMachpela,” the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, is the second holiest site to Jews in the world. The site was off-limits to Jews and Christians for 700 years – from 1267-1967. Jews were prevented from praying at the tombs despite its sanctity to Jews, and despite the fact that the building above the caves was built by Herod some...
Rubble Yields Silver Temple ‘Tax’ Half-shekel
Originally published: Another stab into the heart of the mythos of “ancient Palestine”. Via JPost: Photo: Leah Ne’eman Two ancient coins, one used to pay the Temple tax and another minted by the Greek leader the Jews fought in the story of Hanukka, have been uncovered amid debris from Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, an Israeli archeologist said Thursday. The two coins were recently found in...
Jerusalem Dig Uncovers Ancient City Walls
Originally published: Another stab into the heart of Palestinianism. From Reuters ( visit the link soon before they scratch it from the etherworld ): Israeli archaeologists unveiled on Wednesday a 2,100-year-old Jerusalem perimeter wall on Mount Zion at the southern edge of Jerusalem’s Old City, which dates back to the Second Jewish Temple. The 3.2-meter (10.5-foot)-high wall formed part of a 6...
2,000-year-old rare coins discovered in Jerusalem cave
During a renewed excavation at near the Temple Mount, archaeologists unearthed dozens of bronze coins from the Jewish revolt against Rome. Via Israel21C.org: A trove of rare bronze coins, the last remnants of a four-year Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire, has been discovered in a cave near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. During the digs at the Ophel excavation site, led by Hebrew University...
Solomon’s Temple-Era Artifacts Found for First Time on Temple Mount
Originally posted on Bridges for Peace: November 4, 2016 Volunteer groups sifting material from the Temple Mount in the Emek Tzurim National Park Friday, 04 November 2016 | Artifacts including tiny shards of clay and bone from the time of Solomon’s Temple were unearthed for the first time on the Temple Mount, Israeli archaeologists revealed on Thursday. The discoveries, which include “olive pits...
Earliest known stone carving of Hebrew word ‘Jerusalem’ found near city entrance
Via The Times of Israel: The earliest stone inscription bearing the full spelling of the modern Hebrew word for Jerusalem was unveiled on Tuesday at the Israel Museum, in the capital. While any inscription dating from the Second Temple period is of note, the 2,000-year-old three-line inscription on a waist-high column — reading “Hananiah son of Dodalos of Jerusalem” — is exceptional, as it is the...
2500-year-old First Temple Seal Found in Jerusalem
Originally posted on JPost: Jan 17, 2008 Via JPost: A stone seal bearing the name of one of the families who acted as servants in the First Temple and then returned to Jerusalem after being exiled to Babylonia has been uncovered in an archaeological excavation in Jerusalem’s City of David, a prominent Israeli archaeologist said Wednesday. The 2,500-year-old black stone seal, which has the...
Excavation in Jerusalem Unearths Ancient Mansion
From MFA: Archive here: History – Archaeology/Archaeological Sites in Israel – Jerusalem- Burial The Tomb of Queen Helene of Adiabene, the largest tomb in Jerusalem, is located north of the Old City. It has a long, wide staircase leading down to a large courtyard (27 x 26 m.), all cut into the rock below the surrounding surface area. The facade of the tomb itself has two Ionic columns...
Books: G-d’s Gold: A Quest for the Lost Temple Treasures of Jerusalem
Jewish World Review Oct. 9, 2007 / 27 Tishrei 5768 New book takes us on the trail of objects taken from Second Temple By Richard Di Dio The boundary between quest and obsession is not defined until it is crossed. By then it is too late — and extremely perilous. This is inevitable when the search is for some of the most precious and potentially explosive objects in the world: religious icons that...