Archaeologists Uncover Chair Directly Linked to Moses - BRIAN NIXON/ASSIST NEWS SERVICE CHARISMA NEWS

Archaeologist Steven Collins (Courtesy)

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Archaeologists Uncover Chair Directly Linked to Moses

 9/23/2016 BRIAN NIXON/ASSIST NEWS SERVICE  CHARISMA NEWS

A noted biblical archaeologist and director of the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project in Jordan, Dr. Steven Collins, recently gave a lecture at Calvary Albuquerque titled "Why Sodom Matters."

During his address, Dr. Collins gave an update on the excavations at Tall el-Hammam/Sodom. After detailing the history of the dig (the "right place," the "right time" and the "right stuff"), Dr. Collins showed slides of the recent findings from the location, including cloth, bones and other artifacts.

Dr. Collins then proceeded to show a slide of an isolated, freestanding building at the possible location where Moses and the Israelites camped in the Kikkar of the Jordan (the Plains of Moab). It dates to the Late Bronze Age, the time of Moses and Joshua.

Dr. Collins stated, "I have a sneaking suspicion that Moses may have co-opted and used the building for his personal headquarters, completing the book of Deuteronomy before crossing to Jericho the other side of the valley." The small but sturdily built structure (likely a "customs house" because of artifacts found in it) had pieces of carbonized furniture, including a chair, on the floor. Collins' reasons that if Moses had used this structure, he also would have employed the furniture!

As one can imagine, if this statement was confirmed—and this would be very difficult—the end result would be of monumental importance, rivaling the find of the city of Sodom at Tall el-Hammam. Such a chair would be the only artifact ever found potentially linked directly to Moses. But again, as mentioned, Dr. Collins was quick to point out that it was just a "sneaking suspicion."

To say the least, however, the artifacts and information presented in the lecture is of vast importance to both the biblical and archaeological communities, coming from one of the largest Bronze Age sites in the region. 

This article originally appeared on Assist News Service. 

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Archaeologist Believes to Have Discovered Location of Biblical Sodom, But One Thing Remains a Mystery - BIN

“The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah” by Peter Schoubroeck. (Photo: Wiki Commons)

Archaeologist Believes to Have Discovered Location of Biblical Sodom, But One Thing Remains a Mystery

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz October 22, 2015 BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.’” (Genesis 18:20)

After 10 years of digging, archaeologist Steven Collins, of Trinity Southwest University of New Mexico, and his team believe they have discovered the location of Biblical Sodom in the Southern Jordan Valley in Jordan, about 14 kilometers northeast of the Dead Sea. However, they are struggling to solve a deep mystery.

The city, with its massive walls, palaces, administrative buildings and surrounding farm region, flourished and dominated the region for 3,000 years. Based on evidence found at the site, some 4,000 years ago the entire area suddenly became uninhabited for over 700 years. Archaeologists and scientists are attempting to figure out why.

While digging at the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project, Collins studied accounts of Sodom extensively, explaining to Popular Archaeology, “Tall el-Hammam seemed to match every Sodom criterion demanded by the text.”

“We know very little about the Bronze Age in the south of the Jordan River Valley. Most archaeological maps of the area were blank. But what we have found is an important city-state, which was unknown before our project began,” he said.

“Tall el-Hammam matches the description of the area where Sodom was located according to the Bible. It was said to be the largest city east of Kikkar. When we explored the region, Tall el-Hammam was an obvious choice, as it was five to ten times larger than the other Bronze Age cities throughout the region, even those found beyond Jordan.”

One of the characteristics of Sodom mentioned in the Bible is the incredible richness of the area.  Lot, Abraham’s nephew who escaped Sodom when it was destroyed, chose the Jordan Valley for this particular trait (Genesis 13:10). The area of Tall el-Hammam fits that description well. The farms in the area took advantage of the annual flooding of the Jordan River, planting in the newly deposited rich silt as the floodwaters receded.

Sodom was also noted in the Bible for homosexuality. Collins offers a theory to link his findings to that aspect of the Biblical narrative, including archaeological evidence that indicates that homosexuality was an accepted part of the Tall el-Hammam culture.

“It’s quite large, and has a pillared gate-house through which one would enter the city,” explained Collins. “Such pillared architecture is more Aegean than Canaanite or Levantine, which suggests a connection to the world of the Minoans and Mycenaeans.”

Many of the architectural and artistic motifs found at Tall el-Hammam strengthen this cultural connection. According to Collins, there is documented proof that the Creat Minoans practiced homosexuality as part of their culture. Based on evidence indicating the strong cultural link between the Creat Minoans with Tall el-Hammam, it is likely they adopted this practice as well.

Dead Sea, Israel. (Photo: xta11/ Wiki Commons)

The site is adjacent to the Dead Sea, which has a 34 percent salinity. This unique feature coats the rocks on its shore in thick layers of salt. This is consistent with the Biblical account, which describes Lot’s wife turning to a pillar of salt.

Sometime between 2000-1540 BCE, the city and surrounding area became uninhabited. Initial tests show that no life existed in that area for about 700 years, but the archaeological team has found no evidence for this sudden and lasting desolation.

Clues to this mystery may also be found in the Bible narrative. The destruction of Sodom is described as God raining down burning sulfur, or, in other translations, fire and brimstone (Genesis 19:24). At the Tall site, a layer of ash was discovered and the remains of one palace are stained red from burning. In addition, pottery shards display signs of exposure to extremely high temperatures. Normally, evidence of fire at such sites is the result of a military action, however a military conquest would usually be followed by an occupation, and it certainly would not account for 700 years of desolation.

Collins offers his own theory remarkably Biblical in nature. According to Collins, an enormous explosion over the city, such as that caused by a massive meteor, would account for all the evidence. He describes it as an “airburst”. As fantastic as that sounds, a similar occurrence was documented in Mesopotamia around 2200 BCE and credited with disrupting that civilization.

The Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project is an example of how scientists are successfully using the Bible as an authoritative source to learn more about the world around us. In the case of Sodom, Steven Collins discovered that what most people understand as a Biblical myth was actually accurate in the most astounding ways.