This year seemed quite busy for scientists with media outlets reporting on an almost daily basis about major and minor archaeological discoveries, which ranged from mosaics and ancient texts to churches and villages.
Here is a list of the most exciting Biblical discoveries of 2019.
Biblical War
The stone altar discovered in the ancient city of Ataroth, Jordan this year, shed light on a war between the ancient kingdom of Moab and the kingdom of Israel. The war is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, which tells how the King of Moab, Mesha, grew frustrated with having to pay a yearly tribute of thousands of lambs, and a vast amount of wool to its neighbour and decided to go to war with the kingdom of Israel.
The 2800-year-old altar was discovered in 2010, but it was only this year that scientists deciphered its content which was written partly in the Moabite language and partly in Hieratic – an Egyptian system of writing. Inscriptions confirmed the events described in the Hebrew Bible – that King Mesha and his forces conquered Ataroth and looted the city.
Legendary Church of Apostles?
Archaeologists from Israel and the United States this year, uncovered what could be the legendary Church of Apostles. The 1400-year-old structure with delicate mosaics and carved marble was unearthed in northern Israel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Scientists believe that the structure is located on the site of an ancient fishing village Bethsaida, the place where Jesus Christ supposedly fed thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Hence, it could be the legendary Church of Apostles, which was built to honour Christ’s first apostles – Andrew and Peter.
However, the researchers’ claim is disputed by other scientists, who in turn alleged that they had discovered Bethsaida at a site called et-Tell.
Mosaic Depicting Christ’s Famous Miracle
In most cases, scientists make discoveries examining new sites, but sometimes they stumble upon remarkable findings in places that were known to them for decades. That is what happened with the mosaic depicting one of Christ’s famous miracles. Researchers from the Zinman Institute of Archaeology have spent decades excavating the Burnt Church located in the Sea of Galilee, and only this year, they discovered the mosaic under layers of ashes. It shows the saviour feeding crowds of people with five loaves of bread and two fish.
The Place Where Jesus Appeared After Resurrection
The location of Emmaus, an ancient village where Christ was said to have been seen after his resurrection, has been a topic of heated scientific debates for a long time. In the Gospel of Luke, the apostle writes that Christ appeared before his followers on the road to Emmaus, which is 60 stadia or 10-12 kilometres from Jerusalem.
Israel Finkelstein, professor emeritus at the Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University in Israel, and Thomas Römer, a professor of biblical studies at Collège de France, claim that the archaeological site of Kiriath-Jearim is in fact Emmaus. Researchers say that the fortifications at the archaeological site match the description of Emmaus in the Gospel. However, other places are also contending, along with Kiriath-Jearim.
Origin of the Philistines
One of the most exciting biblical discoveries of this year was made not with a shovel, pickaxe or brush, but in a biological laboratory with the help of a DNA test. Historians and archaeologists have spent decades trying to determine the origin of the Philistines, an ancient people that lived in the land of Canaan between 12 century BC and 604 BC.
Today that territory is located in modern Israel, Lebanon and northwestern Jordan. The Philistines are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as well as by ancient Egyptians. A study of these texts led scientists to the city of Ashkelon, where they found the remains of 10 individuals. After conducting DNA tests, researchers found that the Philistines descended from people who migrated from Greece, Sardinia and even Iberia, which is now Spain and Portugal.