Does Archaeology Support the Bible?

Dr. Scott Stripling, the director of excavations for the Associates of Biblical Research at ancient Shiloh, provides an answer in this guest post
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As an archeologist and historian, I strive to understand life in antiquity in the biblical world by peeling back layers of soil and debris and carefully recording all data as I excavate—from tiny seeds to monumental buildings to ancient gate complexes. It’s a meticulous approach that enables me to answer my research questions accurately. For example, at Shiloh, where I have served as director of excavations since 2017, I want to know if there is evidence of an ancient sacrificial system operating there, and if there is, to what period(s) it dates. My research questions derive from the biblical books of Joshua, Judges, and 1 Samuel, which describe Shiloh as Israel’s religious center following their conquest of Canaan.

Six seasons of excavation have yielded evidence of a tabernacle structure and an associated favissa (a pit filled with offerings and bones from a sacrificial system) from about 1399 to 1075 BC. This establishes verisimilitude (truth) and provides context. So, rather than seeking to prove the Bible, my goal is to illuminate the biblical text, which often lacks the details needed to properly reconstruct life in biblical times. I assume that events mentioned in the Bible happened when, where, and how the biblical writers described them, but evidence of the events does not always survive. For example, the pegs from Abraham’s tents did not leave an imprint in the archaeological record, and evidence of the burning of Hazor mentioned in Joshua 11:13 only survives in limited sections of the city—rain, wind, and rebuilding activity likely destroyed much of the evidence.

Despite such challenges, hundreds of synchronisms exist between excavated strata and various biblical passages. And though I do not seek to prove or disprove the Bible through my excavations, it is an added benefit when it happens. Here are just three examples of how archaeology supports and illuminates the Bible.

Ways Archaeology Supports the Bible

1. Solomon’s Fortified Cities

According to 1 Kings 9:15, King Solomon fortified four cities: Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. Excavations at these four sites have revealed six-chambered gate complexes dating to the time of Solomon’s reign in the mid-tenth century BC. The configuration of the Jerusalem gate is slightly different than the others due to the undulating bedrock upon which it is built. The gates outside Jerusalem attach to casemate walls—parallel perimeter walls that encircle a city. People could live in these chambers or use them in various utilitarian ways. Residents filled the rooms in times of siege to strengthen the city’s fortifications. Parallel construction at multiple sites from the same period indicates centralized planning and the ability to levy taxes to carry out monumental construction projects. This matches the biblical description of Solomon’s Kingdom.

2. The Destruction of Lachish

The destruction of Lachish offers another example of how archaeology supports the Bible. King Hezekiah was a loyal vassal of Sargon II, but when Sennacherib ascended Nineveh’s throne, Hezekiah rebelled by forming alliances with surrounding countries. The Assyrians under Sennacherib destroyed the Judean city of Lachish in about 701 BC. In addition to the biblical accounts (2 Kings 18–19; 2 Chronicles 32; Isaiah 36–37), Assyrian texts, archaeological evidence, and the Lachish Reliefs document the event.

The 12 reliefs stand over 2.5 meters high and once lined the walls of Sennacherib’s southwest palace at Nineveh, which Sir Austen Henry Layard excavated in 1847. The reliefs now line a similarly shaped room in the British Museum. They depict Sennacherib seated on his throne as he watches the siege of Lachish and the impaling of opposition leaders on stakes. The various panels depict slingers, archers, a siege ramp, and a battering ram. Archaeologists have recovered remains of all but the biodegradable battering ram.

Although the destruction of Lachish and other Judahite cities was devastating, Sennacherib failed to take the capital city of Jerusalem. Triplicate versions of his annals survived antiquity and can be viewed at the British Museum in London, the Oriental Institute of Chicago, and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Regarding his failure to conquer Jerusalem, Sennacherib wrote “I left Hezekiah in Jerusalem, like a caged bird.” Interestingly, 2 Kings 19 tells a slightly different version of the same story.

In the biblical account Hezekiah calls out to the LORD for deliverance, and in response, the angel of the LORD decimates the Assyrian army, forcing Sennacherib to withdraw. Considering Sennacherib’s hubris, it is unreasonable to accept that he voluntarily allowed Hezekiah to remain in Jerusalem and to rebuild the Kingdom of Judah. Taken together, Sennacherib’s annals and the 2 Kings 19 account provide a fascinating synchronism in which the supporting details align.

3. The Cyrus Cylinder

Persian foreign policy reversed the Babylonian policy of expatriation. Whereas the Babylonians relocated leaders of the native populations they conquered, the Persians preferred to keep conquered people in their native lands under the rule of a governor. The Cyrus Cylinder, a 23-centemeter-long clay cylinder dated to 536 BC, confirms their policy. It reads in part:

I gathered their former inhabitants and returned them.

Hormuzd Rassam, with the endorsement of his mentor Austen Henry Layard and the financial support of the British Museum, excavated this priceless artifact in 1879 in Babylon. It now resides in the British Museum.

In 2013, five museums in the United States and one in India displayed the cylinder, which offers the earliest statement of basic human rights and freedom of religion. Ezra 1:1–4 and 6:1–5 document Cyrus’ decree that the Jews in exile should return to their homeland to rebuild their temple and worship their God. Lines 28–33 of the Cyrus Cylinder tell a very similar story—except we learn that the Jews were only one of many expatriated groups Cyrus repatriated. In codifying religious freedom, the Cyrus Cylinder serves as a forerunner of later treatises such as the Magna Carta and the United States Declaration of Independence.

Conclusion

While archaeologists do not set out to prove the Bible, their work often supports and illuminates the sacred text. One need to look no further than my own excavations at Shiloh and Khirbet el-Maqatir to see such support and illumination. To learn about many more synchronisms, see my 50,000-word archaeological supplement in the Open Bible (2025).

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