What Is Biblical Archaeology

The past can be studied in many ways, and through these ways many things can be learned. Using archaeological methods, ancient civilizations have been brought back to life in the modern day. We have gleaned much from the discoveries in Egypt, China, India, and Rome, many of which give us an idea as to why we have certain practices and beliefs today. These ancient civilizations were very different, but also had many similarities despite being in different parts of the world.

Archaeology is the most common way to learn about the existence of humans. Many cultures have left written records behind providing information about life for them. The records left behind often tells about wealth, religion, hierarchy, important dates, property ownership and etc. Those records are often written from one person prospective and may not be all true. Understanding the life of past cultures that have no written records is what make archeology important. Archeology gives a voice to the voiceless with the hope of discovering their story.

Do you ever wonder where you came from or what man kind’s history is? Many scientists have an idea or theory that we came from the Big Bang, or that we evolved from apes. The Bible has been becoming a past time and no one wants to believe that it is our history. But how could you not believe it is our history? The Bible has THE OLDEST manuscripts ever been found, than any other religion.

Depending on the methodologies used by the archaeologist, the information can be vital to understanding a site’s archaeology and history, or it can not be helpful at all. In this case, Howard Carter had a set methodology and strategy to excavate King Tutankhamun’s tomb, whereas other archaeologists during his day did not. Because of this, a lot of information is recorded. For example, Carter took photos of the artifacts in situ and mapped out each room before removing any artifacts. He also wrote out cards with observations and details of each artifact. These archives also show the conservation efforts that were made to preserve these objects. Modern archaeological archives sort these older archives and transcribe them, so it is more easily accessible to archaeologists and historians. They can also take new findings and combine it with previous archives to provide a better understanding of the

It can be easy to confuse the work of archaeologists and historians. While both spend time and effort to study the past, the evidence they use can be very different. One way that they are different is that archaeologists use physical evidence to understand the past much more than historians. Because they often study the time before humans could write, archaeologists use this physical evidence to fill in holes about the past. They see how this evidence changes over time and also how it may stay the same. Archaeologists consider this to be more objective than the evidence used by historians because physical evidence isn't changed by human lies. For example, archaeologists would use the physical things left by a group while historians would use a letter written by the head of the group. However, this letter may not be objective. So, these different kinds of evidence can lead archaeologists and historians to the same or different research conclusions.

The stories in the Bible often have their validity brought into question by the scientific community. Because of the use of science to disprove many biblical events, many creationists with literal interpretations of the Bible choose to respond not by using faith as they usually do, but by using other science. Bringing one event to the forefront of the argument, the Biblical flood in which all life on land was killed except for Noah, the people, and the animals he brought with him, we come to an impasse. So we do what any modern believer in science does, we look for evidence. So we ask the question; is there evidence for or against a biblical flood? The short answer to this question, no matter which side you ask, is yes. This obviously presents us with a problem; who do we believe?

The history of how the Bible came into existence has been explored for centuries and is an active area of study today. There are many facets to the Bible and each has its own set of unique characteristics and teachings. The Old Testament is considered a contemporary guide for daily living, even though it was composed hundreds of years ago. Where did the Old Testament come from? What are some of the influences that shaped the Old Testament? What are the significant events of the Old Testament? In order to gain a better understanding of the Old Testament and its message to Christians, special consideration is given to its historical and cultural context, and to the major milestones in its development. Personal application of the teachings offered in this section of the Bible should be the aspiration of all Christians today.

Early Biblical archeology focused on finding the monumental things that pointed directly to the Biblical text and ignored the everyday things. Their goal was to find the holy grail. King and Stager changed that goal, they began to focus what everyday life looked like to discover what life was like in Biblical times. Archeology of Ancient Israel gives us the context in which the people of the Biblical text lived, allowing us to grasp the meanings of the text. The Biblical text does not deceive you, however they will not use it as a source. Archeology cannot bear the burden of proving the Bible since it is not meant to do that. Their working assumption is that the Biblical text is only reliable if other archeological proof shows up which includes

many ways. Academic archaeology is very similar to public archaeology, which is the practice of

Archaeology provides material evidence such as coins, pottery, brooches, metalwork, sculpture, inscriptions, architecture, roads, villas, military camps, forts, temples, tombs, graves, weapons, etc.

What we thought we knew about the Old Testament changed after the discoveries at the Ras Sharma archaeological excavation site between 1928 to

Archaeology offers us a very unique perspective on human history and their culture which has contributed immensely to our understanding of both the ancient and the recent past. Archaeology helps us to understand not only when and where people lived on this earth but also why and how they lived. It examines the changes and causes of changed which have occurred in human cultures over time, it seeks patterns and explanations of patterns which explain everything from how and when people first came to inhabit this world. (What is Archaeology, 2016)

Digital Archaeology is a new form of archaeology which leaves the site intact. It is amazing how technology has advanced to a level where the sites can be preserved. I realized in mythology we read, analyze and then make interpretations of stories long ago. Similarly, in digital archaeology historians search every crack and crevice- from the smallest piece of evidence to the largest they take the time to make accurate interpretations. With the advancement in technology new information is coming to the light, changing old theories. For example, many scientist at the time believed the universe was stable but with advancements they realized red shift: the moving of universe. This is similar to Cinzia Perlingieri research on the Great Pyramids.

With the initial discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, the biblical scholar was excited that this discovery might shed light on certain discrepancies within the Bible (Tullock, & McEntire, 2012). In fact, the discovery of the scrolls set of numerous archeological excavations in the areas surrounding the initial discovery site. These digs unearthed many writings that related to books within the original cannon or spoke to styles of Judaism around the first century.

Archaeology is a discipline with many different sorts of portrayals in popular media, with adaptions in all different types of said media, including movies, novels, video games, poetry, and the like. Often relating to fantastical subjects in human history, these portrayals also sometimes enter the realm of fantasy. And such is one of the various subjects in the expansive Elder Scrolls games, or more specifically, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Morrowind is an action/adventure role-playing game by Bethesda Softworks, released in 2002, which follows the story of the player’s self-guided journey in the land of Tamriel.