Archaeology Pioneers
French scholar who deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Who was Jean-François Champollion?
The process where layers of human activity build up over time, like a cake.
What is stratification?
The study of ancient artifacts and sites to better understand the world of the Bible.
What is Biblical archaeology?
Any object made, used, or left behind by humans.
What is an artifact?
An inscription that mentions King Mesha and Moab’s victory over Israel.
What is the Mesha Stele?
American scholar called the “Father of Biblical Geography.”
Who was Edward Robinson?
The study of layers at a site that helps archaeologists understand context.
What is stratigraphy?
This field focuses on extinct prehistoric animals, not biblical history.
What is paleontology?
Pottery pieces commonly found at tells.
What are sherds?
The earliest non-biblical mention of Israel found in Egypt.
What is the Merneptah Stele?
Known as the father of modern archaeology for careful excavation methods.
Who was Sir Flinders Petrie?
Raised mounds formed by repeated human occupation; Hebrew/Arabic words meaning “mound” or “ruin.”
What are tells (or tels) / khirbets?
This kind of archaeology studies artifacts from any ancient civilization, not just biblical ones.
What is general (or ordinary) archaeology?
A method of organizing pottery by characteristics to help date layers.
What is ceramic typology?
Ancient scrolls discovered by shepherd boys that include most of the Old Testament.
What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Scholar who confirmed the authenticity of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Who was William F. Albright?
A 5x5 meter area archaeologists excavate to keep records organized.
What is a square?
Biblical archaeology especially helps explain the ________ and ________ Testament contexts.
What are the Old and New Testaments?
When an artifact is found exactly where it was originally left.
What is in situ?
Tiny silver scrolls from Jerusalem containing the oldest known biblical text.
What are the Ketef Hinnom Scrolls?
Seventh-day Adventist archaeologist who promoted archaeology as a scientific discipline, not just Bible proof.
Who was Dr. Siegfried H. Horn?
A wall left standing between excavation squares to show stratigraphy.
What is a balk?
The main goal of Biblical archaeology.
What is uncovering the historical and cultural context of the Bible?
Three ways archaeologists date artifacts or layers at a tell.
What are pottery analysis, carbon-14 dating, and inscriptions?
An inscription that confirmed the existence of the “House of David.”
What is the Tel Dan inscription?