Bible Archeology Discoveries

Temple at Soleb
Discovered: Soleb, Sudan
From: (c. 1390 BC)

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The Eighteenth-Dynasty pharaoh Amenhoptep III (ca. 1390-1352 B.C.) built this temple at Soleb, in upper Nubia along the western bank of the Nile. This temple was dedicated to Amenhotep III, who was viewed as a divine king associated with the god Amon. The site is located north of the third cataract of the Nile, on the western side of the river. It was rededicated to Aten by Amnenhotep III's son, Akhenaten.

On the columns of the hypostyle hall, there is a list of the peoples that the Egyptians had conquered. Names of foreign places and surviving people are given. The transcription of one of the conquered people is translated as land of the Shasu, those of Yhwh. Thomas Schneider vocalizes the word y-h-w3 as Yahwah, or Yahweh.

This inscription was created just after the time that Israel would have been "wandering" in the wildernesss of Sinai, Edom amd Moab. The conquest of Canaan described in Joshua and Judges might have begun, but the Egyptians would likely have still referred to Israelites as wanderers, or "nomads." Importantly, the people in this inscription are associated with the God of Yahweh, making this the earliest archeological mention of the God of Israel.

“Who is the LORD, that I should obey Him and let Israel go?”
Exodus 5:2

Select Pages

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Notable Finds

Much of what is described in Bible text is lost to history, requiring readers to assume the historicity of the scriptures.

However, many of the places and events described in the Old and New Testaments are periodically corroborated by archeological finds.

Some finds simply help us to better understand things from the ancient world. However, others provide important evidence as to the truth of scripture regarding things about which there had previously been skepticism.

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