Sodom and Gomorrah

The Dead Sea basin contained settlements during the Bronze Age, and archaeological investigation has identified several ancient sites that have consequently been considered in discussions of the cities of the plain.

Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira southeast of the Dead Sea were substantial Early Bronze Age settlements that experienced destruction and abandonment. Their location and destruction histories led some researchers to propose them as Sodom and Gomorrah.

More recently Tall el-Hammam northeast of the Dead Sea has been promoted as another candidate for Sodom. The proposal remains disputed, particularly because of questions involving chronology, geography, and interpretation of the biblical text.

No proposed archaeological site can presently be identified conclusively as biblical Sodom or Gomorrah.

A southern Dead Sea model commonly associates the cities of the plain with archaeological sites such as Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira. A competing northern model identifies Sodom with Tall el-Hammam in the Jordan Valley northeast of the Dead Sea.

AVWJ should present both as proposals rather than choosing a particular excavation as the proven location of Sodom or Gomorrah. The biblical narrative securely associates the cities with the wider Dead Sea and Jordan plain setting, but their exact locations remain unresolved.