The Bible is the most famous book in the world. It is filled with stories about Jesus’ miracles, and locations that seem fantastical. Remarkably, however, this is not always the case, as some of the most legendary biblical locations have been found, to the surprise of historians, believers and archaeologists alike.
Although the sacred texts are filled with parables and metaphors, these five real biblical locations may change your perspective on some of the most famous stories from the Bible.
Jericho, the city whose walls crumbled down
In the Bible, Jericho is known as the city whose walls came tumbling down after the Israelites marched around the walled city for seven days and sounded their trumpets. This passage can be found in the Bible in Joshua, 6:1-27, and is meant to represent divine intervention, as well as the faith of the Israelites overcoming inconceivable odds against them.
Jericho was discovered in the modern-day day west-bank of Israel, was initially excavated by John Garstang in the 1930s, and was further explored by Kathleen Kenyon in the 1950s.
The archaeological evidence uncovered by researchers indeed shows evidence of massive fortifications and a sudden destruction that closely matches the biblical recount of Jericho’s destruction. Remarkably, the city is also one of the oldest continuously inhabited locations in human history.
The Tower of Babel
Genesis 11 describes the Tower of Babel as a massive structure built by humans to reach the heavens. As the Biblical recount goes, God stopped the construction of the tower by confusing their languages, showing his divine authority over human ambition.
The Tower of Babel or the Etemenanki Ziggurat was discovered by German Archaeologist Robert Koldewey in 1899 in Babylon, near Hillah in modern-day Iraq.
Sodom
Sodom and Gomorrah are amongst the most famous biblical locations mentioned in the sacred texts. In Genesis 19:24-25, The Bible mentions that the cities were destroyed by fire and brimstone, representing divine judgment on sin, and “wickedness.” This story is often interpreted as an example of biblical morality.
In 2005, Archaeologist Steven Collins proposed Tall el-Hammam as the site of Sodom after discovering archaeological evidence that would suggest a catastrophic event at the site. Some of the evidence recovered included high-temperature destruction and even signs of a meteoric explosion.
Excavations at the site started in 2005 near the Dead Sea in modern-day Jordan, and are still ongoing.
The Pool of Bethesda is one of the most significant biblical locations in the sacred texts
In John 5:1-15, the Pool of Bethesda is the location where Jesus made one of his most famous miracles when he healed a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. This is one of the Bible’s most symbolic and spiritual narratives, as it describes in detail Jesus’s divine authority and compassion.
It is also the location where Jesus fulfilled prophecies like the one mentioned in Isaiah 35:6, “Then the lame will leap like a deer.”
The Pool of Bethesda was discovered through excavations by Conrad Schick in 1888 effectively unearthing two twin pools that matched the description in the Gospel of John. The site is currently located in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Taylor Prism
The Assyrian siege of Jerusalem is recounted multiple times throughout the Bible, most notably in 2 Kings 18-19, 2 Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 35-37.
According to these recounts, an angel of God struck down 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian camp, effectively defeating Sennacherib and forcing him to retreat. This story is often interpreted as a testament to both God’s power and his will to protect the city of Jerusalem.
in 1830, the first archaeological findings of the Assyrian army camp were unearthed, as Colonel Robert Taylor found a clay prism inscribed with Sennacherib’s annals in Nineveh. The “Taylor Prism” as it is now more commonly known, records Sennacherib’s campaign against Judah, boasting of the siege of Jerusalem and how he trapped King Hezekiah “like a bird in a cage.”
This prism notoriously does not mention the capture of Jerusalem, which in turn would match the Bible recount of the Assyrians failing to capture the city. It is currently located in Nineveh, near modern-day Mosul in Iraq.