Archaeologists Claim To Have Found Ancient City of Sodom

Dr. Steven Collins (left) and a colleague atop the foundation of a Sodom city wall.

Collins and his team were able to locate this massive, buried city by using the Bible as their guide. “It all came from analyzing the Biblical text regarding the location of Sodom,” says Collins. “The quintessential passage holding the geographical key to Sodom’s location is Genesis 13:1-12.” A Bible scholar, Collins based his excavation on the locations highlighted in the text of Genesis:

And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.

The view of Sodom and Gomorrah today from Bethel-Hai, the land Abraham kept after he and Lot separated.

And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.- Genesis 13:1-13.

In their tenth year, the team has dug deep to unearth a great deal of the city.

In this passage, Abram, a faithful believer in God, through whom the covenant to bring forth the Messiah and receive the Promised Land was made, tried to resolve a conflict with his new phew Lot. Both men were prosperous land owners with a great deal of cattle and servants. To bring an end to the disputes between their workers, Abram offered to dive the land and give Lot the first choice of which area he desired. Lot, thinking of his potential wealth, chose the “all the plain of Jordan.”

An artist rendering of the ancient city of Sodom based on the recent excavation.

Jordan was a reference to the Jordan river, and specifically the plain on the eastern side of the river. Lot then pitched his tent toward Sodom, facing this thriving city that was in extreme rebellion against God. Soon Lot himself would be drawn to live there, a detail that also held significance in the excavation.

Middle Bronze (MB2) gateway complex: A, Early Bronze (EB3) city wall; B, Early Bronze (EB3) gateway; C, Middle Bronze (MB2) city wall; D, Middle Bronze (MB2) left tower; E, Middle Bronze (MB2) tower entry; F, domestic area. Courtesy Mike Luddeni.

Sodom was situated in an extremely strategic location. It had waterways, trade routes and served as a key trade city during the Early and Middle Bronze Ages (3500 – 1540 BC). This was truly a legendary city. The Bible supports this as the city is mentioned over 45 times in Scripture. Collins’ own search confirmed how impressive this ancient metropolis was:

“The site is monstrous,” say Collins. He describes the site as consisting of both a lower and upper city. It features Early Bronze Age (3500 – 2350 BCE) evidence for a 5.2 meter thick city wall (built and then re-built stronger following an earthquake) as much as 10 meters in height and made entirely of mudbricks, with associated gates, towers, at least one roadway, and plazas. During the Middle Bronze Age (2000 – 1540 BCE), new construction, even more massive than those of the Early Bronze Age, replaced the old. To fortify the upper city, the Middle Bronze Age inhabitants built a massive mudbrick defensive rampart system. “It was a huge undertaking, requiring millions of bricks and, obviously, large numbers of laborers.” (source).

Collins and a colleague stand atop of a rampart or defensive wall one would have to scale to attack the well-defended city.

In Genesis 14, a confederacy of Kings who lived east of Sodom attacked the city, forcing Bera, the king of Sodom, to flee. The Bible records specifically that although a number of cities were attacked during this war: “And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.” (Genesis 14:11-12). The “goods” of Sodom and its sister city Gomorrah, were of great value. Abram led an assault against the attackers who ransacked Sodom and kidnapped his nephew Lot and was offered the “goods”- most likely, cattle, gold, silver and other portable items, as a reward for rescuing the city. But he refused any payment: “That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich…” (Genesis 14:23). This verse not only demonstrates the humility Abram had before God (as he did not want to give any human benefactor credit for his victory) it reinforces the wealth of Sodom and its royalty.

SEE MORE>>> http://www.thecontroversialfiles.net/2015/10/archaeologists-claim-to-have-found.html