Dating Game: How Archaeologists Date the Biblical Past

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Knowing when ancient artifacts were created, used, or destroyed is crucial for understanding the biblical past. Archaeology’s methods for dating sites, buildings, and artifacts have changed dramatically since the early days of the discipline. Explore the advanced scientific techniques that are helping modern archaeologists resolve longstanding historical and chronological debates, including the dating of key biblical battles.

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Footnotes

1. Hershel Shanks, “A ‘Centrist’ at the Center of Controversy: BAR Interviews Israel Finkelstein,” BAR, November/December 2002.

2. See Nathan Steinmeyer, “Arch-Tech: Dating Biblical Battles,” BAR, Summer 2023.

Endnotes

1. Yoav Vaknin et al., “The Earth’s Magnetic Field in Jerusalem During the Babylonian Destruction: A Unique Reference for Field Behavior and an Anchor for Archaeomagnetic Dating,” PLOS ONE 15.8 (2020), doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237029.

2. Yoav Vaknin et al., “Applying Thermal Demagnetization to Archaeological Materials,” PLOS ONE 18.10 (2023), doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289424.

3. Yoav Vaknin et al., “Reconstructing Biblical Military Campaigns Using Geomagnetic Field Data,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119.44 (2022), doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2209117119.