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How many people in the Hebrew Bible have been confirmed archaeologically?
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Answer: 52
From King David of Judah to the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar II, who famously sacked Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E., there are numerous people from the Hebrew Bible who have been corroborated by the archaeological record. In his article “Archaeology Confirms 50 Real People in the Bible,” Lawrence Mykytiuk estimates this number to be at least 50; in a later issue of BAR, he adds an additional two people to this list, giving us the conservative figure of 52.
Other memorable Hebrew Bible figures who have been confirmed archaeologically include King Ahab of Israel, King Hezekiah of Judah, Pharaoh Shishak (Shoshenq I) of Egypt, King Mesha of Moab, King Sennacherib of Assyria and Cyrus the Great of Persia. To see the complete list, visit biblicalarchaeology.org/50.
Lawrence Mykytiuk describes his criteria for determining which Hebrew Bible people have been confirmed archaeologically: “I have listed as firm identifications only those instances where the Bible places the person and the inscription places the person within about 50 years of each other. In addition, the society or political entity must match … In some cases, the identification is unmistakable, as when both the Bible and an inscription specify the king of a certain realm who ruled at a particular time or who fought in a particular battle.”
Additionally, he has measures in place to prevent misidentifications of different people with the same—or similar—names: “If there are three or more—but no less than three—identifying marks of the individual in the inscription that match the same three or more marks in the Bible, I consider that identification as good as certain.” If the individual has fewer than three corresponding identifying marks, he or she does not make the list. These standards ensure accuracy and guarantee that the identifications of people on the list can be trusted.
The archaeological record is always expanding and changing, as more sites and texts are excavated and studied by scholars. While we cannot predict how, it seems certain that this list will be modified in the years and decades to come.
How many people in the Hebrew Bible have been confirmed archaeologically?
069 Answer: 52
