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Tel Dan Stele
The image above is of the Tel Dan Stele. Found in 1993, and dated to the 9th century BCE, it is inscribed with a passage that talks about the death of Jehoram. It also mentions Kind Ahab, and the "house of David". Jehoram is mentioned in 2 Kings 8:16-24. This is an amazing find, and more proof that the Bible is reliable.
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Merneptah Stele
The Merneptah Steel was discovered in 1896, and dates back to the 13th century BCE. It is mainly an inscription about Pharaoh Merneptah's victories. What is interesting though is the mention of Israel in 27. It reads:
"The princes are prostrate, saying, "Peace!"
Not one is raising his head among the Nine Bows.
Now that Tehenu (Libya) has come to ruin,
Hatti is pacified;
The Canaan has been plundered into every sort of woe:
Ashkelon has been overcome;
Gezer has been captured;
Yano'am is made non-existent.
Israel is laid waste and his seed is not;
Hurru is become a widow because of Egypt."
The Merneptah stele is the oldest archaeological evidence, so far, that clearly states Israel's existence as a state in the ancient world. This is significant, not just the inscription, but also the period in which it was dated to. Abraham was believed to have lived around 2000 BCE, Moses around 1550-1300 BCE, and King David around 1000-900 BCE. That puts this inscription right in between King David and of Moses. Some even ascribe this inscription as Israel's exodus from Egypt itself, although, there is no evidence that Pharaoh Merenptah was the Pharaoh written about in Exodus, and there is no mention of a Merenptah in the Bible, this is still possibly the most significant find depicting Israel as a people in the ancient world.
source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele
Mesha Stele
The Mesha Stele, named after the Moabite king Mesha, is the first known Canaanite inscription, and dates back to 840 BCE. The story inscribed on the stele is similar to the story found in 2 Kings 3:4-8, found in the Bible. The stele refers to the the house of Omri (a ruling dynasty of Israel that was founded by king Omri). It also possibly refers to the "house of David", as well as refers to the Israelite God as Yahweh. The inscription reads:
I am Mesha, son of Chemosh-gad,[31] king of Moab, the Dibonite. My father reigned over Moab thirty years, and I have reigned after my father. And I have built this sanctuary for Chemosh in Karchah, a sanctuary of salvation, for he saved me from all aggressors, and made me look upon all mine enemies with contempt. Omri was king of Israel, and oppressed Moab during many days, and Chemosh was angry with his aggressions. His son succeeded him, and he also said, I will oppress Moab. In my days he said, Let us go, and I will see my desire upon him and his house, and Israel said, I shall destroy it for ever. Now Omri took the land of Madeba, and occupied it in his day, and in the days of his son, forty years. And Chemosh had mercy on it in my time. And I built Baal-meon and made therein the ditch, and I built Kiriathaim. And the men of Gad dwelled in the country of Ataroth from ancient times, and the king of Israel fortified Ataroth. I assaulted the wall and captured it, and killed all the warriors of the city for the well-pleasing of Chemosh and Moab, and I removed from it all the spoil, and offered it before Chemosh in Kirjath; and I placed therein the men of Siran, and the men of Mochrath. And Chemosh said to me, Go take Nebo against Israel, and I went in the night and I fought against it from the break of day till noon, and I took it: and I killed in all seven thousand men, but I did not kill the women and maidens, for I devoted them to Ashtar-Chemosh; and I took from it the vessels of Jehovah, and offered them before Chemosh. And the king of Israel fortified Jahaz, and occupied it, when he made war against me, and Chemosh drove him out before me, and I took from Moab two hundred men in all, and placed them in Jahaz, and took it to annex it to Dibon. I built Karchah the wall of the forest, and the wall of the Hill. I have built its gates and I have built its towers. I have built the palace of the king, and I made the prisons for the criminals within the wall. And there were no wells in the interior of the wall in Karchah. And I said to all the people, 'Make you every man a well in his house.' And I dug the ditch for Karchah with the chosen men of Israel. I built Aroer, and I made the road across the Arnon. I took Beth-Bamoth for it was destroyed. I built Bezer for it was cut down by the armed men of Daybon, for all Daybon was now loyal; and I reigned from Bikran, which I added to my land. And I built Beth-Gamul, and Beth-Diblathaim, and Beth Baal-Meon, and I placed there the poor people of the land. And as to Horonaim, the men of Edom dwelt therein, on the descent from old. And Chemosh said to me, Go down, make war against Horonaim, and take it. And I assaulted it, And I took it, for Chemosh restored it in my days. Wherefore I made.... ...year...and I....
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omrides
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesha_Stele
Bubastite Portal
The Bubastite Portal is an Egyptian inscription, in hyroglyph, that depict the military campaigns of the biblical Shishaq/Shishak, in about the year 925. Shishaq is mentioned in the Bible in 1 Kings 14:25, as "coming up and attacking Jerusalem". The inscription lists 156 Canaanite cities. The most fascinating thing that is found in the inscription is that it lists "the field of Abram". This gives even more validity to scripture as being a true source of history.
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Kurkh Monoliths
The Kurkh Monoliths Assyrian Stele, written in Akkadian cuneiform, found in 1861. They date to between 852 BCE and 879 BCE. Most of the inscriptions document the reigns of Ashurnasirpal II and his son Shalmaneser III. What makes this find relevant to Biblical archaeology is the mention of "A-ha-ab-bu Sir-ila-a-a" which scholars translate to Ahab king of Israel. In the inscription it says that Ahab sent 2,000 chariots and 10,000 foot soldiers to help the Assyrians in their war effort.
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Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
A black limestone Assyrian obelisk that dates to between 827-824 BCE, found by archaeologist Sir Austen Henry Layard in 1846, now housed in the British museum. It is inscribed with the deeds of king Shalmaneser III who reigned from 858-824 BCE. The obelisk was found in Nimrud which is in northern Iraq. What makes this find significant is that it depicts five subdued kings, and one of them is believed to depict Jehu, King of Israel, bowing down before Shalmaneser III. The inscription reads "Yaua/Yaw of Bit Omri" which is translated as "Jehu of the House of Omri.
Source:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Obelisk_of_Shalmaneser_III
Nimrud Slab
The Nimrud slab was discovered by William Loftaus in 1854 and lists a summary of the reign of Ada Nirari III, whom was a King of Assyria from 811-783 BCE. Although it does not mention the Israelites, it does mention cities that are mentioned in the bible, such as; Sidon, Edom, and Philistia. Below is the inscription that mentions them.
"I subdued from the bank of the Euphrates, the land of Hatti, the land of Amurru in its entirety, the land of Tyre, the land of Sidon, the land of Humri, the land of Edom, the land of Palastu (Philistia), as far as the great sea of the setting sun. I imposed tax and tribute on them."
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimrud_Slab
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adad-nirari_III
Nimrud Tablet
Discovered in Nimrud by George Smith in 1873, and dating to 733 BCE, the Nimrud Tablet describes 17 years of Tiglath-Pileser III's reign in Assyria. In the inscription, it names Judah, and king Ahaz (Jehoahaz, the longer version of his name). Below is the part of the inscription that names both.
"In all of the (foreign) lands that ... [... I received the paymen]t of Kuštašpi of the land Kummuḫu, Urik(ki) of the land Que, Sibitti-biʾil of the city [Byblos, Hiram of the land Tyre, Pisīris of the city Carchemish, Ēnī]-il of the land Hamath, Panammû of the city Samʾal, Tarḫulara of the city Gurgum, Sulu[mal of the land Melid, Dadīlu of the city Kaska, U]assurme of the land Tabal, Ušḫitti of the city Tuna, Urballâ of the city Tuḫana, Tuḫam[mi of the city Ištunda, Urimmi of the city Ḫubišna, (rev. 10´) Ma]ttan-biʾil (Mattan-Baʾal) of the city Arvad, Sanīpu of the land Bīt-Ammon, Salāmānu of the land Moab, ...[... of ..., ... of ..., Mi]tinti of the land Ashkelon, Jehoahaz of the land Judah, Qauš-malaka of the land Edom, Muṣ...[... of ..., ... of ..., (and) Ḫa]nūnu of the city Gaza: gold, silver, tin, iron, lead, multi-colored garments, linen garments, the garments of their lands, red-purple wool, [..., all kinds of] costly articles, produce of the sea (and) dry land, commodities of their lands, royal treasures, horses (and) mules broken to the yo[ke, ...]."
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Sargon II's Prism
Discovered in the mid 1800's, and dating to 710 BCE, the Sargon II prism consists of two tablets that describes Sargon II's campaigns during his reign. According to the inscription, these campaigns were to the areas of Palastu, Judah, Edom and Moab. All towns that are mentioned in the bible.
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Siloam Tunnel Inscription
According to the bible, the Siloam tunnel was excavated during King Hezekiah's reign. This would have been around the late 8th century, to the early 7th century. The slab with the inscription was actually cut out of the side of the tunnel, and it also dates to the same period. There are two passages in the bible that mention this tunnel. One in 2 Kings 20:20, and one in 2 Chronicle 32:30. This inscription gives even more proof that the Bible can be used as historical proof. Below is what the inscription reads.
.. the tunnel ... and this is the story of the tunnel while ...
the axes were against each other and while three cubits were left to (cut?) ... the voice of a man ...
called to his counterpart, (for) there was ZADA in the rock, on the right ... and on the day of the
tunnel (being finished) the stonecutters struck each man towards his counterpart, ax against ax and flowed
water from the source to the pool for 1,200 cubits. and (100?)
cubits was the height over the head of the stonecutters ...
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Lachish Reliefs
The Lachish reliefs were discovered between 1845-1847 in Nineveh, or modern day Iraq. The relief measures 39 ft. wide and16.7 ft. long, and depicts Sennacherib, king of Assyria ( king from 705-681 BCE), conquering the Kingdom of Judah, in what is called the siege of Lachish, which happened around 701 BCE. The relief itself is believed to have been sculped between 700 and 681 BCE. The siege of Lachish is not just mentioned in the bible, but also the Lachish reliefs, the Assyrian cuneiform prisms, and has been verified due by archeological excavations at Lachish. The siege can be found in the bible in two different places. 2 Chronicles 32:9 and Isaiah 36:1–2.
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Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle
The Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle is a stone tablet that was purchased in 1896 from an antiquities dealer. The place, and date, of it's discovery is unknown. It wasn't until 1956 that this discovery was made public. The inscription contains information about the first 11 years of Nebuchadnezzar II's reign. The tablet mentions both the battle of Carchemish, which was with Egypt in 605 BCE, and the siege of Jerusalem, which was with Judah in 597 BCE. The tablet does not mention Jerusalem but instead mentions the "City of Iaahudu" which is interpreted to mean "Judah". The inscription concerning the siege of Jerusalem is below.
"In the seventh year (of Nebuchadnezzar) in the month Chislev (Nov/Dec) the king of Babylon assembled his army, and after he had invaded the land of Hatti (Turkey/Syria) he laid siege to the city of Iaahudu (Judah). On the second day of the month of Adar (16 March) he conquered the city and took the king (Jeconiah) prisoner. He installed in his place a king (Zedekiah) of his own choice, and after he had received rich tribute, he sent forth to Babylon."
The Siege on Jerusalem is mentioned in the Bible in 2 Kings 24:10–16. It reads:
"At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it. Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered to him.
In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. As the Lord had declared, Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. He carried all Jerusalem into exile: all the officers and fighting men, and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left.
Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem to Babylon the king’s mother, his wives, his officials and the prominent people of the land. The king of Babylon also deported to Babylon the entire force of seven thousand fighting men, strong and fit for war, and a thousand skilled workers and artisans."
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebuchadnezzar_Chronicle
The Cyrus Cylinder
The Cyrus cylinder is an ancient clay cylinder found in the ruins of Babylon in Mesopotamia (located in modern Iraq) in 1879, It dates to the 6th century BC and venerates Cyrus as a king from a long line of kings. What is significant about the text, concerning the Bible, is that is lists a time period where Cyrus returns people back to their homeland, as well as, returns the articles of their Gods. This has been translated by many as being the time period written about by Ezra, in the book of Ezra 1:4-11, where Cyrus returns the Jews, that were taken captive to Babylon, back to Israel, and then funds the rebuilding of the second temple, as well as, returns the articles of the temple that were carried off by Nebuchadnezzar. The text from the cylinder reads:
From [?][97] to Aššur and [from] Susa, Agade, Ešnunna, Zabban, Me-Turnu, Der, as far as the region of Gutium, the sacred centers on the other side of the Tigris, whose sanctuaries had been abandoned for a long time, I returned the images of the gods, who had resided there [i.e., in Babylon], to their places and I let them dwell in eternal abodes. I gathered all their inhabitants and returned to them their dwellings.[98]
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_Cylinder
The Ebal Amulet
The Ebal Amulet, also called the Curse Amulet, is a lead amulet that dates to 1200BC that was found on Mount Ebal. It contains a curse that correlates with the curse that God tells the Israelites to put on Mount Ebal in Deuteronomy 11:29 and also with the curses described later in Deuteronomy 27. The amulet reads:
"Cursed, cursed, cursed - cursed by the God YHWH. You will die cursed.Cursed you will surely die.Cursed by YHWH – cursed, cursed, cursed"
This find is significant for three reasons. One, it is the oldest Hebrew text ever found. Two, it shows that the curse written in Deuteronomy was written much earlier than secular scholars believed. Three, it helps to validate the story written in Deuteronomy, or at least part of it.
Sources:
This is the oldest text in ancient Hebrew ever found (aleteia.org)
The Ebal Amulet – the oldest Israelite text ever found - The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com)