The Naked Archaeologist

Calling someone a Philistine is the ultimate insult but archeology turns the insult into a compliment. The Philistines were actually a highly cultured people who left behind a rich legacy.

Everyone assumes the Greeks invented the alphabet, but what are its real origins? Archaeological finds tell us that it originated in Egypt.

Its been an enduring mystery for two thousand years; what stopped the brutal Assyrian army from sacking Jerusalem in 701 BCE? The army was poised outside the walls of Jerusalem but at the last moment, according to the Bible, an angel of God intervened.

On the one hand Herod was famous for impressive public works and architecture; on the other, for the Biblical slaughter of the firstborn sons of Israel and murdering his own family. Was he suffering from disease that affected his judgment?

The antiquities market has always been plagued by fakes and forgeries. Can science actually prove whats real and whats fake, and how did it all get so political?

In North America it would be pretty unusual to have a bulldozer hit anything besides a hidden gas line or cable, but in Israel the cumbersome building tool often unearths ancient treasure.

The Bible is full of references to the kinds of food ancients ate but there are no recipes. Simcha learns what archaeology tells us about what people ate in ancient times.

The Gospels sometimes contradict each other in their descriptions of Jesus early years and not much is known about how he spent his childhood. Now archaeology can help uncover some clues about his early influences and even his birth.

New archaeology has revealed what may be the cave where St. John baptized new converts to Christianity. Simcha checks out the cave and learns more about this major Christian saint.

Why is a debate about a colour so intensely important to some Orthodox Jews? How did the recipe for the true Royal Blue become lost?

What is the Hillazon (part fish, part snake with legs coming from its head) the mysterious creature described in the Bible as the source for the dye? Does archaeology have the answer?

The first century historian, Flavius Josephus, is the most frequently quoted scholar when it comes to the history of Jesus' time. His vivid descriptions of historic events give us a clear picture of Roman times. But is it an accurate picture?

Despite the fact that so many were crucified, little physical evidence of it remains. We investigate why there is so little archaeological proof and visit the only known artifact (a foot with a nail through it) in an Israeli museum.

The Bible paints a picture of King David as a mighty hero, capable of slaying giants, conquering enemies, and starting the messianic line that leads to Jesus. But for decades archaeologists have been struggling to find evidence of Davids mighty kingdom.

How did this Phoenician princess become one of the Bible’s best, or worst, femme fatales? Jezebel married Israelite King Ahab but the new queen didn’t move into alone. She brought the pagan god Baal and 450 of his priests into the Israelite Holy Land.

Ancients suffered from hundreds of ailments, some of which still plague us today. Leprosy is mentioned in the Bible frequently, and now archaeology has uncovered what may be the bones of the oldest leper.

The Bible says Joshua conquered Canaan, the land God promised the Israelites. From Joshua came Israel, from Israel Jesus, from Jesus, Christianity and much of the Western World. But did the Old Testament's fiercest warrior even exist?

After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, legend has it that about 1,000 politicized Jews made a legendary last stand on the Herodian palace in the desert, Masada. Besieged by the 10th Legion, they committed suicide rather than be taken into slavery by Rome.

In the 1950s a Bedouin shepherds sheep stumbled upon some ancient scrolls in a cave on the shores of the Dead Sea. This accidental find would prove to be the greatest archaeological discovery of the twentieth century.