Biblical Archaeology

This table compares the biblical narrative with the archaeological evidence for the events described in the Bible. The evidence is mixed and often contradictory, suggesting that the biblical accounts may not be historically accurate.

Event	Reference	Biblical Narrative	Extrabiblical Evidence
Noah's Flood	Genesis 6-9	God sends a global flood to destroy all life except Noah, his family, and selected animals.	No evidence of a global flood, but evidence of local floods in Mesopotamia.
Tower of Babel	Genesis 11:1-9	Humans attempt to build a tower to reach heaven; God confuses their languages.	No evidence of the tower. Evidence of many Mesopotamian ziggurats.
Patriarchs	Genesis 12-50	The stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the founding fathers of Israel.	No evidence of the patriarchs as individuals.
Egyptian Plagues	Exodus 7-12	God sends ten plagues upon Egypt to convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites.	No evidence of widespread catastrophic events in Egypt during the supposed time period. No Egyptian records mention such plagues.
Exodus from Egypt	Exodus 1-14	Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt under Moses' leadership, crossing the Red Sea.	No evidence of a large-scale exodus. Some indirect evidence of Semitic peoples in Egypt, but the scale and timing remain debated.
Wandering in the Wilderness	Exodus 16 - Deuteronomy 34	Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years before entering Canaan.	No evidence of large-scale nomadic presence in the Sinai Peninsula during the supposed period. Lack of material remains expected from such a large group over 40 years.
Battle of Jericho	Joshua 6	The walls of Jericho fall after Israelites march around the city for seven days.	No evidence of walls falling as described. Archaeological evidence suggests Jericho was unoccupied or sparsely populated at the time of the supposed conquest.
Battle of Ai	Joshua 7-8	Israelites defeat Ai after initial setback, burning the city.	No evidence of a city named Ai. The site traditionally identified as Ai (et-Tell) shows no occupation during the supposed conquest period.
Battle of Gibeon	Joshua 10:1-27	Israelites defeat a coalition of Amorite kings, with the sun standing still.	No evidence of large-scale destruction at Gibeon (el-Jib) during the supposed conquest period.
United Monarchy (David and Solomon)	1 Samuel 16 - 1 Kings 11	Reigns of King David and his son Solomon, who builds the First Temple in Jerusalem.	Limited evidence; debates over extent and nature of the kingdom. Some evidence for a centralized authority in 10th century BCE, but scale is disputed.

Event

Reference

Biblical Narrative

Extrabiblical Evidence

Noah's Flood

Genesis 6-9

God sends a global flood to destroy all life except Noah, his family, and selected animals.

No evidence of a global flood, but evidence of local floods in Mesopotamia.

Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:1-9

Humans attempt to build a tower to reach heaven; God confuses their languages.

No evidence of the tower. Evidence of many Mesopotamian ziggurats.

Patriarchs

Genesis 12-50

The stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the founding fathers of Israel.

No evidence of the patriarchs as individuals.

Egyptian Plagues

Exodus 7-12

God sends ten plagues upon Egypt to convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites.

No evidence of widespread catastrophic events in Egypt during the supposed time period. No Egyptian records mention such plagues.

Exodus from Egypt

Exodus 1-14

Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt under Moses' leadership, crossing the Red Sea.

No evidence of a large-scale exodus. Some indirect evidence of Semitic peoples in Egypt, but the scale and timing remain debated.

Wandering in the Wilderness

Exodus 16 - Deuteronomy 34

Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years before entering Canaan.

No evidence of large-scale nomadic presence in the Sinai Peninsula during the supposed period. Lack of material remains expected from such a large group over 40 years.

Battle of Jericho

Joshua 6

The walls of Jericho fall after Israelites march around the city for seven days.

No evidence of walls falling as described. Archaeological evidence suggests Jericho was unoccupied or sparsely populated at the time of the supposed conquest.

Battle of Ai

Joshua 7-8

Israelites defeat Ai after initial setback, burning the city.

No evidence of a city named Ai. The site traditionally identified as Ai (et-Tell) shows no occupation during the supposed conquest period.

Battle of Gibeon

Joshua 10:1-27

Israelites defeat a coalition of Amorite kings, with the sun standing still.

No evidence of large-scale destruction at Gibeon (el-Jib) during the supposed conquest period.

United Monarchy (David and Solomon)

1 Samuel 16 - 1 Kings 11

Reigns of King David and his son Solomon, who builds the First Temple in Jerusalem.

Limited evidence; debates over extent and nature of the kingdom. Some evidence for a centralized authority in 10th century BCE, but scale is disputed.