View source for Extra-Biblical evidence of Biblical events

== Genesis ==

*The [[Sumerian King List]], discovered in 1922, provides Eridu (patron god, Enki) as the first city to be built in Mesopotamia. This lines up quite well with [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8168/jewish/Chapter-4.htm#v17 [Genesis 4:16<nowiki>]</nowiki>]'s depiction of the first city as one built by Enoch or his father, and where Enoch begot Erad. In this case, Erad is the namesake of Eridu and Enki is a characterization of Enoch.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eames |first=Christopher |title=Eridu, the Bible’s ‘First City’ and the Family of Cain: Archaeological Parallels to the Biblical Account |url=https://armstronginstitute.org/886-eridu-the-bibles-first-city-and-the-family-of-cain-archaeological-parallels-to-the-biblical-account |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=ArmstrongInstitute.org |language=en}}</ref>
*That same list of Kings provides a list of rulers that is divided between before and after a [[great flood]]. This flood matches up with the account of the flood of Noah.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SUMERIAN KING LIST |url=https://www.ashmolean.org/sumerian-king-list |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=www.ashmolean.org |language=en}}</ref>[https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8170/jewish/Chapter-7.htm#v7 [Genesis 7:7<nowiki>]</nowiki>] The oldest known copy of the list is dated to the late 21st century B.C.
*In addition to a Mesopotamian source, the Ancient Egyptian 'Ogdoad' shares a near-identical story to the Great Flood, sharing suspiciously similar aspects in any regard. An old Egyptian creation myth based on the Ogdoad states that humans were created by the god Nu (Noah) and 7 of his relatives. It is dated to the 2nd millennium, B.C.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eames |first=Christopher |title=The ‘Ogdoad’ of Ancient Egypt—the Family of Noah? |url=https://armstronginstitute.org/915-the-ogdoad-of-ancient-egypt-the-family-of-noah |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=ArmstrongInstitute.org |language=en}}</ref>
*The city of [[Ur]], referenced as the birthplace of Abraham [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8175/jewish/Chapter-11.htm [Genesis 11:28<nowiki>]</nowiki>], was discovered in the 19th and 20th centuries by excavators and archaeologists in Southern Iraq. The mention of Ur is chronologically set nearly 4000 years before it was discovered.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-11 |title=City of Biblical Abraham Brimmed With Trade and Riches |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/160311-ur-iraq-trade-royal-cemetery-woolley-archaeology |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=Adventure |language=en}}</ref>
*The genetic bottleneck that is the flood of [[Noah's Ark]] matches up surprisingly well with modern genetic research that shows that female lineages have more chromosomal diversity than male lines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Noah and Genetics |url=https://creation.com/noah-and-genetics |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=creation.com |language=en-gb}}</ref>
*The reference to the Battle of Siddim matches up with many patriarchal conditions of the era including king lists and political climate<ref>{{Cite web |last=Windle |first=Bryan |date=2021-07-16 |title=Top Ten Discoveries Related to Abraham |url=https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2021/07/16/top-ten-discoveries-related-to-abraham/ |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=Bible Archaeology Report |language=en}}</ref>[https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8209/jewish/Chapter-14.htm#v10 [Genesis 14:10<nowiki>]</nowiki>] 
*The following includes such historical figures such as Amraphel, King of Elam, who (although used to be attributed to Hammurabi) is now attributed to Amar-Sin, an older historical figure from the 2nd Millenium B.C., who does possess archaeological evidence of existence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-05-20 |title=Amraphael or Amraphel – Amazing Bible Timeline with World History |url=https://amazingbibletimeline.com/blog/amraphael-or-amraphel/ |access-date=2023-06-18 |language=en-US}}</ref>[https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8209/jewish/Chapter-14.htm#v1 [Genesis 14:1<nowiki>]</nowiki>]
*In 2021, an excavation in the ancient city of Tall el-Hammam in modern-day [[Jordan]] shows what seems to be evidence of a bronze-age city being destroyed by a meteor, which aligns with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed by God.<ref>{{Cite web |last=|first=|date=2021-09-29 |title=Tunguska-Sized Impact Destroyed Jordan Valley City 3,670 Years Ago Sci.News |url=https://www.sci.news/archaeology/tall-el-hammam-10116.html |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=Sci.News: Breaking Science News |language=en-US}}</ref>[https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8213/jewish/Chapter-18.htm#v21 [Genesis 18:21<nowiki>]</nowiki>]
*Until relatively recently in modern history (last 200 years), scholars failed to identify the modern-day [[Hittites]] through extra-biblical sources. In 1906, Hugo Winckler discovered [[Cuneiform]] inscriptions of Hittite origin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Hittites - A Civilisation Lost and Found |url=https://www.hopechannel.com/read/the-hittites-a-civilisation-lost-and-found |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=www.hopechannel.com |language=en}}</ref> Hittites were mentioned thousands of years earlier through biblical sources. [https://www.hopechannel.com/au/read/the-hittites-a-civilisation-lost-and-found [Genesis 26:34<nowiki>]</nowiki>]
*In 2021, Assyrian stone tablets from the city of Mari in modern-day Syria reference [[Nahor]], the grandfather of Abraham, who is referenced in [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8175/jewish/Chapter-11.htm#v26 [Genesis 11:26<nowiki>]</nowiki>].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kettley |first=Sebastian |date=2021-01-09 |title=Archaeology proves the Bible 'stands up to scrutiny' claims expert |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1381279/archaeology-news-evidence-patriarch-abraham-family-tree-bible-proof-evg |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=Express.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>
*The Nuzi texts of the late 2nd millennium B.C. display remarkable similarity to customs and laws of the biblical [[Patriarch (biblical)|patriarchs]] in mid-Genesis<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nuzi - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible Gateway |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Nuzi |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=www.biblegateway.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Archaeological Evidence - Faith Facts - Faith Facts |url=https://www.faithfacts.org/search-for-truth/maps/archaeological-and-external-evidence |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=www.faithfacts.org}}</ref> such as the cohabitation of handmaidens for the purpose of having children [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8211/jewish/Chapter-16.htm#v4 [Genesis 14:4<nowiki>]</nowiki>], the use of oral will via deathbed [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8222/jewish/Chapter-27.htm#v7 Genesis 27:7], and the use of idols for inheritance [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8226#v19 [Genesis 31:19<nowiki>]</nowiki>].
*The city of Harran, to where Abraham moved after his departure from Ur, is an established place in Turkey<ref>Sinclair, T. A. (1990). Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey, Volume IV. Pindar Press. ISBN 978-0-907132-52-3.</ref> that is close in proximity to Suruç and Nahor, which are named after his great-grandfather and grandfather respectively.
*Archaeological sources state that the city of [[Shechem]] was founded around 1900 B.C.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stern |first=Ephraim |title=The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land |url=https://www.mq.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/527734/NEAEHL-Shechem.pdf |website=mq.edu |publisher=Israel Exploration Society}}</ref> This is in line with when Abraham had built an altar to God there during the middle of his life. [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8176/jewish/Chapter-12.htm#v6 [Genesis 12:6<nowiki>]</nowiki>]
*Abraham bought a cave from Ephron the Hittite for 400 shekels as a burial site for his family. [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8218/jewish/Chapter-23.htm#v9 [Genesis 23:9<nowiki>]</nowiki>] Similar types of real estate transactions are displayed in the [[Ugaritic|Ugaritic Texts]], with 400 shekels having been a common denomination of money for such a purchase.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sarna |first=Nahum M. |date=1982 |title=Genesis Chapter 23: The Cave of Machpelah |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27908757 |journal=Hebrew Studies |volume=23 |pages=17–21 |issn=0146-4094}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stieglitz |first=Robert R. |date=1979 |title=Commodity Prices at Ugarit |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/598945 |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=99 |issue=1 |pages=15–23 |doi=10.2307/598945 |issn=0003-0279}}</ref>The "shekel" was believed to originally be a weighted measurement of ''hacksilber'', rather than a denominated currency. A later discovery of silver from around 1,600 BC (around the time of Abraham's death) confirmed the belief in early Israel having used hacksilber measurements.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lidman |first=Melanie |title=Newly analyzed 3,600-year-old silver pieces are 1st currency in Levant, study shows |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/study-claims-hoards-of-3600-year-old-cut-silver-pieces-are-first-currency-in-levant/ |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=www.timesofisrael.com |language=en-US}}</ref>