The Assyrians built one of the ancient world’s most powerfulempires, but what drove the Assyrian Empire's dramatic rise? And why did it fall so quickly? This week, Eckart Frahm joins Bible & Archaeology to trace Assyria's history, from its emergence as a major power to its eventual collapse. Along the way, we explore the reigns of famous Assyrian kings likeTiglath-Pileser III and Ashurbanipal, the Assyrians’ impact on the ancient Near East, what the Bible gets right (and wrong) about the Assyrian Empire, and how encounters with Assyria may have shaped the biblical idea of God.

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📚 Reading Recommendations

Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire by Eckart Frahm

Three New Kings of Assyria by Alexander Johannes Edmonds and Eckart Frahm

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🎙️ Credits

Guest: Dr. Eckart Frahm

Edited and Produced by Dr. Jordan Jones

Bible & Archaeology is a University of Iowa production. The views and opinions expressed on Bible & Archaeology belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa or the State of Iowa.

What is the story of Samson really about? Samson is often remembered as the strong man whose power was tied to his hair, but the story in Judges 13–16 is far more complicated. This week, Bob Cargill joins the podcast to explore Samson’s story, from his unusual birth and Nazirite status to his conflicts with the Philistines and his eventual downfall. We look at Samson’s violence and his role as a judge of Israel to find out what this strange and often troubling story is actually trying to say.

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✉️ Send us your questions: [email protected]

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🎙️ Credits

Guest: Dr. Robert Cargill

Edited and Produced by Dr. Jordan Jones

Bible & Archaeology is a University of Iowa production. The views and opinions expressed on Bible & Archaeology belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa or the State of Iowa.

Who controlled religion in ancient Israel? The Israelite priesthood may look like a straightforward institution, but its history is anything but simple. This week, Nathan MacDonald joins the podcast to to trace the development of the ancient Israelite priesthood and present his reconstruction of how the Israelite priesthood developed, drawing on the Hebrew Bible and the broader history of ancient Israel. We explore competing priestly traditions, the role of the temple, and the struggle for religious authority to find how Israel’s priests became such an important part of its religious and political life.

✨ Support what we do and help make videos like this possible by joining the Bible & Archaeology Patreon community. Members receive early access, exclusive bonus content, and more: http://www.patreon.com/bibleandarch

📚 Reading Recommendations ⁠

The Making of the Tabernacle and the Construction of Priestly Hegemony by Nathan MacDonald

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🎙️ Credits

Guest: Dr. Nathan MacDonald

Edited and Produced by Dr. Jordan Jones

Bible & Archaeology is a University of Iowa production. The views and opinions expressed on Bible & Archaeology belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa or the State of Iowa.

Why is Genesis called Genesis when ancient Israelites didn’t call it that? And why didn't books in the Hebrew Bible have titles? This week, Seth Sanders joins the podcast to discuss how writers organized, referenced, and transmitted these titleless biblical texts, and what the absence of titles reveals about the Bible's origins and implications.

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🔗 Read "Why Didn’t Biblical Books Have Titles?" by Seth Sanders

📚 Reading Recommendations From Adapa to Enoch: Scribal Culture and Religious Vision in Judea and Babylon by Seth L. SandersThe Invention of Hebrew by Seth L. Sanders

📺 More podcasts with Seth:The Invention of the Alphabet with Prof. Seth Sanders

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🎙️ Credits

Guest: Dr. Seth Sanders

Edited and Produced by Dr. Jordan Jones

Bible & Archaeology is a University of Iowa production. The views and opinions expressed on Bible & Archaeology belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa or the State of Iowa.

Satan wasn't always God's greatest enemy. In the Hebrew Bible, “the satan” appears as an agent in God's heavenly court. But by the New Testament, Satan has become the Devil, God's cosmic opponent, and in Revelation, he is a terrifying dragon. This week, Peter Miller returns to Bible & Archaeology to trace the surprising development of Satan across the New Testament. How did this figure evolve from Matthew and Paul to Revelation? Why does Satan become associated with evil, temptation, demons, and cosmic rebellion? And where did the image of the dragon come from?

✨ Support what we do and help make videos like this possible by joining the Bible & Archaeology Patreon community. Members receive early access, exclusive bonus content, and more: http://www.patreon.com/bibleandarch

👉 Podcasts Referenced:

Did Christians Get Satan Wrong? Why The Hebrew Bible Says Something Different

The Origins of Demons

The Origins of Lilith

Witch Hunts, Black Cats, and the Bible: The Surprising Connection

✉️ Send us your questions: [email protected]

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🎙️ Credits Guest: Dr. Peter Miller

Edited and Produced by Dr. Jordan Jones

Bible & Archaeology is a University of Iowa production. The views and opinions expressed on Bible & Archaeology belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa or the State of Iowa.

What happened when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant? In 1 Samuel, the Ark brings plague, mice, death, and toppled idols to the Philistines, forcing them to return it to Israel. But the strange events don’t end there because more Israelites die on its return. But why? This week, Bob Cargill is back to explore one of the Bible’s strangest stories. Join us as we examine what this story of the Ark’s capture and return reveals about the Ark of the Covenant, the Philistines, ancient Israel, and the Hebrew Bible’s formation.

✨ Support what we do and help make videos like this possible by joining the Bible & Archaeology Patreon community. Members receive early access, exclusive bonus content, and more: http://www.patreon.com/bibleandarch

✉️ Send us your questions: [email protected]

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🎙️ Credits Guest: Dr. Bob Cargill

Edited and Produced by Dr. Jordan Jones

Bible & Archaeology is a University of Iowa production. The views and opinions expressed on Bible & Archaeology belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa or the State of Iowa.

What happens when kings try to control how an entire kingdom worships? This week, Shane Thompson joins us to explore cult centralization in the ancient world through three famous rulers: Hezekiah, Josiah, and Akhenaten. What can archaeology, the Hebrew Bible, and ancient Near Eastern history tell us about these dramatic reforms? From religious reforms in Judah to Aten worship in ancient Egypt, we examine how monotheism, temple worship, political power, and royal authority intersected.

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📚 Reading Recommendations

"The Varied Forms of Cult Centralization in the Ancient Near East" by Shane M. Thompson

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🎙️ Credits

Guest: Dr. Shane M. Thompson

Hosted and edited by Dr. Jordan Jones

Bible & Archaeology is a University of Iowa Office of Innovation production. The views and opinions expressed on Bible & Archaeology belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa or the State of Iowa.

This week, Leslie Virnelson joins us to explore how the Hebrew Bible's view of sex work differs dramatically from modern assumptions. From big-name characters like Ruth and Tamar to the concepts of prostitution and adultery, we'll challenge some of the most common misconceptions about sexuality, sex work, and law in the biblical world.

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📚 Reading Recommendations

Fruit of Her Hands: Women, Work, and Society in the Hebrew Bible by Leslie G. Virnelson

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🎙️ Credits

Guest: Dr. Leslie Virnelson

Hosted and edited by Dr. Jordan Jones

Bible & Archaeology is a University of Iowa Office of Innovation production. The views and opinions expressed on Bible & Archaeology belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa or the State of Iowa.

Is The Odyssey historically accurate? This week, classicist Celsiana Warwick joins the podcast to explore some of the enduring questions behind Homer's Odyssey, from Odysseus' "heroism" and the real role of Penelope, to questions of historical accuracy in translation and adaptation.

📚 Reading Recommendations

Wilson (accessible/contemporary)

Fitzgerald (poetic)

Lattimore (line by line)

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🎙️ Credits

Guest: Dr. Celsiana Warwick

Hosted and edited by Dr. Jordan Jones

Bible & Archaeology is a University of Iowa Office of Innovation production. The views and opinions expressed on Bible & Archaeology belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa or the State of Iowa.

Did archaeologists really find the biblical Tabernacle at Shiloh? Every year, headlines claim a new "discovery" has uncovered the Ark of the Covenant or the Tabernacle, but what does the archaeology actually show? This week, Jordan and Mary Kate examine the latest excavations at Shiloh, the history of research at the site, the claims made by the Associates for Biblical Research, and what earlier excavations by Israel Finkelstein revealed.📚 Reading RecommendationsThe Highlands of El, Shiloh and Merneptah’s Israel by Israel Finkelstein

Excavations at Shiloh 1981–1984: Preliminary Report by Israel Finkelstein

Holy Grail find? Archaeologists claim they may have uncovered ruins linked to Ark of the Covenant by NY PostSeilunShilohAbout Associates for Biblical Research

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🎙️ Credits

Featuring: Dr. Jordan Jones and Mary Kate LichtyEdited by Mary Kate LichtyProduced by Jordan Jones

Bible & Archaeology is a University of Iowa Office of Innovation production. The views and opinions expressed on Bible & Archaeology belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa or the State of Iowa.