The book of Esther contains one of the most riveting and dramatic stories in the Bible. But is it true? There are those who have tried to discredit the book of Esther, relegating it to myth and fables. However, what does the evidence say?

On today’s program, host Nicholas Irwin interviews staff writer Christopher Eames about his article “The Book of Esther: Fact or Fiction?”

The Book of Esther: Fact or Fiction?

Esther in the Dead Sea Scrolls?

On today’s program, host Brent Nagtegaal speaks to Hebrew University Archaeologist Prof. Yosef Garfinkel about a recently discovered city wall at Lachish during his excavations in collaboration with Prof. Hoo-Goo Kang of Seoul Jangsin University, Korea. The interview occurred on the sidelines of the American Schools for Oversees Research annual meeting held in Boston in late November.

https://armstronginstitute.org/1138-king-rehoboams-fortifications-found-at-biblical-lachish

The Tel Dan Stele is arguably the most important artifact ever discovered in the world of biblical archaeology, containing the earliest confirmed mention of King David. In light of the opening celebration, Let the Stones Speak host Brent Nagtegaal interviewed epigrapher and historian Prof. Michael Langlois, who is currently researching the Stele.

https://armstronginstitute.org/1110-new-research-on-the-house-of-david-inscription-with-prof-michael-langlois

The team from Hebrew University and the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology is about to start excavations again in the royal quarter of ancient Jerusalem—the Ophel. On today’s program, host Christopher Eames talks with excavation directors Prof. Uzi Leibner and Dr. Orit Peleg-Barkat about the upcoming Ophel dig.

The Givati Parking Lot excavations at the northwestern edge of the City of David have upended our ideas about what ancient Jerusalem looked like. A sensational new discovery has revealed the city had a moat. Not one that contained water but rather a monumental artificial valley that separated the northern part of the city (the Ophel and Temple Mount) from the southern region (the City of David), serving as a distinguishing feature of the city during the days of the biblical kings.

On today’s program, host Christopher Eames interviews Givati Parking Lot excavations co-director Dr. Yiftah Shalev to find out the latest about this astonishing topographical feature being uncovered at the site.

“An Early Iron Age Moat in Jerusalem Between the Ophel and the Southeastern Ridge/City of David”

“The Moat of Ancient Jerusalem”

“Top 10 Biblical Archaeology Discoveries of 2023”

“Mysterious Bedrock Cuts From the First Temple Period Jerusalem”

Shiloh is famous as the location of the biblical tabernacle. Archaeological excavations have been taking place annually on the north side of the ancient tel. Excavation director Dr. Scott Stripling believes his team may have found remains from the tabernacle itself, as well as the city gate and sacrificial deposits. In this end-of-season interview, Let the Stones Speak host Christopher Eames interviews Dr. Stripling about finds from the 2024 season, including some intriguing gold items—offerings for the tabernacle?

Let the Stones Speak May-June 2022: SHILOH: Israel’s First Capital

Interview: Uncovering Shiloh at the Time of the Tabernacle (2023)

Interview: Will the Location of the Tabernacle be Soon Discovered at Tel Shiloh? (2022)

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Over the past decade, archaeologists and scientists have collected and analyzed carbon samples from archaeological strata dating from 3,000 years ago—the time of the biblical kings of King David’s dynasty. Now, the results are finally in. What it revealed is a stunning overlap between biblical history and who built what in Jerusalem during the time of the biblical kings.

A Revolutionary Carbon-Dating Study of Ancient Jerusalem

Can you confirm the identity of Moses in Egyptian history?

Can you confirm the identity of Moses in Egyptian history? There is one particular princely individual in the New Kingdom Period who remarkably parallels the biblical account of Moses. The similarities are so close, one key proponent believes the evidence is secure. Has the question of Moses’s identity in Egyptian history been solved?

On today’s program, host Nicholas Irwin interviews staff writer Christopher Eames about this potential candidate for biblical Moses.

On today’s program, Prof Michael Langlois joins host Brent Nagtegaal to discuss the Mesha Stele along with current scholarship’s unscientific reluctance to accept the historicity of King David.

https://armstronginstitute.org/1051-mesha-stele-the-second-house-of-david-inscription

The Bible describes several peculiar architectural features of Solomon’s temple and palace complex. Remarkable parallels to these features were discovered on a 3,000-year-old strange stone model at Khirbet Qeiyafa. On today’s program, Let the Stones Speak host Christopher Eames interviews Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu, a lead researcher of the shrine model. They also discuss her discovery of the earliest alphabetical sentence ever found in Israel—the Lachish Comb Inscription.

“Triglyphs: Another New Style of Monumental Architecture”

“The ‘House of the Forest of Lebanon,’ an Impossible Equation, and the Danger in Trying to ‘Fix’ the Bible”

“3,700-Year-Old Appeal Against Lice: Earliest(?) Alphabetic Inscription Discovered in Israel”

RELATED PUBLICATIONS:

Solomon’s Temple and Palace: New Archaeological Discoveries, by Yosef Garfinkel and Madeleine Mumcuoglu

Crossing the Threshold: Architecture, Iconography and the Sacred Entrance, by Madeleine Mumcuoglu and Yosef Garfinkel