Archeologists May Have Uncovered The Real Fate Of The Biblical City Of Sodom

The city of Tall el-Hammam once stood in Middle Ghor — a plain stretching for more than 15 miles across the region that’s now known as Jordan. And it’s thought that as many as 65,000 people used to call the kingdom home. But when the city and its neighbors mysteriously collapsed, this ancient civilization vanished into the mists of time.

Now, thousands of years later, archaeologists are finally discovering what caused the fall of Tall el-Hammam. And as evidence starts to point to a fiery destruction from above, a new theory begins to emerge. Could this have been the biblical city of Sodom, said to have once been wiped out with brimstone by a vengeful God? Well, according to some experts, that very well may be the case.

Regardless of individual religious beliefs, there’s no doubt that the Bible has fascinated mankind for millennia. And while many of the ancient book’s characters and stories aren't meant to be read literally, at least some of its content is based on real occurrences. Even dramatic tales such as the parting of the Red Sea and the plagues that terrorized Egypt may potentially be connected to genuine natural disasters that happened long ago.

That said, there are many mysteries contained within the pages of the Bible that remain stubbornly unsolved. And perhaps chief among them are the lost lands — places that are described in detail yet are still elusive to modern researchers. From the kingdom of David to the fabulously wealthy region of Ophir, these unidentified realms are sources of both inspiration and frustration for archaeologists today.

But has one of these mysterious lands finally been found? Well, at a site some eight miles from the Dead Sea in the West Asian country of Jordan, a team of archaeologists has been excavating the remnants of an ancient city. And what they’ve unearthed may actually shed some light on one of the most enduring biblical enigmas of our time.

For some 14 years, the site — which covers more than 88 acres — has been meticulously examined by a team of archeologists. These specialists come from three separate institutions: the Veritas International University’s College of Archaeology & Biblical History in California, Trinity Southwest University in New Mexico, and the Department of Antiquities in Jordan. And the experts have found much evidence to suggest that a grand settlement once stood on this now-desolate plain.

Dubbed Tall el-Hammam, the city is thought to have been at the heart of a kingdom that once covered some 125 square miles. Founded in around the fourth millennium B.C., it became a thriving farming society that flourished for many centuries. And during the Bronze Age, the civilization apparently dominated the entire southern section of the Jordan Valley.

However, in the third millennium B.C., the security of Tall el-Hammam was threatened, and so its communities constructed vast walls around the city. “It was a huge undertaking, requiring millions of bricks and, obviously, large numbers of laborers,” Steven Collins, who is an archaeologist from Trinity Southwest University, told The Independent in 2015.

According to researchers, the walls around Tall el-Hammam once stood 50 feet tall. And within these confines, archaeologists have also discovered the remains of plazas, ramparts, and a palace. Outside the defenses, meanwhile, Bronze Age settlements thrived across the Middle Ghor plain.

But this period of prosperity was not to last. Indeed, in the Middle Bronze Age — some 3,700 years ago — Tall el-Hammam was mysteriously destroyed. And although other cities in the region such as Hebron and Jerusalem continued to thrive, those in Middle Ghor simply vanished. In fact, settlers would not return to the plain for several centuries.

When this strange obliteration is said to have occurred, Tall el-Hammam had been inhabited for some 2,500 years. So, what could have caused such an established civilization to seemingly vanish overnight? Well, interestingly, the city may not have been the only one to suffer such a mysterious fate. Yes, archaeologists have in fact identified five other settlements across the Middle Ghor plain that they believe disintegrated at around the same time.

In November 2018 Trinity Southwest University archaeologist Phillip Silvia gave a talk at the American Schools of Oriental Research’s meeting in Denver, Colorado. And while there, he detailed some incredible findings at the site of Tall el-Hammam. Apparently, there’s evidence to suggest that a meteorite may have been responsible for destroying the city as well as those in the surrounding area.

According to Silvia and his colleagues, the remains of walls and ruined buildings at Tall el-Hammam show evidence of a directional impact consistent with the idea of an overhead explosion. In fact, they believe that a meteorite could have sent a series of shocks across an area spanning almost 200 square miles.

Thought to have exploded at a height of around half a mile, the meteor would have created an impact similar to that of an atomic bomb, wreaking death and destruction across Middle Ghor. And in the aftermath, an almighty fire would have torn through the streets of Tall el-Hammam. Ultimately, then, the combination of the strike and the blaze would have left the city in ruins.

According to archaeologists, a heavy coating of ash has also been discovered at the site, supporting the theory that a fire had been the cause of its destruction. And some experts initially believed that the blaze could have been chemical in nature — perhaps triggered by a natural disaster such as an earthquake. Now, though, evidence has emerged that disproves this theory.

At the site, you see, archaeologists unearthed a fragment of earthenware that had been fused against glass on one side. And upon closer investigation, it was noted that the artifact must have been subjected to extreme heat in excess of 14,000 °F. That's hotter than the surface of the sun. In addition, the section of glass itself was less than 0.04 inches thick.

From these observations, then, researchers were able to conclude that the pottery had been subjected to searing temperatures for a tiny period of time — perhaps even just milliseconds. And yet this wasn’t the only evidence that experts found in support of the meteorite-explosion theory; they also discovered something that’s known as a “melt rock.”

According to specialists, this artifact is actually comprised of a trio of different rocks that have been fused together by an intense blast of heat. Weighing around 16 ounces, the object is coated in a layer of glass similar to that found on the piece of earthenware; researchers believe, however, that this piece was exposed to high temperatures for slightly longer than the pottery fragment.

Elsewhere, archaeologists discovered yet more evidence that a meteorite could have been responsible for the destruction of Tall el-Hammam. By analyzing the land at the site, they were able to identify unusually high sodium chloride levels in the soil. In fact, this salt level was around four times the threshold for cultivating crops such as barley and wheat.

And, interestingly, this observation reinforced the hypothesis that the area around Tall el-Hammam had remained uninhabited for hundreds of years after its destruction. If the earth had become contaminated by sodium chloride, archaeologists reason, that could explain why the historically fertile region had been suddenly abandoned. It’s thought, too, that a meteorite explosion could have lifted the mineral from the Dead Sea and scattered it across the Middle Ghor plain.

But while archaeologists were busy gathering evidence to prove that a meteorite had been responsible for the fall of Tall el-Hammam, other researchers began putting together their own theories. And in 2013 Steven Collins published a book that put forward a startling hypothesis on the matter.

You see, according to Collins, Tall el-Hammam wasn’t just the site of a fascinating Bronze Age disaster. He believes that the ruins are in fact those of the biblical Sodom — a city that along with the neighboring Gomorrah was supposedly destroyed. The story goes that the region had descended into sin, and this had brought the wrath of God down onto these communities.

In the Jewish holy text, the Torah, Sodom and Gomorrah are described as two of five cities located on the plain next to the River Jordan. The settlements are said to have initially thrived on the lush and fertile land before their inhabitants ultimately turned away from God. And even though no details of the people’s alleged sins are made clear, some believe that it was the practice of homosexuality that earned them this brutal judgment from the heavens.

In the Bible, meanwhile, Sodom and Gomorrah are said to have been obliterated by fire and brimstone as vengeance for their inhabitants’ supposed sins. And while Lot — nephew of the Christian and Jewish patriarch Abraham — was allowed to flee to safety, his wife apparently defied orders and glanced back to look upon the burning cities. Legend has it that she was then transformed forever into a pillar of salt for her transgression.

Over the years, archaeologists have identified a number of possible sites for Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet even though most researchers seem to agree that the cities were located somewhere in the region of the Dead Sea, there’s still debate over the exact position. For Collins and his colleagues, however, this mystery has finally been solved.

In a 2013 article for Biblical Archaeology Review, Collins highlighted passages from the Bible that address the cataclysmic event. “Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah — from the Lord out of the heavens,” he quoted. “Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities — and also the vegetation in the land.”

So, could a meteorite explosion over Middle Ghor have inspired the biblical story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? Some experts certainly think so. “The physical evidence from Tall el-Hammam and neighboring sites exhibits signs of a highly destructive concussive and thermal event that one might expect from what is described in Genesis 19,” Collins and Silvia wrote in a 2017 paper.

Then, from late 2018 onwards, Collins and Silvia’s ideas gained traction in the international discussion — and it’s easy to see why. Firstly, the experts’ meteorite theory neatly accounts for how a city such as Tall el-Hammam could have disappeared overnight. In addition, the hypothesis provides a logical explanation for the fire and brimstone described in the biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Plus, the meteorite theory championed by Collins and Silvia also illustrates how the entire Middle Ghor plain could have been rendered inhospitable for generations to come. And, interestingly, the premise appears to lend even more support to the idea that Tall el-Hammam was once the site of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the Hebrew Bible, you see, Moses likens the land left behind after the disaster to a “burning waste of salt and sulfur.”

In fact, some commentators have gone so far as to draw a connection between the contaminated soils of Middle Ghor and the transformation of Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt. Not everyone is convinced by Collins and Silvia’s theories, though. In 2013 Todd Bolen, who is a professor of biblical studies at California’s The Master’s University, published an article refuting their claims, for instance.

According to Bolen, the biblical chronology doesn’t support the identification of Tall el-Hammam as Sodom. And as well as referring to his own writings, he points to a couple of specialists who agree with his findings. One of these individuals is Eugene Merrill, who’s an expert in Old Testament studies from the Dallas Theological Seminary in Texas.

Merrill has said, for one, that any identification of Tall el-Hammas as Sodom requires researchers to dismiss much previously established biblical chronology. “The date in the best manuscripts and the most sound hermeneutic demands the overthrow of Sodom at 2067 B.C., completely removing Tall el-Hammam from consideration as the location of Sodom,” he wrote in a 2012 article for Artifax magazine.

Meanwhile, Bolen also pointed to the work of The Master’s University professor Bill Schlegel as further evidence that Tall el-Hammam couldn’t be the site of Sodom. According to Schlegel, there are substantial geographical issues with Collins and Silvia’s claims that the city was located in the north of Jordan. Instead, he believes that Sodom was actually situated in the country’s south.

“In favor of a southern location, Scripture associates Sodom geographically with the ‘Valley of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea’ — an area distinct from the Kikkar of the Jordan,” Schlegel wrote in a 2012 article for the blog BiblePlaces. “Also, locating Sodom and Gomorrah in the south fits better the post-destruction environment described by the prophets and a later battle between Judah and Edom at the site of Zair.”

Despite these issues, however, Collins has continued to argue that Tall el-Hammam is the site of the long-lost Sodom. And in a 2013 article for Biblical Research Bulletin, he wrote a comprehensive rebuttal of Merrill’s claims. Here, Collins argues that Merrill’s grasp of biblical chronology is flawed and that all of the evidence supports his own identification instead.

It’s also worth noting that Bolen, Merrill, and Schlegel aren’t the only people who suspect that Sodom was located somewhere other than Tall el-Hammam. In fact, many researchers believe that the dubious honor goes to a site known as Bab edh-Dhra — an Early Bronze Age settlement that is also located close to the Dead Sea in Jordan.

According to archaeologists, Bab edh-Dara was abandoned in around 2350 B.C. — although the cause of its destruction has yet to be determined. And as a result, explanations ranging from a petrochemical fire to an earthquake have been proposed over the years. Furthermore, the lack of a definitive answer hasn’t stopped some Christian theologians from identifying the site as Sodom.

In 2014 Trinity Southwest University’s Craig Olson published a paper in which he compared Tall el-Hammam and Bab edh-Dara, seeking to determine which of them was the most likely site of Sodom. And, eventually, he concluded that the arguments for both had their own flaws. Olson did admit, however, that out of the two, the identification proposed by Collins and Silvia was the most likely to be true.

More recently, research is continuing at Tall el-Hammam — and Olson is excited about what the future may hold. “If Tall el-Hammam is Sodom, not only does it confirm another biblical event, but also it opens up new vistas for biblical research into the patriarchs,” he wrote. “We will be able to know more about how Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph lived, and we will be able to understand and teach the biblical text with greater accuracy and authority.” And experts are making big strides in that field thanks to similarly groundbreaking findings.

On a taxing day in 2019, a group of archeologists was finally on the verge of getting their payoff — proof that a famed biblical figure actually existed. The experts that day had been working at a spot in the Shahariya Forest, which itself sits in the Judean Foothills. This whole region is of central historic and religious importance, as it’s mentioned multiple times in the Old Testament. You can imagine, then, how exciting any new archeological discovery from around there truly is.

On this occasion, the researchers had found an old, fragmented jug lying beneath the surface. To the untrained eye, perhaps, this discovery wouldn’t seem so earth-shattering, but the experts knew different. So, they analyzed it in greater detail and soon reached a wild conclusion. This thing was definitely worth paying attention to!

When they attempted to date the pot, the researchers discovered that it was phenomenally old. According to Smithsonianmag.com, it came from around the year 1100 B.C., which had an interesting implication. This meant it traced back to the same period when a particular book of the Bible was written.

The biblical text in question is the Book of Judges, which historians claim depicts events from around 1200 to 1050 B.C. Given the timescales involved here, learning about such a period is really quite difficult. So, if this jug in the ground can help to shed light on that time, then it really is something special.

The site where the archeologists had been working is called Khirbet al-Ra‘i, and it reportedly stretches out across roughly four acres. This is by no means the biggest site around, but it’s nonetheless proving to be extremely important. Given the wider region where it sits, though, that maybe isn’t too surprising. The area has a mind bogglingly rich and fascinating history, after all.

The jug found at the site appears to link the region with the Book of Judges. This is an important collection of writings from the Old Testament, which is thought to have been compiled some time around 550 B.C. This was during the period of the Babylonian Exile, when many Jews were forced to leave Israel by the Babylonians.

Given this context, then, the Book of Judges is largely focused on how foreign powers were influencing Israel. The text posits that this situation was occurring because inhabitants of the land were worshipping deities of a people known as the Canaanites. In response, the Hebrew God punished them by allowing their land to fall to foreign invaders.

The Book of Judges is defined by a repeated rise and fall in the fortunes of Israel’s people. The citizens will experience a time of hardship under foreign occupation, but they will then ask for God’s aid. The Lord responds and helps them, and the cycle resets and continues.

Contrary to the title of the biblical text’s title, the story’s focus wasn’t on judges as we might think of them. Instead, they were actually sort of military leaders. This is reflected in the Hebrew term used to describe them, which is shofet. According to Encyclopedia Britannica. this more accurately translates to “ruler,” rather than “judge.”

The Book of Judges, then, tells the story of these leaders, who were known to be charismatic figures. The individuals apparently aimed to free Israel from its foreigner occupiers, so they were obviously considered to be pivotal figures of the society. And that’s reflected in the central role played by them in the text.

The judges were revered as the figureheads of the land of Israel. We can see this attitude expressed in a quote inscribed on an ancient tablet, which was uncovered back in 1929. The scribe in this case proclaims the importance of them, writing, “Our judge, above whom there is no one!”

Judges weren’t elected to power, nor were they selected on the basis of familial bonds. These individuals were instead said to be chosen by God himself, who’d select them on the basis of their leadership skills. Apparently, it was a judge’s job to mend the people of Israel’s relationship with the Lord.

The thing that most characterized the judges was their personal charm, which they would utilize in order to hold sway over people. In this way, charisma could be viewed as a sort of spiritual power to be wielded by the judges. It also ensured that they were able to keep people in line.

Many people held the role of a judge at different points in time, though the Book of Judges itself is only concerned with a select few. These include figures like Deborah, Barak, Samson and Gideon. And it was thanks to them that the citizens of Israel were able to overcome their foreign oppressors.

Deborah is one of the more notable judges who is mentioned in the biblical text. She was a “seer” – someone with an ability to see the future. Deborah also engaged in poetry, could interpret dreams and apparently possessed a charm that seemed to have been gifted to her from God.

Aside from Deborah, Gideon is a leader who features prominently in the Book of Judges. He is said to have become a judge following a visit from an angel who’d been sent by God. Apparently, it was the Lord’s wish that Gideon rule over the people of Israel and help them drive away their foes.

If his name is anything to go by, Gideon may have been a formidable judge. Translated from Hebrew, the name means something like “destroyer” or “mighty warrior,” though another translation is “feller of trees.” Aside from that, though, Gideon has also been mentioned in the Bible as a prime example of a faithful individual.

Gideon occupies a prominent role in the Book of Judges, but we can’t exactly say how accurate the text’s description of him is. The same goes for the wider details contained in the text, as genuine archeological evidence from the period when it was written is lacking. Things may now have changed, though!

The jug that experts uncovered in southern Israel in 2019 may represent genuine evidence of Gideon’s existence. If that’s the case, then it would be the first discovery of its kind. Basically, the artifact dates back to the time when he was active, and it bears some script on its surface. Experts think this says “Jerubbaal,” which was a nickname for Gideon.

Speaking to The Times of Israel, an expert from George Washington University explained that this translation of the text on the jug is probably accurate. Christopher Rollston told the newspaper in July 2021, “The reading [Jerubbaal] is the most logical and reasonable reading, and I consider it quite definitive. I would hasten to add that this script is well known and nicely attested, so we can read it with precision.”

On the other hand, historian Michael Langlois was more reluctant to jump to conclusions. From his point of view, the writing on the jug isn’t entirely clear to read, so it should be treated with skepticism. He said, “The inscription is fragmentary, which calls for caution.”

In any case, the discovery of the jug represents progress in an archeological project that has been taking place since 2015. It is being led by people from the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Though this particular item may be up there with the best finds in all that time.

The Khirbat er-Ra‘i site has actually been subject to archeological probes since the 19th century. Back then, experts from Britain were behind the work. But in 2015 it was decided by an entirely different team to go there and start working again. They clearly understood how important the area was.

The jug pretty much justifies this decision, as it could be a really important discovery. It has a roughly one-liter capacity and the item looks like it may once have been used to hold special liquids. According to the experts, it could have stored oil, medicine or maybe even perfume back in its day.

Thanks to modern testing techniques such as radiocarbon-14 dating, the archeologists reportedly managed to trace the jug back to the year 1050 B.C. Moreover, analysis of its make-up led to the conclusion that it had been created in the same region where it was found. It’s clear, then, that a lot of information can be figured out with these sophisticated analytical methods.

The researchers don’t have the ability to figure absolutely everything out, though. There are still things left open to interpretation – like the ink used on the jug. It’s been suggested that this substance was made from iron oxide and black ash, which would align with other discovered artifacts from the same era. Having said that, such a theory hasn’t been confirmed, according to The Times of Israel.

The limited information researchers have to work with means that it’s quite challenging to create a rounded story of the jug. One idea about the item, though, is that it was broken before being discarded. The container was found in several pieces inside some sort of storage unit, so it seems to have been swept up after being fragmented.

Despite the more ambiguous aspects of the jug and its history, research has told us some things. When George Washington University’s Christopher Rolsto examined it, he could draw on his expertise as a language and inscription expert to formulate his own thoughts about the object’s history. Specifically, these related to the letters on its surface.

The letters on the jug look and sound quite like Hebrew. But in actual fact, the alphabet isn’t from that language. It’s actually an alphabet from which Hebrew would evolve in the preceding centuries. Hebrew can trace its evolution back to this other text, so we can say that they’re similar – but not the same.

Hebrew University of Jerusalem professor Yosef Garfinkel elaborated on the language seen on the jug in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. He told the newspaper in July 2021, “The alphabetic script was invented by the Canaanites and the Egyptian influence right about 1800 B.C. They continued to use this script, which evolved from Egyptian Hieroglyphs in the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age I. The Hebrew and Phoenician scripts were developed only in the middle of the tenth century B.C.”

What about the inscription itself, though? Why is it important that it says “Jerubbaal?” Well, experts Garfinkel and Sa‘ar Ganor explained, “The name... is familiar from biblical tradition in the Book of Judges as an alternative name for the judge Gideon ben Yoash. Gideon is first mentioned as combating idolatry by breaking the altar to Baal and cutting down the Asherah pole. In biblical tradition, he is then remembered as triumphing over the Midianites, who used to cross over the Jordan to plunder agricultural crops.”

The archeologists went on, “According to the Bible, Gideon organized a small army of 300 soldiers and attacked the Midianites by night near Ma‘ayan Harod. In view of the geographical distance between the Shephelah and the Jezreel Valley, this inscription may refer to another Jerubbaal and not the Gideon of biblical tradition. Although the possibility cannot be ruled out that the jug belonged to the judge Gideon. In any event, the name Jerubbaal was evidently in common usage at the time of the biblical judges.”

If this jug really is linked to Gideon, then it would be an unprecedented development. Hard evidence from the biblical judges’ era is almost unheard of, so that’s why the inscription on the jug has caused such a stir. It’s a discovery that might finally shed light on an otherwise murky history!

How historically accurate the Bible is has been subject to scholarly debate for a long time. But this jug might just confirm the existence of Gideon, which would imply the Book of Judges is in some way truthful to reality. That’s an important discovery, in that it backs up the Bible as being a somewhat trustworthy source.

Even if the jug didn’t belong to the judge Gideon himself, the item is still important. It might simply be evidence of people from that time passing on stories with the help of objects. Maybe the inscription on the cup was a way of protecting the memory of Gideon and passing it on to future generations.

Aside from everything else, the jug and its inscription have helped experts gain an insight into how language spread around the region all those thousands of years ago. In an article in The Times of Israel, the inscription is described as “a textual bridge for the transition from the Canaanite to the Israelite and Judahite cultures.”

Michael Langois told the newspaper, “For decades, there were practically no inscriptions of this era and region. To the point that we were not even sure what the alphabet looked like at that time. There was a gap. Some even argued that the alphabet was unknown in the region, that there were no scribes, and that the Bible must therefore have been written much later.”

Discoveries such as this jug are so valuable in helping historians to figure out what was going on in Israel at the time when the Old Testament was being put together. In this specific case, we can catch a glimpse of how language was preserved as eras and civilizations evolved and changed. Yep, it’s a telling discovery!

Reflecting on the jug and its implications, Langlois concluded, “These inscriptions are still rare, but they are slowly filling the gap. They not only document the evolution of the alphabet, they show that there was in fact continuity in culture, language and traditions. The implications for our understanding of biblical history are vast – and exciting!”