All Roads Lead to The Lost City of Sodom
- By Gary Nguyen --
- 11 Oct 2015 --
Archaeologists think they have finally discovered the lost city of Sodom in Jordan.
A team of U.S. archaeologists from the Trinity Southwest University headed by Professor Steven Collins have discovered under a mound of dirt in Jordan’s Kikar region what is believed to be the Biblical city of Sodom. The ancient cities of Sodom, together with Gomorrah, are popular not only in the Christian Bible but other religious texts like the Qur’an and Hebrew Bible. They’re known for experiencing God’s wrath of destruction because of human sin and proliferation of evil acts within them.
All Roads Lead to The Lost City of Sodom[/tweetthis]
Unearthing the city of Sodom is a surprise for the team handling the Tall el-Hammam excavation project which is now going on for 10 years. The archaeological project explores Jordan’s southern Jordan Valley within the Kikar region. The Kikar is otherwise known as the Jordan Disk, the “green” region blessed with water and vegetation making it the setting of ancient and Bronze Age cities like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Prof. Collins considers the site as the “best candidate for the lost city of Sodom” because of several clues and evidence including its location, date of existence, and the ruins and artifacts discovered. Collins also said that biblical texts and scriptures primarily describing the ancient cities matched with what they have uncovered “Tall el-Hammam seemed to match every Sodom criterion demanded by the text… When we explored the area, the choice of Tall el-Hammam as the site of Sodom was virtually a no-brainer since it was at least five to ten times larger than all the other Bronze Age sites in the entire region, even beyond the Kikkar of the Jordan.”
Archaeologists uncover ruins of Sodom, the lost ancient biblical city destroyed by God
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Sodom’s sudden destruction is also likely
The archaeologist has also pointed that based on evidences at the site; the ancient city may in fact have suffered a sudden and unexplainable end. The site is filled with Early Bronze Age and Middle Bronze Age structures and artifacts suggesting the city is a rich and flourishing one. But the team could not find any Late Bronze age material meaning the city came to a sudden end. With further investigation and digging, the team hopes to solve this apocalyptic mystery.
It’s a historic Bronze Age discovery
Prof. Collins stressed that more than the discovery’s religious significance; it is a valuable find as well when it comes to archaeology, science and history. Bronze Age civilizations and artifacts are rare finds. This only suggests that human civilization as early as the Bronze Age is already advanced. There is already evidence of early architecture, trade, use of key resources like water, including the idea of wealth and power as Sodom is considered a rich and dominant city during its time.
Among the ancient architectures and artifacts found was the presence of an upper and lower city divisions, thick city walls and structures made out of mudbricks, network of roads and ramparts, a defense system for the city and other kinds of fortifications.