Bible 101

Lesson 5: Archaeological Proof: Are the Stories we read about in the OT true?

Sodom and Gomorrah

The story of these two cities is one of the best known, yet many disregard the earliest instance of “fire and brimstone” raining down from heaven as just that: a story. After all, how could a rational person believe that such a localized event could happen? Additionally, should there really be ruins excavated that show some kind of fire damage, how do we know they were not victims of a conquering army, looters, or other vandals?

The book of Genesis describes Sodom (7) as the ring leader in a five-city league included Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. All cities were abandoned and never reoccupied some time around 2000 BC.

The city of Sodom was found to constitute an almost impenetrable fortress: it had intact walls that measured 23 feet in width, and showed no signs of forced entry. What is eerie, is that the entire city is covered with almost seven feet of ashes. Even a graveyard located some distance away is similarly covered. Additionally, the burning took place from the outside in, not from the inside out, as would be suggested if the city had been burned by raiders or plunderers from within, or if it had fallen victim to a volcanic eruption and subsequent fire damage.

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