The Trojan War: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence


Book Description

The Trojan War is the foundation of Greek history. If Greek historians had little doubt of its existence they remained extremely sceptical regarding its mythological origin. Archaeology has confirmed one essential point: there was indeed a general conflagration in the Greek world around 1200 BCE, the assumed period of that war, which caused the disappearance of two powerful empires: Mycenaean on one hand and Hittite with its vassals on the other hand. The inscriptions of Ramses III's year 8 describe actually a general invasion of the Mediterranean by the "Sea Peoples". A precise chronological reconstruction shows that there was a confrontation between a Greek heterogeneous confederation, consisting of pirates, and a set of vassal kingdoms of the Hittite empire, such as Troy and Ugarit, which ended with their complete mutual destruction in 1185 BCE, the climax of the Trojan War. This conclusion was already that of Eratosthenes.




80 Old Testament Characters of World History: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence


Book Description

Despite the fact that the name of many characters mentioned in the Old Testament, like David, King of Israel, have been recently confirmed by archaeology as well as their epoch and the events in which they were involved, most archaeologists continue to deny the historicity of the Bible they view as pious fiction or a mythical account. They argue that the major events in the Bible such as the victory of Abraham against Chedorlaomer, an unknown king of Elam around 2000 BCE, the victory of Moses against an unknown Pharaoh around 1500 BCE or the victory of Esther, an unknown Persian Queen, against an unknown vizier of Xerxes, never existed because they left absolutely no evidence. They also explain that according to what we know today, these events could not have occurred. These logical arguments are impressive but a precise chronological analysis based on absolute dates, coupled with a rigorous historical investigation, shows that all those major events really took place at the dates and places indicated.




The Iliad


Book Description




Kings David and Solomon: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence


Book Description

The David and Solomon's kingdoms are no longer considered as historical by minimalist archaeologists. According to Finkelstein and Silberman, for example, authors of The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, at the time of the kingdoms of David and Solomon, Jerusalem was populated by only a few hundred residents or less. Some Biblical minimalists like Thompson go further, arguing that Jerusalem became a city and capable of being a state capital only in the mid-seventh century. Likewise, Finkelstein and others consider the claimed size of Solomon's temple implausible. A review of methods and arguments used by these minimalists shows that they are impostors for writing history. The historical testimonies dated by a chronology anchored on absolute dates (backbone of history) are replaced by archaeological remains dated by carbon-14 (backbone of modern myths). The goal of these unfounded claims is clearly the charring of biblical accounts.




Noah and the Deluge: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence


Book Description

Historians consider the biblical account of Noah and the Deluge as a myth. However, this famous event occurred at the earliest times of recorded history (Sumerian King List). Today scientists believe in the last ice age called Pleistocene ending in 10,000 BCE, but there is no witness of this planetary cataclysmic event and its existence is based solely on the controversial interpretation of its consequences and their dating. The existence of erratic blocks and the disappearance of mammoths are presented as evidence of the last glaciation. However, despite dating obtained by 14C (calibrated by dendrochronology) is considered absolute by most experts its confrontation with the Egyptian chronology, in which some dates are fixed by astronomy, reverses this widespread belief and shows that dates obtained by 14C increase exponentially before -2200. Thus the rate of 14C tends gradually to 0 around -3500, which implies an important consequence: before -3500, 14C dating is no longer possible.




Jonah vs King of Nineveh: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence


Book Description

Historians consider the Biblical account of Jonah's warning against Nineveh as pious fiction, but the Gospels refer to it as a real story (Lk 11:29-32). The book of Jonah, despite its brevity, gives some verifiable information regarding Nineveh, a very old city, which disappeared completely after its destruction in 612 BCE. The dimensions mentioned seem colossal, however they do agree with the accounts of Herodotus, Diodorus and Strabo. Jonah's mission coincided with Jeroboam II's accession (2 Ki 14:23-25) and Shalmaneser III's death in 824 BCE who had previously commissioned Shamshi-Adad V as new Crown prince to quell the revolt headed by his brother Assur-danin-pal, who had headed 27 cities including the renowned Nineveh. Jonah's mission was therefore a success since Assyrian expansionism to the Mediterranean coast would cease, at least for 80 years.




Moses and the Exodus Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence


Book Description

The existence Moses as well as the Exodus is a crucial question because, according to the Bible, the character related to that famous event forms the basis of the Passover which meant the Promised Land for Jews and later the Paradise for Christians. However, according to most Egyptologists, there is absolutely no evidence of Moses and the Exodus in Egyptian documents, which leads them to conclude that the whole biblical story is a myth written for gullible people. However, according to Egyptian accounts the last king of the 15th dynasty named Apopi, “very pretty”, which was Moses' birth name (Ex 2:2), reigned 40 years in Egypt (1613-1573) and met Seqenenre Taa, 40 years later, the last pharaoh of the 17th dynasty who died in May 1533 BCE in dramatic and unclear circumstances (Ps 136:15). The state of his mummy proves that his body received severe injuries and remained abandoned for several days before being mummified. The eldest son of Seqenenre Taa, Ahmose Sapaïr, who was crown prince died in a dramatic and unexplained way shortly before his father (Ex 12:29). Prince Kamose, Seqenenre Taa's brother, assured interim of authority for 3 years and threatened attack the former pharaoh Apopi, new prince of Retenu (Palestine) who took the name Moses, according to Manetho, an Egyptian priest and historian. In the stele of the Tempest, Kamose also blames Apopi for all the disasters that come to fall upon Egypt, which caused many deaths. Ironically, those who believe Egyptologists are actually the real gullible ones




Abraham and Chedorlaomer: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence


Book Description

Historians consider the biblical account about Chedorlaomer's campaign against Sodom (1954 BCE) as a pious fiction. However, the Gospels refer to it as a real story (Heb 7:1) and a chronological reconstruction based on synchronisms shows that, among dynasties from Sumerian lists, the 3rd and last Elamite king of the Awan I dynasty was Kudur-Lagamar (1990-1954). The Spartoli tablets (c. 650 BCE) describe this famous attack of Babylonia by a coalition of evil kings named Kudur-KUKUmal, king of Elam, Tudḫula, king of Gutium, and Eri-Aku [king of Larsa]. The route of Chedorlaomer and the description of his actions show that this king came to this region near Egypt in order to maintain control over this new land trade route. This ambitious project had to have worried Amenemhat I because southern Canaan was a big source of supply. In order to protect Egypt, Amenemhat I built the "Walls of the Ruler". One can notice that the area of Sodom was called Sutu[m] in execration texts (then Moab after 1800 BCE).




The Trojan War


Book Description

Surveys the historical underpinnngs of the Heroic Age in ancient Greek tradition.




In Search of the Trojan War


Book Description

For 3,000 years, tales of Troy and its heroes - Achilles and Hector, Paris and the legendary beauty Helen - have fired the human imagination. With In Search of the Trojan War, Michael Wood brings vividly to life the legend and lore of the Heroic Age in an archaeological adventure that sifts through the myths and speculation to provide a privileged view of the riches and the reality of ancient Troy. This edition includes a new preface, a new final chapter, and an addendum to the bibliography that take account of dramatic new developments in the search for Troy with the rediscovery, in Moscow, of the so-called Jewels of Helen and the re-excavation of the site of Troy which began in 1988 and is yielding new evidence about the historical city.