Ur, Abraham's hometown, was a metropolis. It sat near the west bank of the Euphrates River in lower Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq. Abraham lived in Ur at the height of its splendor during the Third Dynasty (ca. 2070-1969 BC). He left the city ca. 2,000 BC near the apex of its prosperity and power. The first Ur-Ill period king, Ur-Nammu, had the title of "King of Sumer and Akkad." His splendid city temple tower, one of four that he commissioned, is the best-preserved ziggurat

In 1798 at Rosetta (Rashid), an officer in Napolean’s Egypt expedition discovered a linguistic treasure near the westernmost mouth of the Nile River. The trilingually inscribed black basalt slab served as the key to unlock the knowledge of the language and literature of ancient Egypt. This watershed discovery launched the modern discipline of Bibli One of the most fascinating examples is the Shroud of Turin, an artifact of immense significance and controversy.

Archaeology may feel like a modern science, but people in antiquity were already digging for the past. From the Babylonian king Nabonidus—who unearthed the ruins of Ur—to Constantine’s efforts in Jerusalem, ancient excavations often revealed more than just stones. They uncovered artifacts that continue to spark faith, debate, and discovery. One of the most fascinating examples is the Shroud of Turin, an artifact of immense significance and controversy. Scientific studies hav

The city of Nuzi, east of ancient Asshur and a short distance west of Arrapkha in what is Iraq