thumb|right|400px|Detail from the [[Arch of Titus showing spoils from the Sack of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 AD. Depicted are the menorah and trumpets, as well as what might be the Table of Showbread.]] thumb|300px|[[Black Obelisk 841 BC. Earliest known picture of an Israelite: possibly Jehu son of Omri, or Jehu's ambassador, kneeling at the feet of Shalmaneser III.]] right|thumb|250px|[[Siege of Lachish|Lachish relief - Judean captives being led away into slavery by the Assyrians after the siege of Lachish in 701 BC]] thumb|250px|right|The [[Nabonidus Cylinder proves Belshazzar's existence. (see Book of Daniel)]] right|thumb|240px|The [[Cyrus cylinder, regarding King Cyrus's treatment of religion, which is significant to the books of Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah.]] right|thumb|300px|right|[[Taylor prism on display at the British Museum. Describes the Assyrian king Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC during the reign of king Hezekiah, which is recorded by Herodotus and the Bible in Isaiah chapters 33 and 36; 2 Kings 18:17; 2 Chronicles 32:9. Photo by David Castor.]] thumb|150px|thumb|right|[[Shalmaneser III's (859-824 BC) Kurkh Monolith names King Ahab.]] right|thumb|[[Mesha Stele c.850 BC - Possible reference to the House of David; also mentions Omri, Israel, Yahweh, Bezer and other significant names (see main article).]] right|thumb|200px|A stone (2.43x1 meters) with the [[Hebrew language inscription "To the Trumpeting Place" excavated by B. Mazar at the southern foot of the Temple Mount. It is believed that this was a part of the Second Temple.]] thumb|300px|Hezekiah's tunnelThe following is a list of artifacts, objects created or modified by a human culture, that are significant to the historicity of the Bible. Artifacts- (c. 1 AD) - 2,000-year-old limestone cup with 10 lines of Aramaic or Hebrew script near the Zion Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem. Found by U.S. archaeologists; Shimon Gibson of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte stated that "To have 10 lines of text is unprecedented..." They know it contains the Hebrew word for God indicating it was probably important to the priests who used it in rituals.
- Amarna letters (c. 1300s BC) - correspondence on clay tablets between the Egyptian administration and various Middle East kings petty sub-rulers in Canaan during the New Kingdom.
- Biblical period ostraca (broken pottery used for writing brief notes, the ancient equivalent of notepaper) are relatively common in archaeological digs. One ostracon, found at Elah, may contain the earliest known example of Hebrew.
- The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III (c. 858-824 BC) - scholars believe the obelisk depicts either Jehu son of Omri (a king of Israel mentioned in 2 Kings), or Jehu's ambassador, paying homage to Assyrian king Shalmaneser III (c.825 BC); an early, possibly the earliest, surviving picture of an Israelite. The inscription identifies "the tribute of Jehu, son of Omri: I received from him silver, gold, a golden bowl, a golden vase with pointed bottom, golden tumblers, golden buckets, tin, a staff for a king [and] spears."
- Bullae (c.715 – 687 BC or 716 – 687 BC) (clay roundels impressed with a personal seal identifying the owner of an object, the author of a document, etc) are, like ostraka, relatively common, both in digs and on the antiquities market. The identification of individuals named in bullae with equivalent names from the bible is difficult, but identifications have been made with king Hezekiah and his servants (ah-vah-deem in Hebrew, ayin-bet-dalet-yod-mem).
- - Bar-Ilan University's Gabriel Barkai stated: "It bears the name Gedalyahu Ben Immer Ha-Cohen, suggesting that the owner may have been a brother of Pashur Ben Immer, described in the Bible [Jeremiah 20:1] as a priest and temple official."
- (7th century BC) - a dedicatory inscription of the seventh-century king of Ekron, Achish. Achish is a name used in the Hebrew Bible for two Philistine rulers of Gath. The inscription states "This temple was built by 'Akish, son of Padi, son of Yasid, son of Ada, son of Ya'ir, ruler of Ekron..." The inscription not only securely identifies the site, it gives a brief king-list of rulers of Ekron, fathers to sons: Ya'ir, Ada, Yasid, Padi, 'Akish.
- Gezer calendar (10th century BC) - calendar from the Biblical city of Gezer. It is one of the oldest known examples of Hebrew writing.
- Goliath Potsherd (10th to mid 9th centuries BC) - Potsherd inscribed with the two names "alwt" and "wlt", etymologically related to the name Goliath. The artifacts are therefore connected with Tell es-Safi, the traditional identification of Gath.
- Hezekiah's tunnel (c. 701 BC) - a tunnel created by King Hezekiah in anticipation of an Assyrian invasion. From National Geographic: The tunnel, which is about 500 meters (550 yards) long, brings water from the Gihon Springs [sic], located some 300 meters (330 yards) outside the walls of old Jerusalem, to the Siloan Pool [sic] inside the ancient city. It was built to protect the city's water supply during an Assyrian siege.
- Ipuwer Papyrus (c. 13th century BC) - ancient papyrus manuscript describing Egypt as afflicted by natural disasters and in a state of chaos. Statements such as "the River is blood" have been interpreted by some as an Egyptian account of the Plagues of Egypt described in the Book of Exodus in the Bible..
- (732 to 716 BC) - Ahaz was a king of Judah but "did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had done" (2 Kings 16:2; 2 Chronicles 28:1). He worshipped idols and followed pagan practices. "He even made his son pass through fire, according to the abominable practices of the nations" (2 Kings 16:3). Ahaz was the son and successor of Jotham.
- - letters written in carbon ink by Hoshaiah, a military officer stationed near Jerusalem, to Joash the commanding officer at Lachish during the last years of Jeremiah during Zedekiah’s reign (c.588 BC) (see Nehemiah 12:32, Jeremiah 42:1, 43:2). Lachish fell soon after, two years before the fall of Jerusalem.
- Mesha stele (also called the Moabite stone) (c.850 BC) - a Transjordan stele describing the victories of Moabite king Mesha over the Kingdom of Israel. French scholar André Lemaire suggested that line 31 of the Stele bears the phrase "the house of David" (in Biblical Archaeology Review [May/June 1994], pp. 30–37).
- Midianite pottery - The Biblical account states that Midian was where Moses spent the 40 years between the time that he fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian who had been beating a Hebrew, and his return to lead the Israelites. During those years, he married Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian. In later years the Midianites were often oppressive and hostile to the Israelites, at least partly as God's punishment for their idolatry.
- Nabonidus Chronicle - Amélie Kuhrt describes it as "the most reliable and sober [ancient] account of the fall of Babylon."
[Kuhrt, Amélie. "Babylonia from Cyrus to Xerxes", in The Cambridge Ancient History: Persia, Greece, and the Western Mediterranean, C. 525-479 BC, pp. 112-138. Cambridge University Press, 1988. ISBN 0521228042]
- - List of impression seals and ostracon
- Second Temple Stone - A stone (2.43x1 meters) with Hebrew language inscription "To the Trumpeting Place" excavated by B. Mazar at the southern foot of the Temple Mount. It is believed that this was a part of the Second Temple.
- Sefire stele - described as "the best extrabiblical source for West Semitic traditions of covenantal blessings and curses."
- Susa remains - Susa is mentioned in the Ketuvim of the Hebrew Bible, mainly in Esther, but also once each in Nehemiah and Daniel. Both Daniel and Nehemiah lived in Susa during the Babylonian captivity of Judah of the 6th century BC. Esther became queen there, and saved the Jews from genocide. A tomb presumed to be that of Daniel is located in the area, known as Shush-Daniel. The tomb is marked by an unusual white, stone cone, which is neither regular nor symmetric. Many scholars believe it was at one point a Star of David.
- Tel Dan Stele - a stele commemorating victory by Aramaeans against the Israelites. It is claimed by a number of scholars that the inscription contains the phrase House of David, although this translation has been disputed.
Popular controversiesthumb|right|200px|hspace=8|vspace=8|left|The Shroud of Turin (or Turin Shroud): recent photo of the face, positive left, negative right. Note: Negative has been contrast enhanced. Artifacts described but unknown to modern scholarshipArtifacts declared to be forgeriesSignificant museumsPeopleSee alsothumb|300px|[[Dead Sea scroll fragments on display at the Archaeological Museum, Amman]]
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