The name of the city of Sodom has become a byword for sin. The city has passed into the realm of myth. But did this city really exist and is the story of its destruction at the hand of God a real, historical event? Questions like these matter to our defence of the reliability of the earliest passages of Scripture.
Theories about the lost cities of Sodom and Gomorrah have included claims that they lie beneath the waters of the Dead Sea or are identified with ruins at the southern end of the Dead Sea. But none of these suggestions have led to any solid evidence.
Location discovered?
Archaeologist Steven Collins has now published his claim to have found Sodom (Steven Collins and Latayne C. Scott, Discovering the City of Sodom, Howard Books, 2013) and submitted his evidence to a recent issue of The Biblical Archaeological Review (‘Where is Sodom? The Case for Tall el-Hammam’, March/April 2013). Tall (or Tel) el-Hammam in Jordan is a site north of the Dead Sea where his team have been excavating for eight years. Why is he persuaded that this is Sodom?
The remarkable fact about Collins’ claim is that it arises from the guidance of the text of the Bible. According to Genesis, Sodom was visible from Bethel and Ai and located in what is called the ‘plain’ of the Jordan, Genesis 13.10. When Sodom was destroyed, the smoke of its destruction could also be seen by Abraham from this vantage point (Genesis 19.28). These geographical clues rule out the southern end of the Dead Sea as the location. Only the northern end would be visible from this central hill country. But there is a further geographical clue. The Hebrew word translated ‘plain’ really means a round disc. From Bethel a fertile circle of land is visible spanning both sides of the River Jordan. On the western edge of this disc is the city of Jericho. On the eastern edge lies Tall el-Hammam. These were the geographical clues that pointed Collins towards this particular Bronze Age ruin.
Of course, no ‘Welcome to Sodom’ sign has been dug up. However, what has been found reveals an impressive city dating to the time of Abraham. The enormous fortified walls include sections that are 100 feet thick. The imposing gateway fits the description of the location where the angels met Lot (Genesis 19.1). There is plentiful archaeological evidence for the sudden destruction of Sodom. A thick layer of ash and charred walls all bear witness to destruction by fire. After this destruction the site was unoccupied for hundreds of years.
What caused this destruction?
A further intriguing find has been investigated by Collins and his team. Across the site melted pottery has been found with one side still intact and the other side turned to a greenish glaze through intense heat. To produce this kind of damage there needed to be a sudden high temperature followed by quick cooling. What could cause this kind of scorching? Similar greenish desert glass is found elsewhere in the world and its origins are not geological. In fact, Collins was able to draw upon two similar forms of glass. One form is found in the deserts of Egypt and result from a meteor impact. The other is found in the deserts of New Mexico, formed during the atom bomb tests. We do not know exactly how God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. That the traces of destruction should resemble what would be left in the wake of a thermonuclear explosion would fit with the description that ‘the LORD rained down burning sulphur … out of the heavens … destroying all those living in the cities’ (Genesis 19.24-28).
A problem
But, there remains a problem. The destruction level dates to 1650 BC, about 150 years after the traditional dating of Abraham’s lifetime. But our understanding of the biblical dates may be wrong and the dating of the site may yet be adjusted. Collins has certainly made a good case for his claim.
For Christians, these are more scientific reasons to read the Bible as a reliable witness to history. More than that, we have another reminder to take seriously the warnings of Scripture. Judgment days of the past are not the stuff of myth and legend, but real historical events. Likewise, the judgment day of the future will be a real event involving cosmic forces: ‘But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare’ (2 Peter 3.10).
Chris Sinkinson is lecturer at Moorlands College and has written a new book to be released with IVP in July: The Time Traveller’s Guide to the Old Testament.
