ABSTRACT

This paper compares the arguments of Dr. Steven Collins and Dr. Bryant Wood on the proposed locations of sites for the Northern or Southern Sodom Theories.

Michael Wright
Biblical Archaeology
Note: Some important things I didnt get to in the paper a discussion of the proper location of Zoar, the usage of the Madapa Map, the testimony of Moses and Pilgrimage of Etheria. There are many more resources online and will continue as the site is still being excavated. Please keep in mind the chronology discrepancy, which is touched on in this paper.

WHERES THE FIRE?

The Search for Biblical Sodom

WHERE IS THE FIRE?

An analysis of Northern and Southern locations for Biblical Sodom Michael Wright BIBL 471_B01_201230 June 3, 2013

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Contents

Abbreviations Introduction Biblical Criterion Chronology Bab edh-Dhra Tall el-Hammam Minoan Influence? Conclusion Bibliography

iv 1 3 5 7 9 11 12 14

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Abbreviations
Anno Domini, or Year of our Lord. As referred to a starting date once believed to be the birth of Christ, now believed some four years after to present day. Also expressed as CE or Common Era Ancient Near East Before Christ, expressed as the time beginning some four years after His birth and before. Also expressed as BCE or Before Common Era Early Bronze Age1 Septuagint, the Greek translation of Hebrew scripture Masoretic Text, the Hebrew/Aramaic scripture written in the traditions of the Masoretes. Middle Bronze Age2 New International Version. Unless otherwise specified, all verses are taken from this translation. Northern Sodom Theory Southern Sodom Theory A Tell is the Arabic word for an unnaturally formed mound of material created from the repeated building, destruction, and rebuilding of ancient cities and villages over themselves.3

A.D. or AD

ANE B.C. or BC EB or EBA LXX MT MB or MBA NIV NST SST Tell (or Tall)

John H. Walton, Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament, Rev. and expanded ed. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1994), 78. This is a basic outline of Archaeological Periods, which more or less match the articles cited here.
2 3

Ibid. See Note 1. Randall Price, The Stones Cry Out (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1997), 390.

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Introduction Evidence of the cataclysmic destruction of Sodom and Gomorra as told in Genesis has been difficult to locate for centuries. Three have been postulated, with Albright and Wrights sunken cities hypothesis largely ruled out.4 The debate between a Northern and Southern location has been debated vigorously. The difference between placing either of these cities in the place of Sodom is almost entirely hermeneutical. It is entirely likely that neither site is the infamous city, but as excavation continues one option may bring new light to not only where the site is located, but why God chose to destroy it. An enigmatic city we attribute to the term sodomy, the location of a historical Sodom is nebulously described as north of the city of Zoar. This has led many scholars, including Bryant G. Wood to Bab edh-Dhra, an Early Bronze Age set of ruins located near the Southern end of the Dead Sea. Since 1973 and the discovery of four similar sites to the south, this has been the popular opinion for the location of the Cities of the Plain described in Genesis 13.5 A Southern Sodom Theory (SST) has been challenged by scholars such as H.B. Tristram, who championed the Northern Sodom Theory (NST).6 The crux of this argument has largely been based on the Hebrew word for Valley in Genesis 13:10. That word kikkar refers to a round circular region that many have come to believe surrounds the area where the Jordan River

Steven Collins and Scott Latayne Colvett, Discovering the City of Sodom : The Fascinating, True Account of the Discovery of the Old Testament's Most Infamous City, Kindle ed. (2012), Locations 1403-1404.
5 Bryant Wood, "The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah" http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/04/16/The-Discovery-of-the-Sin-Cities-of-Sodom-and-Gomorrah.aspx.

Henry Baker Tristram, "Canon Tristram Fires a Lethal Shot at the Southern Sodom Theory: Excerpts from the Land of Moab: Travels and Discoveries on the East Side of the Dead Sea and the Jordan ," Biblical Research Bulletin IX, no. 2 (2009).

feeds into the Dead Sea.7 Archaeologist and scholar Steven Collins heads an excavation of Tall el-Hammam, an imposing mound located on the Eastern side of the Jordan Valley. Initially attracted by the lack of Late Bronze Age pottery sherds,8 Collins has not only arrayed an impressive amount of criterion behind the NST, evidence is beginning to surface that may offer further depth into the Biblical account.9 It is just as important to note however that Biblical archaeology is performed for the purpose of complimenting and giving material tangibility to the theological truth of the Bible; it is not however done to prove the historicity or authenticity of the Bible. Such would be an impossible task given the limitations of archaeology, and the fragmentary nature of the evidence the ground allows us to examine.10 With this in mind, the weaknesses and strengths of both Northern and Southern theories and sites will be examined. Based on the arguments of Dr. Wood and Dr. Collins, comparison of chronology, site features and discoveries, and favorability as candidates will be analyzed.

Steven Collins, "If You Thought You Knew the Location of Sodom and GomorrahThink Again," Biblical Research Bulletin VII, no. 4 (2007).
7 8 9

Collins and Colvett. Locations 1546-1549.

Calvary Albuquerque, 2013. "Guest Speaker Dr. Steven Collins," Expound, Calvary Albuquerque. Sermon Video, http://www.calvaryabq.org/teachings_view.asp?ServiceID=2468&q=high&AcceptsCookies=yes (accessed 5/28/2013).
10

Price., 44.

Biblical Criterion If youre looking for a Biblical Sodom, there is no higher source than the Bible itself. Both Collins and Wood offer the same verses for the most part, but different interpretations. The main areas of concern with regard to locating Sodom are Genesis 13, and 14. Genesis 13 The details included in these verses are key to the NST argument. Collins notes that, there is only one section of Biblical text written specifically for the purpose of providing, by authorial intent, geographic directions to Sodom and the Cities of the Plain: Genesis 13:1-12.11 The first nine verses involve Abram and Lots pitching their tents between Bethel and Ai, and because of quarreling between their herdsmen Abram suggests they part ways in order to preserve peace between them. Then in verse 10, Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) As Tristram explains, we have the argument from the simple statement of the inspired writer, who calls them the cities of the plain, or circle, [kikkar], of [the] Jordan, an expression which cannot possibly apply to any other than the northern end of the Dead Sea.12 Collins argues that at the location from which the Bible is describing, Lot would be looking directly at the Jordan Valley where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea. Included

Steven Collins, "A Response to Bryant G. Wood's Critique of Collin's Northern Sodom Theory," Biblical Research Bulletin VII, no. 7 (2007).
12 Tristram, "Canon Tristram Fires a Lethal Shot at the Southern Sodom Theory: Excerpts from the Land of Moab: Travels and Discoveries on the East Side of the Dead Sea and the Jordan ."

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in this view would be several Tells, including modern day Tall el-Hammam. In his view, Bab edh-Dhra is too far South to be in Lots viewing range.13 Wood of course disagrees, stating that Genesis 13 does not necessarily suggest where the separation of Abram and Lot takes place. He offers an alternative narrative that involves Lot traveling with Abram to some point just before arriving at Hebron, then seeing the kikkar of the Jordan, crossed over to arrive at Bab edh-Dhra. Wood equates the Southern end of the Dead Sea, which at the time was not covered by water, with the valley in question. By mere mathematical distance, this scenario is far more likely.14 Collins is quick on the rebound, as he should be; Genesis 13:14 is clear that Lot had separated from Abram between Bethel and Ai before departing to Hebron. He also notes that the Southern area Wood refers too cannot be the kikkar of Jordan, since the Jordan ends at the North.15 Genesis 14 This account covers the fighting of Kedorlaomer against the kings of the plain, the abduction of Lot, and Abrams joining forces with Melchizedek in rescuing him. Here the Valley of Siddim is noted generously, to which Wood applies in favor of the SST. Collins notes that none of the verses actually place Sodom in or near the Valley of Siddim, and that when armies

13 14 15

Steven Collins, "The Geography of the Cities of the Plain," Biblical Research Bulletin II, no. I (2002). Collins, "A Response to Bryant G. Wood's Critique of Collin's Northern Sodom Theory." Ibid.

gather for war they dont do so right in front of their own cities. Verse 10, referring to the men falling into the tar pits, applies just as well to the NST.16 One point that does seem to favor the SST is verse 11, where it notes all the goods and food of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot and his belongings in verse 12. Wood notes that 14 to 24 years before its final destruction, Bab edh-Dhra experienced a prior destruction.17 In his description of Tall el-Hammams fortifications, Collins reports that in the citys history prior to its final destruction, its breaches were never penetrated. With regard to the verses however, he notes that no actual destruction is imposed.18

Chronology The Chronology of the Patriarchs and destruction of Sodom, and what is found at both sites are important points of discussion when aligning them to the Biblical account. Understanding this will help one understand certain propositional fallacies that appear in some reporting. The arguments over a Biblical Sodom are not Wood VS. Collins, or Wood OR/ONLY OR Collins. One recent article reported that, for one to accept Collins timeline, one would have to revise every other Biblical date thus established.19 The problem is, a great deal of both Collins and Woods arguments are differentiated by contrasting, yet acknowledged chronologies of the Patriarchs. In Bryants case he argues from an

16 17 18 19

Ibid. Wood. Albuquerque.

Todd Bolen, "Video: Search for Sodom and Gomorrah," in BiblePlaces.com (2009). It may be worth noting here that the dates published in Collins recent book do not match most of the papers he has published specifically to the topic. This might be explained by poor Kindle Conversion or an editorial mistake, which is ironic in that this is also what Collins is arguing about the Masoretic Text.

EB/Intermediate date of 2166 to 1991 BC. Collins prefers the Middle Bronze Age 1951 to 1776 BC. 20 These systems are actually somewhat easily established, but arguing one as more legitimate is not likely to be resolved soon. First we consider that both systems begin with 1st Kings 6:1, which places the date of the Exodus at 480 years before the 4th year of King Solomons reign. This was the year of the building of the Jerusalem Temple, established historically as 966 BC.21 From this foundation, Bryant is working from an Early Exodus, Long Sojourn chronology, while Collins argues for the Early Exodus, Short Sojourn chronology. The former is built from the more commonly used Masoretic Text, and based on Exodus 12:40 states; Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. The latter argument is based on the LXX reading of Exodus 12:40. Now the residence of the sons of Israel during which they dwelt in the land, Egypt, and in the land of Chanaan was four hundred and thirty years.22 Collins prefers this reading, supporting it by analysis of climatology of the era supporting a Canaanite apex.23

20 21

Collins, "A Response to Bryant G. Wood's Critique of Collin's Northern Sodom Theory."

John H.; Matthews Walton, Victor H.; Chavalas, Mark W., The Ivp Bible Background Commentary: The Old Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 362.
22 Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright, A New English Translation of the Septuagint : And the Other Greek Translations Traditionally Included under That Title, Kindle ed. (New York ; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), Location 3311.

Collins, "A Response to Bryant G. Wood's Critique of Collin's Northern Sodom Theory." Magen Gophna Ram Broshi, "Middle Bronze Age Ii Palestine: Its Settlements and Population," Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 261 (1986).

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As a result of the Chronology differences, Wood puts the destruction of Sodom at 2070 BC24, while Collins places it at 1852 BC.25 This allows them to put Abram and Lot in the right place, and at the right time, at least in theory. Bab edh-Dhra On the Eastern shore of the Transjordan across from Lisan peninsula lies the ruin of Bab edh-Dhra. The open air settlement was the largest occupation area of the Early Bronze III/Intermediate Age. It was first discovered by William Albright in 1924, who identified its heavy fortifications, houses, and numerous cemeteries. Albright thought the site might be a part of the cities on the plain, but theorized it must have been a sacred pilgrimage site.26 The site includes a 10 acre fortification with 23 foot thick stone and mud brick walls, an exterior settlement, and numerous large cemeteries. Paleo-botanical studies have revealed evidence of crop farming, from common crops like wheat, figs, grapes, to lesser common commodities such as peas, dates, and olives. The city is located several meters from the Wadi elKerak, so it was well irrigated. Its main entrance is located to the West, likely to give access to the lower plain.27 To the South is another site called Numeira, believed to have been taken from an Arabic derivation of Gomorrah. This was another well irrigated, slightly smaller settlement, with pottery evidence found to suggest that they buried their dead in the cemetery at Bab edh-Dhra. It shares

24 25 26 27

Wood. Collins, "A Response to Bryant G. Wood's Critique of Collin's Northern Sodom Theory." Price. 114. Wood.

many of the same features as Bab edh-Dhra and other sites to the south, as well as evidence of destruction by fire.28 Ash deposits of varying depths over a foot have been discovered at both sites, including evidence of severe structural damage. Of particular interest to Bab edh-Dhra is the presence of charred burial structures in the cemeteries. Cross sections were cut, showing that they were destroyed by their roof tops catching fire, collapsing, and burning from the inside out. At all sites, the soil was the consistency of a spongy charcoal, making it undesirable ground for later settlement.29 Identifying Bab edh-Dhra with Biblical Sodom comes with two particular difficulties, and both of them involve chronology. First, the final destructions of Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira are in reality separated by a few centuries. While it is true that EB III dating has a number of issues, carbon-14 dating at Numeira about 300 years apart.30 Second, even with the Woods chronology and by his own admission, Bab edh-Dhras destruction predates the Abram by 230280 years.31

28 29

Ibid.

Price. 116-120. Price and Wood argue for a tectonic event as reason for Bab edh-Dhras destruction. Collins has several critical responses to this, while only offering that most Levantine ANE EBA cities were destroyed in this same manner. Truthfully, someone should write another paper on how exactly this mechanism of action works, as in the end it doesnt seem as compelling an explanation.
30 31

Collins, "A Response to Bryant G. Wood's Critique of Collin's Northern Sodom Theory." Wood.

Tall el-Hammam To the East of the still fertile Jordan delta reside a number of Tells, including Tall elHammam, which is not only a candidate for Sodom, but Roman Livias.32 The Middle Bronze age settlement occupies a footprint of 62 acres, surrounded by a defensive rampart topped by walls 100-150 feet thick.33 A 70 foot wide gatehouse has been found with several towers connected to the wall. Inside are two city plazas besides the entranceway, and a central administrative complex 67 feet by 200 feet in size.34 Numerous freestanding buildings, alleys, and city streets have also been identified, all covered in about a meter of destruction and ash debris.35 While a tremendous amount of pottery has been discovered, there is a distinct lack of objects formed from precious metals.36 The destruction discovered at Tall el-Hammam is impressive, with stratigraphy showing the site was not reoccupied for 600 years.37 The foundations of the city show heat fractures, and the walls knocked down directionally in a manner suggesting an explosion from above. Mudbrick remains of wall and roofing material have been heated or fired to a degree that when struck they ring like pottery.38

David E. Graves and Scott Stripling, "Locating Tall El-Hammam on the Madaba Map," Biblical Research Bulletin VII, no. 6 (2007).
33 34 35 36 37 38

32

Albuquerque. Collins and Colvett. Location 2600. Collins believes this to be King Beras palace. Ibid. Location 2642. Ibid. Location 2662. Ibid. Location 2651. Albuquerque.

Human remains have been discovered in several locations, all at the MB2 layer, facedown, wrenched around as if thrown down. Joints appear hyper-extended, twisted, and obliterated in unnatural, extreme trauma.39 Of particular impression in the findings is pottery sherds found in the MB2 layer that at first were thought to be glazed pottery, but upon further analysis appeared melted on the outside and consistent with trinitite, the material created from desert silica heated in the first US Nuclear test in New Mexico.40 Laboratory analysis revealed the ceramic had been heat blasted by temperatures hotter than 2,000 degrees, but only long enough to penetrate 1/8th an inch of material. The specific method or event that created this and others at the site since has not yet been identified, but the closest speculation would come from a cosmic, craterless impact, the kind known to create impact glass.41 Tall el-Hammam isnt exactly the perfect Biblical Sodom however. As Wood contends, under the Masoretic chronology the site comes at a far later age. Under Collins preferred LXX chronology, the destruction occurs 250 years before the time of Abram and Lot. In his book, Collins remarks that he prefers to ballpark the chronology to the geography, since the evidence from the ground is less malleable than academic chronology.42

39 40 41 42

Collins and Colvett. Locations 2689-2701. Ibid. Location 3034. Ibid. Location 3103-3181.

Ibid. Locations 2272-2277. This comment has sparked a lot of conversation online as to just how semantic an argument can get when using the words literal and inerrant. This generation really likes to punish the dictionary.

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Minoan Influence? Recent discoveries at Tall el-Hammam, if this were to be Biblical Sodom, would seem to add a fascinating depth to the background of the Genesis story. During the latest close of the 2013 excavation season, Collins team found pottery and artifacts with Minoan or Mycenaean motifs. They also found pillars and architecture that share no similarity with surrounding Canaanite influence, but is only found on Crete.43 How this would parallel the Biblical story is explain the attempted sexual abduction of the angels that visited Lot in Genesis 19. Here in Genesis 19:4-5, it says;
Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom--both young and old--surrounded the house. 5They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."
4

This passage has been historically difficult to explain, why a group of men would gather and attempt to abduct rape strangers upon visiting a city. From what we know of the Minoan world, a social structure existed called institutional paiderastia.44 Essentially young boys from 8 to 12 would be given to a 22 year old male to be brought up in a homosexual relationship until they reached such an age as to take a younger boy themselves. Cretan Minoans in particular were known for a kind of ritual kidnapping; an influential man would identify a particular person, and that mans friends would gather to collect the target from the person in guardianship over them.45

43 44

Albuquerque.

It kills me that I cant find a dictionary that spells pederasty like this, but I am quoting directly from Dr. Graves and Dr. Collins here. I defer to them, as they are international scholars, and I am an ignorant American.
45

David E. Graves, "Possible Minoan Connection to Tall El-Hammam (Sodom)," in Deus Artefacta (2013).

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As Collins has said, this sort of institution would have been abhorrent to even the Canaanite neighbors who practiced child sacrifice,46 hence Gods statement in Genesis 18:20-21; The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know. So when the angels who visited Lot and saw him trying to protect them from this ritual kidnapping, God pronounced judgment. Given the additional speculation that Minoan civilization disappeared due to the eruption of Mount Thera, one could possibly make a speculation about how God regards this kind of society wide level of egregious sin and deplorable behavior. Conclusion The weight of evidence involved in determining which arguments best fit the Biblical Sodom are daunting and go far beyond the scope of this paper. Based on any hermeneutical effort, neither Bab edh-Dhra, nor Tall el-Hammam line up with the dates the Bible determines. If we allow the Bible and the ground enough flexibility to work as united witnesses, then frankly the dates are close enough given their ancient nature. Ultimately its the decision of every Christian to weigh the evidence personally and determine their own conclusion. Academia has a sort of critical irony when it comes to defending its institutions, and yet to stay afloat, as the phrase goes, publish or perish.47 Wood and Collins both have worked tirelessly in the field and on the page, not only in defense of Biblical truth, but answering questions that most take for granted. As each day passes it becomes more difficult to find

46 47

Albuquerque.

H.J. Coolidge and R.H. Lord, Archibald Cary Coolidge: Life and Letters (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1932), 308.

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someone, even a Christian, to agree with the historical reliability of the Old Testament at all, much less the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. At this time its almost easy to say Collins has made the better case, and his interpretation adds relevant weight to the narrative. Especially in a society and time when a great deal of social change is happening, as it is now. Whether institutional or otherwise, the sexual abuse of children and others is rampant across the world, in every form and kind of evil imaginable. Ultimately comfort comes in knowing that eventually God will stop the course of history and make judgment, and from this account we are given but a taste of the serious brevity with which He will deal with us all.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Albuquerque, Calvary. 2013. "Guest Speaker Dr. Steven Collins," Expound, Calvary Albuquerque. Sermon Video, http://www.calvaryabq.org/teachings_view.asp?ServiceID=2468&q=high&AcceptsCookies=yes (accessed 5/28/2013). Bolen, Todd. "Video: Search for Sodom and Gomorrah." In BiblePlaces.com, 2013, 2009. Broshi, Magen Gophna Ram. "Middle Bronze Age Ii Palestine: Its Settlements and Population." Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 261 (1986): 73-90. Collins, Steven. "The Geography of the Cities of the Plain." Biblical Research Bulletin II, no. I (2002). Collins, Steven. "If You Thought You Knew the Location of Sodom and GomorrahThink Again." Biblical Research Bulletin VII, no. 4 (2007). Collins, Steven. "A Response to Bryant G. Wood's Critique of Collin's Northern Sodom Theory." Biblical Research Bulletin VII, no. 7 (2007). Collins, Steven and Scott Latayne Colvett. Discovering the City of Sodom : The Fascinating, True Account of the Discovery of the Old Testament's Most Infamous City. Kindle ed., 2012. Coolidge, H.J. and R.H. Lord. Archibald Cary Coolidge: Life and Letters: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1932. Graves, David E. "Possible Minoan Connection to Tall El-Hammam (Sodom)." In Deus Artefacta, 2013. Graves, David E. and Scott Stripling. "Locating Tall El-Hammam on the Madaba Map." Biblical Research Bulletin VII, no. 6 (2007). Pietersma, Albert and Benjamin G. Wright. A New English Translation of the Septuagint : And the Other Greek Translations Traditionally Included under That Title. Kindle ed. New York ; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Price, Randall. The Stones Cry Out. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1997. Tristram, Henry Baker. "Canon Tristram Fires a Lethal Shot at the Southern Sodom Theory: Excerpts from the Land of Moab: Travels and Discoveries on the East Side of the Dead Sea and the Jordan." Biblical Research Bulletin IX, no. 2 (2009). Walton, John H. Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament. Rev. and expanded ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1994. Walton, John H.; Matthews, Victor H.; Chavalas, Mark W. The Ivp Bible Background Commentary: The Old Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000. Wood, Bryant, "The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah" http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/04/16/The-Discovery-of-the-Sin-Cities-of-Sodomand-Gomorrah.aspx.

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