As you would expect, the COVID pandemic had a profound affect on the world of archaeology, including in the Holy Land. Many excavations were unable to proceed into their 2020 seasons and had to cancel field operations. However, the difficult year was not entirely without archaeological work both in the field and in the lab. A number of noteworthy discoveries were made in the Holy Land in 2020.
A few weeks ago, Bryan Windle posted a good list of Top Ten Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology in 2020 on his blog, Bible Archaeology Report. He includes some important discoveries in Jerusalem and news of some Dead Sea Scroll forgeries that were on display in a U.S. museum until recently identified as inauthentic. Items on the list give us insight into the administration of the Kingdom of Judah, life before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, and the reign of Assyrian king Sargon II. Take a look at his list, and see some of the results that archaeology has generated in spite of the limitations that 2020 presented.
