Jericho Unearthed

The first significant excavation of Jericho, which is located in the southern Jordan valley in Israel, was conducted by a German team between the years of 1907-1909. The team discovered piles of mud bricks at the base of the mound the city was built on. The team didn't recognize the significance of their find, and wouldn't, until a British archeologist by the name of, Kathleen Kenyon reexcavated the site some 45 years later.

She discovered the find to be reminents of the city wall which had collapsed allowing the Israelites to storm the city and set it on fire. The team had found evidence for a massive destruction by fire just as the story stated in the sixth chapter of Joshua.

In early 1997 two Italian archeologists commissioned by the Palestinian Department of Archeology worked for one month on the west and south trenches originally excavated by Kenyon. Their dig was the first since Palestinian self-rule began in 1994.

The two archeologists claimed they found no evidence for a destruction however it is important to point out there existed a selfish bias that would benefit from an announced denial of the earlier claims. Evidence reveals the mission of the Italian team was to disprove the Biblical account of Joshua's capturing the city for their own preferences, while simultaneously making available to the Palestinians the argument to deny any Jewish connection to the site.

Later in that same year Dr. Bryant Wood visited the site to examine the results of the Italian team. Dr. Wood soon discovered the Italians did indeed make further discoveries which verified the Biblical account in that the two Italians had uncovered the stone outer revetment wall at the base of the tell with part of the mudbrick wall built on top of it still in tact. Wood also noticed the remains of the collapsed mudbrick city walls, which had tumbled. Not only did the Italians find the same evidence as revealed in earlier expeditions, it also precisely fit the Biblical account.

References:
The Walls of Jericho, Bible and Spade, Spring 1999, pp. 35-42 Did the Israelites Conquer Jericho? A New Look at the Archeological Evidence, Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April 1990, pp. 44-58

Creation application: There have long been numerous evidences that reveal how evolutionists will use whatever means to hide the truth in an effort to discredit creationism. The Bible presents enormous opportunities for archaeology if the worshippers of evolution would quit trying to discredit it.