Biblical Placearchaeological-sitebronze-ageiron-age

Tall el-Hammam

Map showing the location of Tall el-Hammam
Coordinates
31.8402°N, 35.6737°E

About Tall el-Hammam

Tall el-Hammam (also spelled Tell el-Hammam) is a large Bronze and Iron Age tell in the eastern Jordan Valley north of the Dead Sea, proposed by some scholars as the location of biblical Sodom.


Archaeological Evidence

Excavated beginning in 2005 under Steven Collins, the site shows a substantial Middle Bronze Age city with evidence of a sudden, high-temperature destruction event.


Biblical Connection

Collins and others argue that Genesis 13:10-12's description of the "circle of the Jordan" better fits a site near the Jordan's entrance to the Dead Sea than the traditional southeastern candidates, Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira. This is a minority position relative to the southern-plain identification among conservative scholars, and the dating and identification have drawn published critique. Neither position is presented here as settled.