Dr. Dylan Johnson

But also then they start to describe certain geological features that pretty much seal the deal. So the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, there's really no doubt that they're talking about the region of the Dead Sea. Just the reference to sulfur or King James' brimstone is a very basic geological reality of the area. I don't know if you've ever visited the Dead Sea or anything around there.

But also then they start to describe certain geological features that pretty much seal the deal. So the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, there's really no doubt that they're talking about the region of the Dead Sea. Just the reference to sulfur or King James' brimstone is a very basic geological reality of the area. I don't know if you've ever visited the Dead Sea or anything around there.

But also then they start to describe certain geological features that pretty much seal the deal. So the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, there's really no doubt that they're talking about the region of the Dead Sea. Just the reference to sulfur or King James' brimstone is a very basic geological reality of the area. I don't know if you've ever visited the Dead Sea or anything around there.

It's a strange alien world. It's absolutely going to be inspiring of stories reflecting on what could have possibly happened here to make this place like this. And so you can imagine stories being spun just based on the experience of being at the Dead Sea. Salt, complete lack of vegetation, sulfur, extreme heat. I mean, the temperatures around the Dead Sea regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

It's a strange alien world. It's absolutely going to be inspiring of stories reflecting on what could have possibly happened here to make this place like this. And so you can imagine stories being spun just based on the experience of being at the Dead Sea. Salt, complete lack of vegetation, sulfur, extreme heat. I mean, the temperatures around the Dead Sea regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

It's a strange alien world. It's absolutely going to be inspiring of stories reflecting on what could have possibly happened here to make this place like this. And so you can imagine stories being spun just based on the experience of being at the Dead Sea. Salt, complete lack of vegetation, sulfur, extreme heat. I mean, the temperatures around the Dead Sea regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

It's kind of hellish, really. So surely if there were cities here, they must have done something horrible to result in this, especially when everything around is more or less fairly fertile.

It's kind of hellish, really. So surely if there were cities here, they must have done something horrible to result in this, especially when everything around is more or less fairly fertile.

It's kind of hellish, really. So surely if there were cities here, they must have done something horrible to result in this, especially when everything around is more or less fairly fertile.

For the most part, at least as the narratives are concerned, I'd say no. I think these narratives are what we call etiologies, because in both Genesis 14 and especially Genesis 18-19, they really conclude with explanations for what the landscape looks like. Now, were there cities there? Yes, there were cities there, especially in the early Bronze Age.

For the most part, at least as the narratives are concerned, I'd say no. I think these narratives are what we call etiologies, because in both Genesis 14 and especially Genesis 18-19, they really conclude with explanations for what the landscape looks like. Now, were there cities there? Yes, there were cities there, especially in the early Bronze Age.

For the most part, at least as the narratives are concerned, I'd say no. I think these narratives are what we call etiologies, because in both Genesis 14 and especially Genesis 18-19, they really conclude with explanations for what the landscape looks like. Now, were there cities there? Yes, there were cities there, especially in the early Bronze Age.

So these would have been ruins by the time biblical writers are composing these stories. So you can kind of imagine that. And maybe I can touch a little bit on the fact that there were archaeological surveys in and around the region. Scholars looking for Sodom and Gomorrah, of course. Serious surveys also going on in the 1970s. Thomas Schaub. and his co-director, Walter Rast.

So these would have been ruins by the time biblical writers are composing these stories. So you can kind of imagine that. And maybe I can touch a little bit on the fact that there were archaeological surveys in and around the region. Scholars looking for Sodom and Gomorrah, of course. Serious surveys also going on in the 1970s. Thomas Schaub. and his co-director, Walter Rast.

So these would have been ruins by the time biblical writers are composing these stories. So you can kind of imagine that. And maybe I can touch a little bit on the fact that there were archaeological surveys in and around the region. Scholars looking for Sodom and Gomorrah, of course. Serious surveys also going on in the 1970s. Thomas Schaub. and his co-director, Walter Rast.

They did a fairly thorough survey of the region in 1973. They do find a couple of sites, Bad-e-Dara, which is an early Bronze Age site. So early Bronze Age is putting us somewhere around 3200 to 2000 BCE, something like that. And this was a fairly big site, and it did come to a fairly dramatic end around the end of the early Bronze Age there.

They did a fairly thorough survey of the region in 1973. They do find a couple of sites, Bad-e-Dara, which is an early Bronze Age site. So early Bronze Age is putting us somewhere around 3200 to 2000 BCE, something like that. And this was a fairly big site, and it did come to a fairly dramatic end around the end of the early Bronze Age there.

They did a fairly thorough survey of the region in 1973. They do find a couple of sites, Bad-e-Dara, which is an early Bronze Age site. So early Bronze Age is putting us somewhere around 3200 to 2000 BCE, something like that. And this was a fairly big site, and it did come to a fairly dramatic end around the end of the early Bronze Age there.

And then about 13 kilometers south of that, they found another site, Numaira. So there we have our two, Sodom and Gomorrah. Pick which one you want to be which. And it also is destroyed around this time period. But again... This puts us about 1,500 years between the destruction of those cities and the composition of those texts.

And then about 13 kilometers south of that, they found another site, Numaira. So there we have our two, Sodom and Gomorrah. Pick which one you want to be which. And it also is destroyed around this time period. But again... This puts us about 1,500 years between the destruction of those cities and the composition of those texts.