Sodom and Gomorrah were the original sin cities that captured the sheer horror of what happens when entire cities follow after their own lusts and as a single social unit, act together in going against the face of God. For a long time, the cities have remained mythical by words and a subject of undying legend. But now, archaeological discoveries seem to point to the very least, their very existence.
Popular Archaeology reports that Professor Steve Collins and his team from Trinity Southwest University in New Mexico have dug up ruins that indicate these may be the site of the ancient cities.
The interest comes from the canonical Biblical text which has outlined the tale of how Abraham, the father of the Judeo-Christian tradition, negotiated with God himself to spare these should at least ten righteous people be found in their midst.
Apparently not even ten righteous people existed in Sodom and Gomorrah as the angels proceeded to rain fire and brimstone on the wicked inhabitants, effectively rendering the ancient cities into a pile of dust and ashes. According to the Torah and the New Testament, the faults that have incurred the ire of God were Sodom and Gomorrah's lack of concern over the poor and its immoral sexual perversions. The story has been regarded as no more than a fairy tale by secular circles, but the recent findings may yet change all that.
According to the report, Collins claims that his archaeological team discovered "a goldmine of ancient monumental structures and artifacts that are revealing a massive Bronze Age city-state that dominated the region of Jordan's southern Jordan Valley."
Excavations had started as early as ten years ago. "What we've got on our hands is a major city-state that was, for all practical purposes, unknown to scholars before we started our project," he says.
The name of the city which was discovered is "Tall el-Hammam." The significance is that the city "seemed to match every Sodom criterion demanded by the text."
Many other reports and documentaries have featured the possible origins and historical veracity of the Sodom and Gomorrah story. In 2006, an ancient history documentary was released on the subject and featured investigations on the charred remains of the eastern Dead Sea. Josh Bernstein, who hosted Digging for the Truth "Sodom And Gomorrah - The Real Sin City," journeyed to the region of Jordan in search of compelling evidence for the legendary story. His discoveries have intrigued archaeologists both secular and religious alike.
