Biblical Characters Whose Existence has been confirmed from Archaeological or secular Historical Sources

1. Josephus
2. Contemporary Roman Records
3. Coins with inscription of The Great King Agrippa, Friend of Caesar.
4. Basalt fragment of a Nabatean inscription refers to Agrippa, the King (Could be either I or II).

1. Josephus
2. Contemporary Roman records
3. Coins with likeness & inscription of King Agrippa
4. Basalt fragment (see Agrippa I above)
5. Monumental stone inscription found in Beirut mentions Herod Agrippa and Bernice.

1. Cuneiform tablets of Shalmaneser III's at Qarqar.
2. Mesha Stela (Moabite Stone) refers to him as Omri's son but does not call him by name.

1. Audience Hall at Persepolis has relief of Xerxes with father, Darius.
2. Palace at Persepolis portrays Xerxes on door.

3. Clay tablet archives chronicle his life.

4. Seals found in Egypt are inscribed Xerxes, the great king.

5. Elephantine papyri dated by his reign.

6. Herodotus histories

1. Cuneiform inscription of Tiglath Pileser's campaign against Palestine (called Jehoahaz).
2. Seal with inscription belonging to Usna, Minister of Ahaz
3. Bulla with impression Ahaz (son of) Jotham King of Judah.

1. Josephus

1. Josephus

1. Josephus
2. Coins carry inscription Herod the Tetrarch
3. Inscription on Cos & Delos name Herod the Tetrarch.

1. Contemporary Histories - Dio Cassius

2. Josephus

3. Coins that have inscription Ethrarch or Herod or Ethrarch Herod.

1. Josephus

2. 20 inscriptions use his name & reign for dating.

3. Inscription at Khirbet et Tannur dates setting up of alter to his 2nd year.

4. Inscription at Madeba calls him Ahe who loves his people.

5. Coins with his likeness

2. Elephantine papyri use dates based on his reign.

3. Herodutus.

1. Library of cuneiform tablets found at Kuyunjik

2. Ruins of buildings with extensive sculptures at Ninevah

3. Annals of Ashurbanipal - clay prism

1. Full biography found in long Greek & Latin inscription in Ankara, Turkey

2. Inscription celebrating his birthday

3. Coins

4. Statuary

5. Contemporary histories

1. Bulla bought in Jerusalem antiquities market in 1975

2. Bulla in the collection of Shlomo Moussaieff. This bulla actually shows a fingerprint on the back.

1. Stone monument of treaty with King Pygmalion of Tyre.

2. Stele dedicated to god, Baal Melqart found at Aleppo bears an Aramaic inscription that mentions Barhadad, son of Tabrimmon, son of Hezion, King of Aram.

1. Roman records including Suetonius and Dio Cassius

2. Josephus

3. Monumental stone inscription found in Beirut mentions King Agrippa and Bernice.

1. Josephus tells us his name was Joseph Caiaphas

2. Ossuary found in Jerusalem in 1990 has Hebrew inscription that reads AJoseph, son of Caiaphas.

1. Roman historical records by Suetonias, Orosius, Tacitus and Dio Cassius

2. Coins with his name

3. Statuary

1. Inscription from Pasargadae saying, 'I am Cyrus..."

2. Nabonidus Chronicle - cuneiform inscription

3. Cyrus cylinder

4. Historical records by Herodotus and Aeschylus

5. Tomb at Pasargadue in SW Iran

1. Behistun Rock inscription celebrating his victories over contenders to the throne

2. Copy of Behistun inscription found on papyrus at Elephantine

3. Palace & Audience Hall at Persepolis with numerous reliefs and inscriptions portraying Darius

4. Numerous cuneiform tablets

5. Other papyri found at Elephantine

1. Josephus

2. Suetonius history

1. Stele depicting victory over Egypt & Tyre

2. Commemorative stone tablet recounting the rebuilding of Babylon

3. Cuneiform clay prism contains annuals of Esarhadden

4. Bronze plague in Louvre depicting Esarhadden and mother Nagia

5. Many other cuneiform tablets

1. Cuneiform tablet about the family of Nabonidus

2. Cuneiform tablet listing kings

1. Tacitus, Suetonius histories

2. Josephus

3. Known to have struck at least two coins but they do not bear his name.

1. Josephus history

2. Struck at least one coin but it bears the name, of Nero, not Festus

1. Inscription at Delphi found in 1905 by E. Bourguet in which the emperor Claudius calls Gallio his friend and proconsul of Achaia.

2. Senaca, Pliny, Dio Cassius and Suetonius.

1. Josephus

2. Mishna calls him Gamaliel the Elder.

1. Silver vessel from shrine at Tell-el - Maskhuta with Aramaic inscription stating that it was presented by Cain, son of Geshem, King of Qedar.

2. Lihyanite inscription names Geshem along with the Persian governor of Dedan.

1. Ivory inlay fragment found at Arslan Tash bears the name Hazael

2. Cuneiform inscriptions of Shalmaneser III military campaigns

3. Inscription on statue mentions Barhadad, son of Hazael.

Mt. 2:1 - King of Judea

1. Coins which have inscription Herod the King

2. Great builder of many monuments

3. Josephus

4. Inscription on column from Sica honored Herod

5. Pot sherds found at Masada - one says Herod, King of the Jews

1. Coins simply bear name Herod or Herod the tetrarch

2. Josephus

1. Clay bulla in Israel Museum bears inscription, Jehozara,...servant of Hezekiah.

2. Sennacherib records shutting Hezekiah up like a bird in Jerusalem and twice more mentions him elsewhere

1. Stele records defeat of Apries by Amasis (in Cairo Museum)

2. Palace found at Memphis

3. Vase has a painting of Apries head and name in hieroglyphics

4. Stele depicts him making offering to gods.

1. Seal purchased at Sothebys reads Belonging to Abdi, servant of Hoshea

2. Tiglath-Pilser III records helping Hoshea come to throne.

1. 4 pottery handles stamped with a seal that reads belonging to Eliakim, steward of Jehoiachin.

2. Cuneiform tablets found in Babylon record rations given to Jehoiachin, King of Judah.

1. Black obelisk of Shalmaneser III in British Museum depicts Jehu bowing and tells of the tribute of Jehu, son of Omri.

2. Cuneiform tablet of Shalmaneser III, also records receiving tribute from Jehu.

1. Seal, signet ring found at Ezion Geber (Elath) inscription - belonging to Jotham also ram in seal - in Smithsonian Institution.

2. Bulla in collection of Shlomo Moussaieff which reads Ahaz (son of) Jotham, King of Judah.

1. Josephus

2. Inscription for dedication of temple at Abila mentions Lysanias the Tetrarch

1. Seal reading belonging to Manassah, the son of the King may be from time when he was crown prince.

2. Esarhaddon lists AManassah, King of Judah on Prism B which lists those who contributed material to his new palace.

3. Ashurbanipal, on Cylinder C, lists Manassah, King of Judah as being forced to accompany him on his Egyptian campaign.

1. Stele for a land grant depicts Merodach-Baladar and has text about him.

2. Babylonian chronicle

3. King List A

4. Numerous cuneiform inscriptions of Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon II, and Sennacherib.

5. Cuneiform cylinder written by Merodach-Baladar boasting of driving out Assyrians.

1. Many cuneiform inscriptions - Babylonian Chronicle; building dedications.

2. Clay bricks of Babylon contain his name

3. Boundary stone from Sippar records land grant by Nebuchadnezzar

4. Business texts dated by Nebuchadnezzar's reign.

1. Sculpture in University Museum

2. Ushabti

3. Bowl found at Persepolis bears name and titles.

4. Stele at Sidon with name in hieroglyphics

1. Cuneiform tablets of contracts.

2. Tablets tell that he rebuilt temples.

3. Cuneiform text tells of military campaign into Cilicia.

1. Coins bear his name and likeness.

2. Statues

3. Contemporary historians

1. Mesha stele (Moabite stone) tells that Omri, King of Israel subjugated Moab.

2. Assyrian records refer to Israel as Omri-land or the house of Omri.

3. Black obelisk refers to Jehu, son of Omri.

1. Tiglath-Pileser III records in an annalistic text that he overturned Pekah.

2. Pottery jar at Hazor from the time of Pekah is inscribed with name Pekah.

1. Josephus

2. Coins with inscription Philip the Tetrarch.

3. Nabatean text mentions erection of a statue in the year 33 of our Lord Philip.

1. Josephus, Tacitus, Philo

2. Latin inscription found in 1961 at Theater in Caesarea tells us that Pontius Pilate, the prefect of Judea built a temple for Tiberius.

3. Coins that are known to be Pilate's do not bear his name.

1. Palace found at Ninevah.

2. Another palace found with reliefs of Tiglath-Pileser

3. Numerous cuneiform tablets including 2 King lists and the annals of Tiglath-Pileser.

1. Inscription found in Antioch of Pisidia names Quirinius as legatus.

2. Contemporary histories - Tacitus

3. Josephus

1. Cuneiform tablet of Tiglath-Pileser III lists tribute received from Rezin

2. Tablet tells of fall of Damascus and names Rezin.

1. Aramic papyrus from Elephantine refers to the sons of Sanballat, governor of Samaria.

2. Scrolls found in Waid Daliyeh refer twice to a son of Sanballat ... once in a sealing and once in an Aramaic test.

1. Palace found at Khorsabad with multiple carvings of Sargon in relief.

2. Extensive cuneiform texts tell about his exploits and reign (which include the annals & Sargon's prism).

3. Fragment of stele found at Ashdod and erected after Sargon's victory.

1. Prism of Sennacherib records that he besieged Jerusalem and made Hezekiah a prisoner in Jerusalem, his royal residence - like a bird in a cage.

2. Palace at Ninevah records his siege of Lachish with portraits and name of Sennacherib

3. Extensive cuneiform texts

1. Babylonian Chronicle cites his activities.

2. Name found on boundary stone to date an event to his third year.

3. Bronze weight has inscription which contains his name.

4. Babylonian King list records him.

1. Massive reliefs on temple of Amun at Karnak.

2. Mummy case in Cairo Museum.

3. Victory stele at Megiddo.

4. Gold bracelet found in tomb of grandson is inscribed with Shishak's name.

5. Chair of a seated statue found at Byblos bears Shishak's name.

1. Josephus

2. Contemporary Roman historians.

3. Numerous statues.

4. Coins with inscription and portrait.

5. Inscription from Caesarea when Pontius Pilate dedicated a temple to Tiberius.

1. Inscribed stele tells of Taharka's rise to the throne.

2. Funerary stele of an Apis bull dated to 26th year of Taharqa.

3. Numerous stele and building inscriptions.

4. Art objects with his name.

5. Tomb found, but empty.

6. Numerous cuneiform texts of Assyrian Kings Esarhaddon and Ashurpanipal - Senjirli stele actually has picture of Taharqa.

1. Family tomb from 6th century B.C. that bears name Tobiah.

2. Name found in the Zenon papyri.