What can archeology contribute to biblical studies?

Answer

Archaeology can contribute to study of the Bible by informing us of the events that occurred in biblical times, their context, the probable sizes of armies and cities, whether nations were really as prosperous as indicated in the Bible, and often even the cultural and ethnic makeup of a region.

If the biblical study is for the purpose of understanding the Bible and the background to events in the Bible, archaeology can be used to confirm or contradict the biblical account. The Palestine Exploration Fund was established in 1865 by a group of British churchmen and biblical scholars who sought to use archaeology to restore faith in the Bible. This led to biblical archaeology being regarded as a discipline in its own right. Basic to biblical archaeology as a discipline and field of study is a strong belief in the historicity of the Bible. For many biblical archaeologists, the field is geared primarily towards proving the accuracy of the biblical narratives.It is claimed that biblical archaeologists argue that when the evidence from an archaeological excavation does not fit that from the Bible, they should conclude that the archaeological evidence is incomplete or incorrectly interpreted. Modern archaeologists have moved away from this narrow view of the purpose of archaeology and accept the evidence, regardless of its impact on literal interpretation of the Bible.