006 Sodom And Salt in Their Ancient Near Eastern Cultural Context

Introduction to the article by Dr. David E. Graves, titled “Sodom And Salt in Their Ancient Near Eastern Cultural Context.” Near East Archaeological Society Bulletin 61 (2016): 18–36. In 1993, Flanagan, McCreery, and Yassine first coined the term 'Late Bronze Gap' to describe the 500-year period in which the Jordan Valley and Tall Nimrin went unoccupied between 1500 and 1000 B.C. Now, a potential explanation for this gap has been uncovered. Recent soil analysis of the region has revealed abnormally high levels of toxic salt and sulfate compounds in the destruction level above the Middle Bronze layer, making it impossible for settlers to repopulate the area. This discovery is consistent with the biblical narrative of Lot's wife being turned into a pillar of salt in Genesis 19:26. This is also in line with the ancient Near East custom of throwing salt on property that symbolized infertility and barrenness, and the practice of using salt to violate a covenant and its associated curse. Thus, the Late Bronze Gap can be explained by the catastrophic destruction of the Cities of the Plain, which affected the entire Jordan Valley and left it barren and infertile.

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