7 Shocking Discoveries By Dr. Steven Collins That Point To The Real Sodom

Contents

Dr. Steven Collins, a name synonymous with one of the most explosive and controversial claims in modern biblical archaeology, continues to dominate headlines and academic debate as of December 2025. His decades-long excavation work in the Jordan Valley has led to a stunning proposal: the discovery of the biblical city of Sodom, a claim that challenges nearly a century of archaeological consensus and introduces a cataclysmic "cosmic airburst" event into the narrative of the ancient world. The sheer scale and nature of the destruction he uncovered at the site of Tall el-Hammam have ignited a global curiosity, forcing both believers and skeptics to re-examine the historical reality behind the Book of Genesis.

The core of Dr. Collins’s work centers on a massive Middle Bronze Age city, Tall el-Hammam, which he argues perfectly matches the geographical and chronological requirements for the "Cities of the Plain," including Sodom. While the excavation phase at this monumental site is now complete, the analysis, publication, and subsequent debates—including a scheduled appearance at the Cosmic Summit 2025—ensure that Steven Collins remains a figure at the forefront of the quest to merge faith and science. His most recent efforts involve opening a new excavation site to train the next generation of biblical archaeologists, cementing his legacy beyond the Sodom discovery.

Steven Collins: A Brief Biography and Professional Profile

Dr. Steven Collins is the Chief Archaeologist and Director of the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. His professional life has been dedicated to merging archaeological evidence with biblical texts, a pursuit that has often placed him at odds with mainstream academia.

  • Full Name: Dr. Steven Collins (sometimes cited as Steven E. Collins or Steve Collins).
  • Primary Occupation: Biblical Archaeologist, Educator, Author.
  • Key Role: Chief Archaeologist and Director of the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project (TeHEP).
  • Academic Affiliation: Director of the Ph.D. Program in Archaeology & Biblical History at Veritas Evangelical Seminary (VES).
  • Education: B.U.S. from the University of New Mexico (1972); Ph.D. from Trinity Theological Seminary; Post-Doctoral Studies in archaeology, theology, and law, with a focus on Levantine ceramic typology.
  • Major Publications: Discovering the City of Sodom: The Biblical Evidence Is the Best Evidence, and numerous articles in academic and popular journals.
  • Current Status: Actively involved in post-excavation research, publishing, and directing a new training excavation site following the completion of the Tall el-Hammam phase.

The Tall el-Hammam Excavation: Seven Pillars of the Sodom Claim

Dr. Collins's argument for Tall el-Hammam being the true Sodom is built on a series of archaeological and geographical observations that he believes are more compelling than any other proposed site, such as Bab edh-Dhra, the long-standing traditional candidate. His team's findings, meticulously documented over 16 seasons, paint a picture of an extraordinarily large and prosperous city that was suddenly and violently destroyed.

1. The Monumental Size and Location

Tall el-Hammam is a massive site, covering approximately 100 acres during the Middle Bronze Age (MB). It was the largest city in the southern Jordan Valley, dominating the region known in the Bible as the *Kikkar* or "District of the Jordan." Collins argues that the biblical description of Sodom as a major city in a well-watered area perfectly matches the geographical context of Tall el-Hammam, located north of the Dead Sea. This sheer scale is a key factor in his identification.

2. The "Mega-City" of the Middle Bronze Age

The excavations revealed a fortified "mega-city" with towering mudbrick defensive walls, gates, and an upper and lower city, indicating a sophisticated and highly populated urban center. This prosperity aligns with the biblical description of the Cities of the Plain before their destruction, suggesting a major hub of civilization and commerce.

3. The Unique Destruction Layer

The most compelling, yet controversial, evidence is the uniform destruction layer across the entire site, dated to approximately 1650 BCE. This layer is characterized by an ash and debris field roughly 1.5 meters thick, containing pottery shards melted into glass, bubbled mudbrick, and human remains showing signs of extreme heat and disarticulation. This suggests a catastrophic event far beyond a typical fire or earthquake.

4. Evidence of a Cosmic Airburst Event

In 2021, a paper co-authored by Dr. Collins and a team of scientists proposed that the destruction was caused by a massive cosmic airburst—an explosion in the atmosphere—larger than the 1908 Tunguska event. The evidence presented included:

  • Shocked quartz grains.
  • Microscopic diamonds (nanodiamonds).
  • Spherules of melted material rich in platinum and iridium.
  • High-temperature minerals like zircon and monazite that formed instantaneously at temperatures exceeding 2,000°C.

This theory provides a scientific mechanism for the biblical account of "fire and brimstone" raining down from the sky, destroying the city in an instant.

5. The "No-Man's-Land" Hiatus

Following the cataclysmic destruction, the entire region of the Jordan Valley where Tall el-Hammam is located remained uninhabited for an estimated 600 years. Archaeologists call this a "settlement hiatus." Dr. Collins argues that this extended abandonment is consistent with the biblical narrative of a land rendered desolate and uninhabitable by divine judgment, possibly due to the fallout from the airburst.

6. The Ceramic Typology Match

Collins's research into Levantine ceramic typology suggests that the pottery found at Tall el-Hammam is chronologically and stylistically correct for the time frame of the biblical narrative of Sodom. His expertise in this area is a key pillar of his academic defense of the site's dating and cultural context.

7. The New Excavation for Training

In a move that signals his enduring commitment to the field, Dr. Collins has recently opened a new excavation site for training purposes, following the conclusion of the Tall el-Hammam dig. This effort is focused on educating the next generation of archaeologists in the methodologies of biblical archaeology, ensuring his unique approach continues to influence the discipline.

The Fierce Controversy and Academic Critique

Despite the sensational nature of the Tall el-Hammam findings, Dr. Steven Collins's conclusions are highly contested within the archaeological community. The debate centers on two main areas: the identification of the site and the cosmic airburst theory itself.

Many mainstream archaeologists reject the Tall el-Hammam identification, arguing that the biblical Sodom should be located south of the Dead Sea, with sites like Bab edh-Dhra being the traditional and more geographically plausible candidates. Critics argue that Collins’s interpretation of the geographical data in Genesis is flawed and that the dating of the destruction layer at Tall el-Hammam (Middle Bronze Age) is too late for the traditional Early Bronze Age dating preferred by many scholars for the destruction of Sodom.

Furthermore, the cosmic airburst theory, published in the journal *Scientific Reports*, has faced significant scientific critique. Other researchers have challenged the mineralogical and geochemical evidence, arguing that the destruction could be explained by more conventional phenomena, such as a large-scale fire combined with seismic activity. The debate over the origin of the high-temperature materials—whether they are truly evidence of an impact or the result of other processes—remains a hot-button issue in both archaeology and planetary science.

Steven Collins, however, remains steadfast in his defense, pointing out that the critiques often fail to account for the unique combination of evidence—the massive city, the unparalleled destruction, and the centuries-long abandonment—all of which, in his view, point unequivocally to the fulfillment of the biblical narrative at Tall el-Hammam. His continued speaking engagements, including an upcoming appearance at Cosmic Summit 2025, show his commitment to presenting his evidence directly to the public and scientific community alike.

7 Shocking Discoveries by Dr. Steven Collins That Point to the Real Sodom
steven collins
steven collins

Detail Author:

  • Name : Kenyon Carter
  • Username : zfritsch
  • Email : iwisoky@parisian.org
  • Birthdate : 1998-01-22
  • Address : 1391 Marvin Villages Apt. 585 Lake Opal, CT 00214-7558
  • Phone : +1.458.842.7986
  • Company : McKenzie-Brown
  • Job : Library Science Teacher
  • Bio : Ut amet sit reprehenderit accusantium. Illum magnam velit consequatur alias dolorem. Temporibus temporibus laborum quae nihil. Omnis occaecati qui ducimus. Doloremque eos beatae est rerum fugiat.

Socials

tiktok:

twitter:

  • url : https://twitter.com/rita_id
  • username : rita_id
  • bio : Rem voluptatem excepturi asperiores sit. Omnis voluptas eos velit qui qui. Voluptatem rem dolorem tenetur impedit.
  • followers : 2977
  • following : 705

linkedin:

facebook:

instagram:

  • url : https://instagram.com/rita4837
  • username : rita4837
  • bio : Eum ullam illum delectus quia. Aut dolore officia pariatur.
  • followers : 3380
  • following : 1777