Introduction
The names ' Sodom and Gomorrah' have long been associated with God's judgment of sin. The word 'sodomy' is still found in the English language as a legal term for unnatural sexual acts. To many, these names are only stories or myths from out of the past. Sodom and Gomorrah, however, were a part of a larger agricultural confederation of cities which were known as the cities of the plain. Genesis 13:12,13 The five Cities of the Plain included Sodom, Gomorrah, Zoar, Admah and Zeboim. Genesis 19:22 It appears that the cities of the plain have been found. Archaeological evidence points to five ruined cities which support evidence of the Biblical cities of the plain.
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Location
The search for the cities of the plain begins with some scholars saying they were non-existent. ( 1918 - W. F. Albright; 1948 - Martin Noth and finally Noldeke). Noldeke's rejection was based upon the idea that no route east of the Jordan River existed, as was described in the Biblical account. Evidence to support ancient Eastern travel in Abraham's day was discovered in a clay tablet from Babylonia, and also from a group of tablets found near the edge of present day Syria, at the site of the ancient city of Mari. On the Babylonian tablet a contract was found with the stipulation that a wagon was rented on condition that it was not driven to the Mediterranean coast.
Later, the actual route was found by Nelson Glueck. A very recent discovery made at the ancient site of Ebla has revealed the historical existence of the Cities of the Plain. University of Rome excavators, Giovanni Pettinato and Paolo Matthiae have translated tablets taken from the ruins and report that on one of the tablets a trade list is recorded which includes the Cities of the Plain. This is the first record of these cities mentioned outside of the Bible. The interesting fact is that the names of the Cities of the plain are spelled the same as they are in Scripture.
Early Attempts
In 1924 W. F. Albright, led an expedition in order to locate the Cities of the Plain. After an investigation of the area with little success, Albright concluded that the Cities of the Plain were swallowed up by the Dead Sea as it swelled with water and they were covered forever. This theory was further substantiated by Ralph E. Baney's discovery in 1960 of a small tree in the growth position beneath the southern basin of the Dead Sea. This showed that the continuous filling of the Dead Sea had taken land which was once exposed, supporting W. F. Albright's theory. Albright did, however, find the ruins of a great fortress, Bab edh-Dhra built of stone overlooking the deep ravine of Wadi Kerak. Taking into consideration the lack of occupational debris and seven fallen limestone monoliths found a short distance east of Bab edh-Dhra, Albright concluded that this was a place of pilgrimage where annual feasts were celebrated. He concluded that Bab edh-Dhra was directly related to the Cities of the Plain because it was unoccupied about the time the Cities of the Plain were destroyed 2000 B.C. or a little earlier.