Archeology cannot prove that the Bible is God’s written word to us. However, archeology can (and does) substantiate the Bible’s historical accuracy. Archaeologists have consistently discovered the names of government officials, kings, cities, and festivals mentioned in the Bible — sometimes when historians didn’t think such people or places existed. For example, the Gospel of John tells of Jesus healing a cripple next to the Pool of Bethesda. The text even describes the five porticoes (walkways) leading to the pool. Scholars didn’t think the pool existed, until archaeologists found it forty feet below ground, complete with the five porticoes.7

The Bible has a tremendous amount of historical detail, so not everything mentioned in it has yet been found through archaeology. However, not one archaeological find has conflicted with what the Bible records.8

In contrast, news reporter Lee Strobel comments about the Book of Mormon: “Archeology has repeatedly failed to substantiate its claims about events that supposedly occurred long ago in the Americas. I remember writing to the Smithsonian Institute to inquire about whether there was any evidence supporting the claims of Mormonism, only to be told in unequivocal terms that its archaeologists see ‘no direct connection between the archeology of the New World and the subject matter of the book.’” Archaeologists have never located cities, persons, names, or places mentioned in the Book of Mormon.9

Many of the ancient locations mentioned by Luke, in the Book of Acts in the New Testament, have been identified through archeology. “In all, Luke names thirty-two countries, fifty-four cities and nine islands without an error.”10

Archeology has also refuted many ill-founded theories about the Bible. For example, a theory still taught in some colleges today asserts that Moses could not have written the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), because writing had not been invented in his day. Then archaeologists discovered the Black Stele. “It had wedge-shaped characters on it and contained the detailed laws of Hammurabi. Was it post-Moses? No! It was pre-Mosaic; not only that, but it was pre-Abraham (2,000 B.C.). It preceded Moses’ writings by at least three centuries.”11

Another major archaeological find confirmed an early alphabet in the discovery of the Ebla Tablets in northern Syria in 1974. These 14,000 clay tablets are thought to be from about 2300 B.C., hundreds of years before Abraham.12 The tablets describe the local culture in ways similar to what is recorded in Genesis chapters 12-50.

Archaeology consistently confirms the historical accuracy of the Bible.

http://www.everystudent.com/features/bible.html#3

Chart listing some of the major archaeological finds…

ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIND SIGNIFICANCE
Mari Tablets Over 20,000 cuneiform tablets, which date back to Abraham’s time period, explain many of the patriarchal traditions of Genesis.
Ebla Tablets Over 20,000 tablets, many containing law similar to the Deuteronomy law code. The previously thought fictitious five cities of the plain in Genesis 14 (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar) are identified.
Nuzi Tablets They detail customs of the 14th and 15th century parallel to the patriarchal accounts such as maids producing children for barren wives.
Black Stele Proved that writing and written laws existed three centuries before the Mosaic laws.
Temple Walls of Karnak, Egypt Signifies a 10th century BC reference to Abraham.
Laws of Eshnunna (ca. 1950 BC)

Lipit-Ishtar Code (ca. 1860 BC)

Laws of Hammurabi (ca. 1700 BC)

 Show that the law codes of the Pentateuch were not too sophisticated for that period.
Ras Shamra Tablets Provide information on Hebrew poetry.
Lachish Letters Describe Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Judah and give insight into the time of Jeremiah.
Gedaliah Seal References Gedaliah is spoken of in 2 Kings 25:22.
Cyrus Cylinder Authenticates the Biblical description of Cyrus’ decree to allow the Jews to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (see 2 Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1:2-4).
Moabite Stone Gives information about Omri, the sixth king of Israel.
Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III Illustrates how Jehu, king of Israel, had to submit to the Assyrian king.
Taylor Prism Contains an Assyrian text which detail Sennacherib’s attack on Jerusalem during the time of Hezekiah, king of Israel.
PAST CHARGES BY CRITICS ANSWERED BY ARCHAEOLOGY
Moses could not have written Pentateuch because he lived before the invention of writing. Writing existed many centuries before Moses.
Abraham’s home city of Ur does not exist. Ur was discovered. One of the columns had the inscription “Abram.”
The city built of solid rock called “Petra” does not exist. Petra was discovered.
The story of the fall of Jericho is myth. The city never existed. The city was found and excavated. It was found that the walls tumbled in the exact manner described by the biblical narrative.
The “Hittites” did not exist. Hundreds of references to the amazing Hittite civilization have been found. One can even get a doctorate in Hittite studies at the University of Chicago.
Belshazzar was not a real king of Babylon; he is not found in the records. Tablets of Babylonia describe the reign of this coregent and son of Nabonidus.