Dead Sea Search for Sodom and Gomorrah

Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, artist John Martin, 1852.

A Russian company is reportedly searching the bottom of the Dead Sea for the remains of Sodom and Gomorrah. The search is a joint effort between Russia and Jordan, with the Russian company selected because of its special underwater exploration equipment that can stand up to the extreme salinity of the Dead Sea.

According to Archaeology News:

Biblical archaeologists have several theories as to where the Sodom and its associated cities were located. According to the Torah, God overturned Sodom, Gomorrah, and three other cities because of their degeneration, sin and iniquity, turning a once fertile plain into a stark wasteland. Abraham, who prayed for the cities, was unable to prevent God from mandating their destruction.  

Archaeologists and geologists have suggested that a major earthquake or meteor storm might have been the means by which it occurred. Research has centered on the area around the Dead Sea, and the modern city of Sodom, and nearby Mount Sodom, which is made almost completely of rock salt, is considered the most likely site of the ancient cities. 

Recent NASA photographs of the area ~ indicating that the bottom of the sea is littered with debris and objects not found in other bodies of water ~ are further evidence that the cities are on the Jordanian side of the sea.

Click here for the article.