Book of Mormon archaeology

Book of Mormon archaeology is the endeavor to find physical evidence of the ancient peoples and societies described in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is a history of three groups of people who migrated from the Middle East to the Americas: the Jaredites, who departed with their language intact at the destruction of the Tower of Babel; the Mulekites, who departed from Jerusalem around 550 B.C. upon the Babylonian invasion; and the Nephites/Lamanites, who departed from Jerusalem just before the Babylonian invasion and destruction of the city. The Nephites/Lamanites, descendents of the tribe of Joseph, are the main focus of the book. The Book of Mormon is meant to be a religious account, a message of Christ's dealings with branches of Israel, but it also contains records of wars and contentions, the rise and fall of governments, migrations, and genealogies.

There are certain main focuses of Book of Mormon archaelogy:

• Attempting to determine the land route taken by Lehi and his family (father of the Nephites and Lamanites) from Jerusalem, through Arabia, to "Bountiful," from where they launched out by sea to the Americas.
• Attempting to determine where Lehi's party first landed and settled in the Americas.
• Attempting to determine from loose descriptions of geography where various tribes and groups settled.
• Attempting to decide whether the Book of Mormon peoples spread over both North and South America, or whether they inhabited only a small, isolated area.
• Attempting to determine whether any currently existing Amerindian tribes are descendants of the Nephites/Lamanites.
• Attempting to determine what other populations of people co-existed with the Book of Mormon peoples. (See John L. Sorenson, When Lehi's Party Arrived in the Land, Did They Find Others There?)

The information in the Book of Mormon both helps and hinders these investigations:

• A massive and widespread earthquake is described, happening at the time of Christ's crucifixion. The earthquake altered many geographical features previously described in the book, sinking whole land masses into the sea, raising mountains from valleys, and sinking mountain ranges into valleys.
• The Book uses "the narrow neck of land" as an anchoring geographical description. People of our day automatically visualize this as the area of Panama. Because of the earthquakes, this may or may not be correct.
• The metal plates, from which the Book of Mormon was translated, were found in New York, but ruins showing Middle Eastern influence (such as pyramids) are found in South America and Central America.
• Book of Mormon writers made casual mention of ores, crops, and animals without citing their origins. For instance, corn became a staple, but could not have been brought over from the Middle East. Nor could it have grown wild in the New World. Someone else in the New World must have been cultivating corn, and they in turn, must have trained the Nephites to do it.
• Geography is not exactly described, being secondary to the religious message.

Methods used in Book of Mormon archaeology:

• Archaeological digs
• Investigation of clues given in the book regarding populations, building methods, implements, geography, etc.
• Finding hints of Middle Eastern connections in remnant societies—legends, languages, art, archetecture, social structures
• DNA research looking for Middle Eastern descendancy of current Amerindian populations

Geography

The Land of Bountiful

The Book of Mormon records that the prophet Lehi left Jerusalem and went on a long journey through the wilderness, finally coming to a rest along the shoreline at a place they referred to as Bountiful, which was so named for its being richly fertile. The description of this place in conjunction with the rough location of it (on the Arabian Peninsula) has for a long time been a source of consternation as such places of rich fertility have not been well known to exist along the Arabian Peninsula. However, researches surveying the area have found that such places exist and have even given thought to pinpoint the location more exactly using further details recorded by Nephi.

The Land of Nahom

Another old world geographical feature from Lehi's journey is the land of Nahom. This is an area briefly mentioned (1 Nephi 16:34) as being the location where Lehi's part buried Ishmael. Hugh Nibley and others have noted that the phrasing used in the Book of Mormon ("the place that was called Nahom") would appear to indicate the the name was a preexisting one, as opposed to a name given to the place by Lehi's party.

Ross T. Christensen, an archaeology professor at BYU, found evidence of a candidate location of this Nahom in a map drawn by Carsten Niebuhr, who during the 1700 was a famous German explorer. Niebhur's map showed a Nehhm (in semitic languages, consonant sounds are key), which shows great relation to Nahom, the N-H-M signifying "comfort". Various other references to to a tribe of Nihmites have been found and documented as well, making it very likely that Lehi's party buried Ishmael in their lands.

Quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl is the "White bearded God" or the "Serpent God" from the legend of Quetzalcoatl of the ancient Aztecs. In Mormon circles, he is often identified with Jesus Christ due to some similarities in the characters.

References

• The Arabian Bountiful Discovered? Evidence for Nephi's Bountiful by Warren P. Aston of FARMS
• New Light: "The Place That Was Called Nahom": New Light from Ancient Yemen by S. Kent Brown of FARMS
• The relationship between Quetzalcoatl, the Myan Maize God and Jesus Christ by Diane E. Wirth of FARMS