The list of archeological and historical claims of the Book of Mormon compared to non-apologetic evidence

Welcome to Evidences of Mormon. This site provides you with an overview of what the Book of Mormon claims from an archeological or historic viewpoint, and compares it to non-apologetic (apologetic meaning "speak to defend") scientific and historical resources. The purpose of this site is to provide you with a more complete overview of what is claimed by the book and not just the anachronisms. My goal is to provide you with a neutral viewpoint on what possible evidences there may be of these claims so that you can come to your own conclusions instead of relying on the information presented by critics and apologists. I also recommend that you don't take my word for it either, but do some of your own homework.

You should read the introduction at least once (if you haven't already) so that you are aware of the legend and color codes used below and how the rating system works.

This site is still in its infancy. It's not even in beta mode yet. This list is still being actively researched.

Table of contents

The list of claims in the Book of Mormon

The group from Asia: The Jaredites (at the time of the tower of Babel)

The Jaredites are the first chronological group of people in the Book of Mormon, though their journey is recorded near the end of the book in the book of Ether. They are discovered in the lands north of the descendants of Lehi, which is the group that most of the Book of Mormon records. Mormon scholars have believed this group to have come "from some center of population in Asia" since at least 1927.

Bees:

The Book of Mormon claims the existence of bees

Invalid

Bees in the Americas The Book of Mormon does not contain a claim that bees were found in the Americas.

Confirmed

Bees in the Near East at the early estimated time of the tower of Babel Bees are known to have been used for their honey since about 3000 BC in Egypt, but have been present in the Ponto-Caspian steppe for much longer.

Tents:

The Book of Mormon claims that people used tents in the ancient Near East and Americas.

Appears doubtful

Ancient tents in the Near East at the early estimated time of the tower of Babel Both the Bible and the Book of Mormon claim that tents were used anciently in the Near East. Current archeological evidence indicates that tent use in the Near East began in the mid-2nd millennium BC, about 1000 years after the early estimated times in the Book of Mormon and much older than the claims in the Bible.

Confirmed

Ancient tents in the Americas at the early estimated time of the tower of Babel Tent rings in Northern America have been dated between 8000 to 2000 BC.

The group from Jerusalem: The start of the journey of Lehi (estimated about 600 BC)

The family of Lehi is the group that is covered from the beginning of the Book of Mormon. According to the Book of Mormon, Lehi is a descendant of Joseph who was sold into Egypt.

Middle Eastern DNA in the American Indian population:

The Book of Mormon claims that the family of Lehi dwelt in Jerusalem and descended from Joseph of Egypt. This family then makes their way to the Western Hemisphere. This should indicate some genetics from West Asia or mid-Eurasia should be found in the native population of the Western Hemisphere.

Strong plausibility

DNA from the Middle East in American Indian population As of November 2013, both National Geographic and Smithsonian magazine are reporting on a DNA finding in Siberia reported by Nature. Two genome structures contain markers that are specifically unique to Native Americans. Both of them also bear markers that derive from the Middle East and Western Eurasia with no close affinity to east Asians. It estimates that 14 to 38% of Native American ancestry may originate through this gene flow. According to our current understanding of mtDNA dating, this genome was already present in the native population at the time the Book of Mormon claims and Lehi's DNA would have blended indistinguishably with this genome.

The valley of Lemuel and river of Laman:

The Book of Mormon claims that a valley can be found between 2 to 3 days from the northern-most shore of the Red Sea. The book specifically claims that the valley is close to the shore of the Red Sea, and that a river which runs through it empties directly into the sea. In the book the father of the family builds an altar at this location.

Strong plausibility

A valley with a river close to the shore of the Red Sea between 2 and 3 days walking distance from the northern most point of the sea Satellite imagery and photography confirms that at Lat/Long 28.563416 N, 34.808121 E is a valley which has a water source sufficient enough to grow palm trees and green vegetation. As one photographer mentions in broken English the valley also contains a shrine.

The brass plates:

The Book of Mormon claims that a record was kept on brass plates prior to the invasion and captivity of Babylon

Strong plausibility

Records engraved on brass or other metal plates in Jerusalem near the invasion of Babylon Evidence has been found revealing that important messages were engraved into metal objects at the time just prior to the captivity of Babylon.

Steel:

The Book of Mormon claims the existence of steel in or around Jerusalem before the invasion and captivity of Babylon

Confirmed

Steel prior to the Babylon invasion (the steel bow of Nephi, and the steel sword of Laban) Steel has been discovered in the Near East that dates to 2000 BC.

The compass:

The Book of Mormon claims that there was a ball that directed the family of Lehi. The term 'a compass' is used to describe the ball.

Invalid

Liahona as a magnetic compass The Book of Mormon does not describe the Liahona as a magnetic device.

Confirmed

A word that means circle, orb, or sphere that also translates literally to the term 'a compass' from an ancient Hebrew text. This occurs in the translation of the Old Testament.

Informational

A literary analysis of the usage of the word Liahona

A place called Nahom:

The Book of Mormon claims that the family of Lehi stopped at a location that was named Nahom. According to the book this is the location where a member of the group is buried after he passes away during their travel. The family travels eastward from this point for the remainder of their journey in the Arabian Peninsula.

Confirmed

An ancient area sounded out as NHM near a massive burial site on a major ancient trade route which connects the eastern Arabian shores to the north/south trade routes An altar dated to 700 BC was found in southern Yemen bearing a Pablaean inscription of a place which is phonetically sounded out as NHM. It was found where the ancient Frankincense trail turns east near the massive burial site of the temple of Awwam.

Arrival in the New World

The cow and the ox:

The Book of Mormon claims that the cow and the ox were found in the Americas

Appears doubtful

The bos taurus cow and ox in the pre-Columbian era There is no evidence to suggest that the bos taurus cow and ox existed in the Americas prior to Columbus.

Confirmed

A native cow and ox of the bovinae genus in the pre-Columbian era There are two genera of the bovinae genus that are native to the American continent which term their genders as cow and ox. One of these is sometimes disputed as belonging with the bos subgenus.

Horses:

The Book of Mormon claims that horses were found on the American continent after the arrival of at least two groups of people

Possible

Horses in the Western Hemisphere before Columbus Horse bones have been unearthed in California that have a radiocarbon date between 1625 and 1705. At 1705 the closest Spanish mission was over 550 miles away. The remains also lack tell-tale signs of Spanish ownership. Additional remains have also been discovered in Wyoming that date between 1400 AD and 1633 AD.

The expansion of the government: The reign of the judges (estimated about 100 BC)

Silk:

The Book of Mormon claims the word silk to identify a type of clothing owned by the inhabitants of the pre-Columbian Americas.

Appears doubtful

Silk as defined in modern English in the pre-Columbian Americas The ingredients are there for a low quality silk from a native type of silkworm but the evidence is lacking.

Confirmed

מֶשִׁי (meshi) in the Pre-Columbian era מֶשִׁי translates from Hebrew to English as 'silk' twice in the Old Testament. It most accurately means 'a costly garment material.' Its shortened translation is almost always seen as the word silk.

Confirmed

שֵׁשׁ (shesh) in the Pre-Columbian era שֵׁשׁ translates from Hebrew to English as 'silk' once in the Old Testament. It most accurately means 'fine twined weave' and can represent any textile that is finely woven; but is almost always linen. As a stand alone word it means 'six,' but can also be used for 'blue' or 'marble' depending on its context.

Cement:

The Book of Mormon claims that cement was becoming a common building material in an area of the Americas just before the beginning of the Common Era.

Confirmed

Structures made of cement north of a narrow neck of land dating near the beginning of the Common Era Charcoal from Teotihuacan found under an ancient concrete slab radiocarbon dates between 50 BC and 110 AD. Teotihuacan is located in Mexico near Mexico City just north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and further north of the Isthmus of Panama.