Figure 50

Klinker of melted pottery from Tall el-Ḥammâml  © 2014  Michael C. Luddini

The 4.5-inch-long klinker of melted pottery (large piece to the left in the photo) that was discovered in the MB layer at Tall el- Ḥammâm. To the right are two smaller pieces of trinitite from ground zero at Trinity New Mexico. Photo by Michael C. Luddini

Dr. Steven Collins reported on the significant destruction at TeH in Biblical Archaeology Review and stated that:

Across Tall el-Ḥammâm, archaeologists found widespread evidence of an intense conflagration that left the Middle Bronze Age city in ruins. They found scorched foundations and floors buried under nearly 3 feet of dark grey ash, as well as dozens of pottery sherds covered with a frothy, “melted” surface; the glassy appearance indicates that they were briefly exposed to temperatures well in excess of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the approximate heat of volcanic magma. Such evidence suggests the city and its environs were catastrophically destroyed in a sudden and extreme conflagration. Steven Collins, “Where Is Sodom? The Case for Tall el-Hammam,” BAR 39, no. 2 (2013): 41.