When Lehi embarked on his journey around 600 B.C., little did he know that millions of people would read and wonder about his story thousands of years later. While there is still much to learn about the people and stories in the Book of Mormon, some of the best archaeological evidence to support the Book of Mormon comes from Lehi’s journey to the promised land. Seven notable locations are...

Two months ago, in November 2019, a colleague and I visited the best (actually only credible ) candidate for the River of Laman and the Valley of Lemuel in Saudi Arabia. We were astounded to find that the small year-round stream flowing down wadi Tayyib al Ism had extended several hundreds of yards beyond its usual limit, this time reaching to within about 40 yards of the Red Sea coast...

At the turn of the new year, the BYU Studies Quarterly officially removed its paywall, making all its content available free immediately upon publication. This is a blessing to those Latter-day Saints studying 1 Nephi 1–7 right now for their Come Follow Me study. The latest issue—which would normally be behind a paywall for non-subscribers—includes an excellent article by Warren Aston,...

On October 28, 2019, Dr. Stephen Houston, one of the leading Maya archaeologists in the world, currently the Dupee Family Professor of Social Sciences at Brown University, gave the inaugural John L. Sorenson Lecture, sponsored by the BYU Department of Anthropology and Book of Mormon Central. Houston’s presentation, entitled, “Recovering a Lost World: The LiDAR Revolution and Ancient Maya Warfare...

While the majority of the events described in the Book of Mormon took place in the Americas, the opening chapters are set in the ancient Near East. They tell of a prophet named Lehi, who, with his family and others, fled from Jerusalem. After traveling for years through a harsh wilderness, they reached a lush coastal region where they set sail across the ocean. Fortunately, the prophetic author...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently released a Gospel Topics essay which reiterates the Church’s neutrality on the subject of Book of Mormon geography. “The Church takes no position on the specific geographic location of Book of Mormon events in the ancient Americas,” the essay reads. “Church members are asked not to teach theories about Book of Mormon geography in Church...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement today concerning the geography of the Book of Mormon in the form of a new Gospel Topics essay titled “Book of Mormon Geography.” The new essay begins with this declarative statement: “The Church takes no position on the specific geographic location of Book of Mormon events in the ancient Americas. Church members are asked not to...