Steven Collins

Steven Collins (born September 11, 1950) is an American archaeologist and a professor with the College of Archaeology at the unaccredited Trinity Southwest University in Albuquerque, New Mexico, an institution that states that biblical scriptureis the "divinely inspired representation of reality given by God to humankind, speaking with absolute authority in all matters upon which it touches". Collins is also the Professor of Archaeology and Biblical History along with Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Veritas International University, which is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools which requires all accredited schools to have a statement of faith that affirms "the inerrancy and historicity of the Bible" and "the divine work of non-evolutionary creation including persons in God's image". He has been an archaeologist for 30 years, researching and teaching on Near Eastern archaeology and biblical studies.

Collins is the chief archaeologist and co-director of the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project in Jordan, working with the Department of Antiquities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He began the project in 2005, and his archaeological investigations have found the remains of a fortified city that was destroyed circa 1850–1650 BCE. In the late 2000s, Collins claimed that the site was likely to be the location of the biblical city of Sodom. The Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project is located in Jordan, about 14 km northeast of the Dead Sea, an area east of the Jordan River straddling Highway 65, just north of the Dead Sea (31°50′25″N 35°40′27″E / 31.84028°N 35.67417°E / 31.84028; 35.67417). Burnt brick and melted pottery were found at the site and in the Jordon River valley near Sowayma, and skeletons were twisted and mangled.

Based on the literal use of biblical numbers, Professor Eugene H. Merrill believes that the identification of Tall el-Hammam with Sodom would require an unacceptable restructuring of the biblical chronology. Collins has responded to these arguments.

Collins's Near Eastern archaeology work in Jordan is the topic of his current book about the location of biblical Sodom. He has appeared on US and international television and radio programs. He has also lectured in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

• Let My People Go!: Using historical synchronisms to identify the Pharaoh of the Exodus, Trinity Southwest University Press, 2012 ISBN 978-0615687940
• With Latayne C. Scott. Discovering the City of Sodom: The Fascinating, True Account of the Discovery of the Old Testament's Most Infamous City, Howard Books 2013 ISBN 978-1451684308