Discover how archaeological evidence validates the historical claims of the Book of Mormon, the cornerstone of Latter-day Saint belief
Despite ongoing criticism and attempts to undermine its credibility, the Book of Mormon has stood the test of time, said John Clark, an archaeology professor at BYU in Provo. Scholars and church leaders have provided both compelling archaeological evidence and spiritual inspiration, he added. “The Book of Mormon is unique in world scripture because its claimed divine origins can be evaluated by checking for concrete evidence in the real world,” he added.
While critics of the Book of Mormon have claimed that archaeology is on their side, decades of archaeological investigation in Mesoamerica and in the Old World has shown a pattern of increasing convergence that favors the Book of Mormon’s authenticity, Clark said.
Metal records in stone boxes
According to Joseph Smith’s personal account, he received the gold plates from the Angel Moroni at Hill Cumorah in Manchester, New York, on Sept. 22, 1827. Smith said he found the gold plates in a stone box. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website said these plates were later translated into the Book of Mormon, which professed to contain the gospel of Jesus Christ. Initially dismissed, the notion of concealing metal records in stone boxes now finds support in documented ancient practices, said Clark.
“Today we know that the stone boxes were used by ancient Native Americans to preserve sacred objects, particularly in Mesoamerica, which most scholars believe is the only plausible location for the New World Book of Mormon events,” Clark said. He added there are multiple examples of sacred stone boxes in the National Archaeological Museum in Mexico and that writing sacred records on metal plates was a known practice in the ancient Middle East.
Clark concluded, “We know that there were advanced writing systems in ancient Mesoamerica. Things that were laughable among the general public and unknown ... in 1830 have become more established today.”
Archaeological researcher Christopher A. Pool pointed out that the stone offering boxes discovered in Mesoamerica parallel the narrative of the golden plates. “For instance, early stone boxes resembling those described have been found at the late Olmec site of Tres Zapotes in Veracruz, Mexico. Numerous offering boxes have emerged from excavations at Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital [and modern Mexico City], particularly at the Templo Mayor site,” he said. These discoveries provide intriguing parallels with the Book of Mormon narrative, suggesting potential archaeological correlations that align with its descriptions of ancient practices in the Americas, he added.
These Hebrew names occur consistently throughout the Book of Mormon, from beginning to end, spanning over 1,000 years of recorded history. This continuous use of Hebrew names supports the book’s claim of originating from an ancient Hebrew-speaking people.
Hebrew onomastics
Matthew Bowen, a BYU-Hawaii associate professor in Religious Education who has doctorate in a Biblical Studies, presented a compelling argument for the ancient origins of the Book of Mormon through a detailed analysis of its onomasticon, or its collection of names. “These Hebrew names occur consistently throughout the Book of Mormon, from beginning to end, spanning over 1,000 years of recorded history. This continuous use of Hebrew names supports the book’s claim of originating from an ancient Hebrew-speaking people,” Bowen said.
Bowen referenced the use of the name “Nephi” in the Book of Mormon, noting its connection to Egyptian and Hebrew roots, where it can mean “good” or “beautiful.” He explained the phrase “Nephi, having been born of goodly parents” carries profound meaning, reflecting the deeper significance of names throughout the text.
In one of his journals in The Interpreter Foundation, Bowen said such an approach opens powerful interpretive possibilities for understanding the messages and teachings of the Book of Mormon. These names are far more than mere literary decorations; they serve as active elements that connect back to significant moments in biblical narrative history and emphasize key themes of the authors and narrators.
“Recognizing these moments enhances our appreciation of the Book of Mormon as a complex, rich, and often beautiful scripture, which stands as the product of ancient authors and editors rather than a modern creation,” Bowen said.
According to his book “Ancient Names in the Book of Mormon: Toward a Deeper Understanding of a Witness of Christ,” this analysis is particularly relevant in the context of archaeological evidence of the Book of Mormon. “The presence of Hebrew onomastics throughout the text aligns with the book’s narrative of an ancient Israelite origin. It suggests that the names and their intricate meanings were preserved through generations, supporting the historical and cultural claims of the Book of Mormon,” Bowen writes.
“he convergence of these descriptions with archaeological findings and historical records supports the argument that the warfare depicted in the Book of Mormon is reflective of actual ancient American practices. This alignment lends credence to the text’s authenticity and its value as a historical document.
The art of war
One of the events chronicled in the Book of Mormon is the extensive warfare between the Nephites and the Lamanites. In Mormon 6 to 8, Moroni provided a detailed account of the Nephites’ final, cataclysmic battle against the Lamanites at the Hill Cumorah, resulting in the complete annihilation of the Nephites. Moroni recounted, “The Lamanites have hunted my people, the Nephites, down from city to city and from place to place, even until they are no more; and great has been their fall; yea, great and marvelous is the destruction of my people, the Nephites.”
Clark said the depiction of warfare in the Book of Mormon is distinct from anything Joseph Smith could have known or imagined. He pointed out, “In the book, one reads of fortified cities with trenches, walls and palisades. Mesoamerican cities dating to Nephite or earlier times have been found with all these features.” This observation underscores the historical and archaeological authenticity of the descriptions within the text, he added.
Clark’s study also says the Book of Mormon features various weapons and armaments aligning with items documented in Mesoamerican history. These include bows, arrows, swords, slings, clubs, spears, shields, breastplates, helmets, and cotton armor. This is reflected in Mosiah 9:16: “And it came to pass that I did arm them with bows, and with arrows, with swords, and with cimeters, and with clubs, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons which we could invent.”
The final battle at Cumorah involved staggering numbers of troops, including Nephite battle units of 10,000, said Clark. He said Aztec documents describe armies of over 200,000 warriors divided into major divisions of 8,000 warriors plus 4,000 retainers each. “The convergence of these descriptions with archaeological findings and historical records supports the argument that the warfare depicted in the Book of Mormon is reflective of actual ancient American practices. This alignment lends credence to the text’s authenticity and its value as a historical document,” he said.
William J. Hamblin, a professor at BYU in Provo, highlighted the existence of wooden swords in Mesoamerican warfare in his article “Warfare in the Book of Mormon.” He said Aztec swords were often made of wood and sometimes edged with stone blades. Hamblin said, “There are indications of wooden swords in the Book of Mormon—how else could swords become stained with blood?”
Archaeological correlations in Mesoamerica
In Clark’s comprehensive analysis of Mesoamerican archaeology and its correlation with the Book of Mormon, he highlights several compelling points of convergence. Clark states: “Mesoamerica is a land of decomposing cities. Their pyramids, temples and palaces are all items mentioned in the Book of Mormon but foreign to the gossip along the Erie Canal. Cities show up in all the right places and date to time periods compatible with Book of Mormon chronology,” Clark said.
One of the more unusual and specific claims in the Book of Mormon is that houses and cities of cement were built by 49 B.C. in the Land Northward, a claim considered ridiculous in 1830, he added. “As it turns out, this claim receives remarkable confirmation at Teotihuacan, the largest pre-Columbian city ever built in the Americas. Teotihuacan is still covered with ancient cement that has lasted over 1,500 years,” he said.
According to Scripture Central website, all Book of Mormon peoples had kings who ruled cities and territories. “The last Jaredite king, Coriantumr, carved his history on a stone about 400 B.C., an event in line with Mesoamerican practices at that time. A particular gem in the book is that King Benjamin ‘labored’ with his ‘own hands’ [in Mosiah 2:14], an outrageous thing for Joseph Smith to have claimed for a king. It was not until the 1960s that anthropology caught up to the idea of working kings and validated it among world cultures,” the website shares.
Polynesian Lamanites
In a 1976 talk to Samoans, President Spencer W. Kimball claimed the Nephite explorer Hagoth is the common ancestor of all Polynesians, identifying them as descendants of Lehi. “I thought to read to you a sacred scripture which pertains especially to you, the islanders of the Pacific. It is in the sixty-third chapter of Alma [He then read the account of Hagoth.] And so, it seems to me rather clear that your ancestors moved northward and crossed a part of the South Pacific. You did not bring your records with you, but you brought a lot of food and provisions. And so, we have a great congregation of people in the South Seas who came from the Nephites, and who came from the land southward and went to the land northward, which could have been Hawaii,” he said.
And then the further settlement could have been a move southward again to all these islands and even to New Zealand, Kimball added. “The Lord knows what he is doing when he sends his people from one place to another. That was the scattering of Israel. Some of them remained in America and went from Alaska to the southern point. And others of you came this direction,” he said.
President Joseph F. Smith declared: “I would like to say to you brethren and sisters from New Zealand, you are some of Hagoth’s people, and there is not perhaps about it!”
According to Mormon Stories website, DNA and other studies conclusively demonstrate that although Polynesians did come from early seafaring cultures, they originated from the West, not from Peru to the East. “Similarities in DNA to American Indians exist only because Polynesians came from a similar group of ancient ancestors in Asia many tens of thousands of years ago,” the website added.
In a journal entry by Robert E. Parsons of the Religious Education department at BYU, titled “Hagoth and the Polynesians,” Parsons stated The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has shown a deep interest in the Polynesian people since its organization in 1830. He said this interest is largely influenced by a brief account in the Book of Mormon about Hagoth, a Nephite shipbuilder who sailed away with others and was never heard from again (Alma 63:4–8).
“The story of Hagoth is recorded in just six verses of Alma 63. After the Nephite Lamanite wars, Hagoth built a large ship in 55 B.C. which sailed north with many people. The ship returned in 54 B.C., was provisioned and sailed north again never to be heard from thereafter. (Alma 63:7–8). An additional ship was launched that year, and it also was never heard from again,”
Parsons explained. Parsons also discussed several other theories, such as the belief that Hagoth’s ships may have reached Hawaii. This theory is supported by statements from Elder Matthew Cowley, an American apostle, who, during a speech in Laie in the 1950s, told the people: “Brothers and sisters, you are God’s children—you are Israel. You have in your veins the blood of Nephi.” Parson said Cowley’s statements have contributed to a lasting belief among some Church members about the connection between Polynesians and the peoples of the Book of Mormon.
Migrating through Mesoamerica
Multiple theories suggest the events described in the Book of Mormon took place in Mesoamerica. Mark Alan Wright, an assistant professor of ancient scripture at BYU in Provo, said many Nephites and Lamanites migrated and established settlements far northward of the core area, thus simply being outside the scope of the text. “In the Book of Mormon, massive migrations were due to persistent Lamanite encroachment from the south, which caused Nephite populations to be perpetually driven northward, beginning with Mosiah’s flight from the city of Nephi to Zarahemla, [which is recorded in Omni 1:12–15,] and culminating centuries later at the Hill Cumorah,” Wright said.
Wright also shared Alma 63 from the Book of Mormon describes significant northward migrations of Nephites around 55 B.C. “In this period, about 5,400 men, along with their families, left Zarahemla for the land northward. Hagoth, a shipbuilder, launched ships to carry more people northward, but some of these ships were never heard from again. The migrations continued, driven partly by Lamanite pressures from the south,” Wright said.
In Wright’s journal article “Heartland as Hinterland,” he said these Nephite migrations led to the establishment of settlements or outposts throughout the centuries in North America. “This theory aims to explain and accommodate historical statements by Joseph Smith and his contemporaries about Nephites and Lamanites in the region,” he said.
John Sorensen, an emeritus professor of anthropology at BYU in Provo, explained the configuration of lands, seas, mountains, and other natural features in Mesoamerica tightly fits the internal requirements of the text. “It is important to stress that finding any sector in the Americas that fits Book of Mormon specifications requires dealing with hundreds of mutually dependent variables. So, rather than counting a credible geography as one correspondence, it counts for several hundred,” Sorensen said.