At the outset of this, I have to proclaim that I am not an archaeologist. I am just a person who is fascinated by ancient history and wants to understand how the Bible fits into history. That being said, I have found that there are some ramifications of ancient history that we ignore sometimes, when we listen to archaeologists tell us like it is.
Let's start at the beginning. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). During the six "days" of creation, God made man. Now some have considered the term "day" in the first passage to refer to ages, rather than literal days. However, I have to point out that the Hebrew word used here is yowm which is most often translated as "day" (24 hours). Study for yourself and decide which theory matches the Bible and history the best.
Now I'm going to start a timeline that runs from major historical events (i.e. A.A. for after Adam, and P.F. for post flood). From the creation of Adam and Eve, the Bible tells us specifically how long of a time we had from Adam to Flood. Because you cannot be certain of the total month count, I have approximated the number of years from Adam to Flood to be 1756 years (give or take 5 years). So, a few key things about this pre-flood time: First of all, if you carefully measure on a timeline, with all overlaps taken into account, you will find that the oldest man recorded in the Bible (Methuselah) died in the same year as the flood. This brings up the startling question, did he die by the Flood? This is an interesting consideration when you realize that Methuselah's father (Enoch) is mentioned in Jude as being a preacher of righteousness. Enoch was raptured because of his walk with God (that is what the Bible tells us in Genesis 5).
Prior to the flood, we have several descriptions of all sorts of technological advances. The society was fully invested in arts, music, and probably had a culture that would rival modern society. However, they would not have had computers or such, since they didn't need them. They themselves were probably smarter and could handle the complex equations that computers usually do by themselves. In fact, if you believe in the 7 literal days of creation you can easily accept that men were genetically and mentally superior in the pre-flood society which began to decay following the flood. Scientifically, this is probably a direct result of UV radiation.
Then on to the Flood! Could such a thing really have ever happened? Well, I think the evidence is pretty strong for it. Archaeological evidence has pulled up the "Epic of Gilgamesh" a tale from ancient Babylon that speaks of a great flood and a hero who survives it. While there are many scholars who suggest that this story pre-dates the Bible's account of the flood, I believe it gives accuracy to the Bible. The earliest known record of Gilgamesh is from about 2150-2000 B.C. This means that it would have been written about the time of Abraham. Now, from my calculations, Abraham left the Mesopotamian region about 380 years after the flood. What is more, is that Shem (a flood survivor) would still have been alive according to the Bible. So, if Shem was alive, why didn't he set the record straight? Well, the possibility is that Shem spoke a different language thanks to what his grand-nephew did at Babel 300 years before the legends of Mesopotamia were written down.
Scientifically, the evidence for the flood exists as well. First, many shells have been found on the tops of mountains. Some have suggested that this is caused by the lifting process that formed the mountains. However, that theory fails to explain why the shells are still shells and not fossils, since they are supposedly millions of years old. No, the reality is that Noah's flood covered every single mountain on the Earth, in fact, the flood probably caused some of those mountains. When the flood waters receded, we read that it was very gradual. The gentle decline of the water level would have left those shells resting comfortably on the mountain top without causing significant erosion. A second evidence for the flood is found in geological strata. Scientists suggest that strata are caused over long periods of time of material being left, petrified, and a new layer formed on top of it. The question to this theory then comes from hundreds of trees that have been petrified through several different layers signifying that the tree there for millions of years while it was petrified! No, it is much saner and more logical to just believe in a massive worldwide flood.
There are so many other things that can be considered when looking at the Bible, the Flood, and Creation. The simple reality that I see, however, is that evolution requires more faith to believe in than Creationism. What is more, the physical records of this world seem to support the Bible as accurate more than they support the gradual evolution and billion year development of the world. Take it as you will, but I will believe in a literal 7 day creation followed by a worldwide flood about 1750 years later. But for you, you either believe that the Bible is accurate, which supports that it is God given, or you think it is flawed, making it a useless document to modern society. But remember this, those who believe the Bible have a 50% chance of being right, and if they're wrong- according to modern society's beliefs- they still win. So I encourage you to look closer at the evidence.
