Well DNA evidence backs up the Bible.
NOVA Online | Lost Tribes of Israel | Tracing the Cohanim
According to biblical accounts, the Jewish priesthood began about 3,000 years ago when Moses anointed his older brother Aaron the first high priest. Ever since, the priestly status has been handed down from father to son through the ages.
If this hereditary tradition has been closely followed, the Y chromosomes of the Cohanim today should bear some resemblance to one another because of their unbroken link back to a common ancestor, Aaron.
Genetic studies among Cohanim from all over the world reveal the truth behind this oral tradition. About 50 percent of Cohanim in both Sephardic and Ashkenazic populations have an unusual set of genetic markers on their Y chromosome. What is equally striking is that this genetic signature of the Cohanim is rarely found outside of Jewish populations.
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Cohanim chromosomes coalesce at a date that corresponds with when the priesthood is thought to have begun.
I agree that the Bible is a great book of history, and not just of literature. And I am frequently amazed that educated people -- people who think themselves intellectuals -- ask me why I or anyone sensible would read the Bible, when it would never occur to them to ask why I might read, say, Herodotus. (I do have a degree in History.)
And I am also amazed that ignoramuses express extreme skpeticism about any claim in the Bible, even if it should be obvious that at the time of the writing both the author and the audience would have been knowledgeable about the then-recent history or theology.
So no, I am not surprised that the Old Testament contains accurate history about the Hebrews and their neighbors. And for passages covering major theogical, military and political affairs, I'd say the burden of proof is generally on anyone who claims that the Bible is false.