Archaeologists excavating in Israel say they have found ruins that could point to the original location associated with the Ark of the Covenant, the revered gold-covered chest described in the Bible.
Biblical accounts say Moses placed the Ten Commandments inside the Ark, which was housed in the Tabernacle, a sanctuary constructed after the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt — an event some scholars traditionally date to around 1445 BC.
What ultimately happened to the Ark is unknown. It disappears from the biblical narrative before the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Researchers with the Associates for Biblical Research (ABR), working at the biblical site of Shiloh in the West Bank, say their latest findings add weight to the idea that the area may have hosted the Tabernacle for more than three centuries, as described in scripture.
The excavation team reported uncovering further sections of wall from a large structure they believe may have been connected to the Tabernacle, as well as artifacts linked to worship and newly recognized defensive features.
Dr. Scott Stripling, who directs the Tel Shiloh excavation, said the new evidence is allowing researchers to piece together the size and layout of the monumental building while offering fresh clues about how it may have been used.
One of the most important developments, according to the team, was the identification of the structure’s southern wall.
The building runs on an east-to-west axis and appears to have proportions that the researchers say resemble those given for the biblical Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary associated with the Israelites after the Exodus.
A new theory has suggested that the Ark was built using ancient Egyptian religious symbols as a theological rebuke, a statement that the Israelite God was superior to Egyptian gods because he required no idol, and because his presence was not confined to a statue
Last year, Stripling’s team announced they had uncovered a monumental building from the Iron I period whose dimensions appeared to align with the biblical description of the Tabernacle.
The latest findings do not prove that identification, but archaeologists said they strengthen the case.
‘The discovery of the southern wall now enables our researchers to reconstruct the full dimensions of the building and better evaluate its function and significance,’ Stripling said in a blog post on the Bible Archaeology Report.
Adding to the mystery, excavators have also unearthed numerous objects associated with worship activities in and around the structure, including altar horns, ceramic pomegranates and murex shells.
The shells are particularly intriguing because they were used to produce the blue dye associated with priestly garments described in the Bible.
The discoveries build on previous finds at Shiloh, where researchers uncovered more than 100,000 animal bones, predominantly from sheep, goats and cattle.
Many of the bones came from the right side of the animals, a detail that mirrors Leviticus 7, which states that portions from the right side were reserved for priestly offerings.
Shiloh occupies a central place in biblical history. Located about 19 miles north of Jerusalem, the city is described in the Book of Joshua as the place where the Israelites established the Tabernacle after conquering the Promised Land.
The team uncovered additional walls belonging to a massive structure that may have formed part of the Tabernacle
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The team uncovered three large Canaanite storage jars dating to the period before the arrival of the Israelites. The jars contained charred remains of common food staples, including olives, wheat and lentils
It was there that Joshua divided the land among the tribes of Israel. It was also the home of Eli, the high priest, and the place where the prophet Samuel was raised.
The Bible portrays Shiloh as Israel’s first religious and political capital.
In 1 Samuel 4, the Israelites bring the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh to the battlefield during a war with the Philistines, hoping it will guarantee victory.
Instead, the Ark is captured, and Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are killed.
When a messenger returns to Shiloh and tells the elderly priest that the Ark has been taken, Eli falls backward from his seat near the city gate, breaks his neck and dies.
This year, excavators also uncovered additional walls belonging to Shiloh’s northern fortification system.
The findings indicated the complex was built as a bent-axis gate and contained multiple rooms, providing new insight into the city’s defenses and urban planning.
The discoveries add weight to earlier suggestions by Stripling that his team may have identified the gate complex mentioned in the biblical account of Eli’s death.
The most significant breakthrough came with the discovery of the structure’s southern wall
Meanwhile, excavators working in another area of the site made a separate discovery that sheds light on Shiloh’s earliest history.
The team uncovered three large Canaanite storage jars dating to the period before the arrival of the Israelites.
The jars contained charred remains of common food staples, including olives, wheat and lentils.
Archaeologists plan to conduct radiocarbon testing on the contents to establish a more precise date for the destruction layer associated with the finds.
‘These discoveries provide an important window into the earliest occupational phases of Shiloh and help us better understand the site’s history before the Israelite settlement,’ Stripling said.
Despite the excitement surrounding the discoveries, archaeologists cautioned that they have not found the Ark of the Covenant itself, nor have they definitively proven that the monumental structure is the Tabernacle.
Instead, the latest excavation season has provided new evidence that appears to align with the biblical narrative.
