Archaeologists make unusual find near site where Ark of the Covenant was once kept
Archaeologists recently uncovered ancient food remains at biblical Shiloh, the ancient site where the Bible says the Ark of the Covenant was housed for centuries.The remains were found at Tel Shiloh, an archaeological site in the West Bank that is traditionally identified as biblical Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept before it was taken by the Philistines.The discovery was made beneath an Israelite-period ritual deposit and adjacent to an ancient Canaanite fortification wall, according to the excavation team.'SIGNIFICANT' EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH EMERGES BENEATH FORMER FISH MARKET IN ANCIENT CITYTwo of the jars contained olives, while a third held lentils, according to archaeobotanical analysis — and one of the vessels contained some 500 burned olive pits.The olives in the jar were likely preserved in oil before they were burned thousands of years ago, said Scott Stripling, excavation director and the president of the Near East Archaeological Society.Stripling, who is based in Texas, told Fox News Digital that "some sort of accident" likely started a fire — and ended up preserving the olives for thousands of years."Once it started on fire, then it caught that whole area on fire," he said. "That's what it appears to me.
Reported by 1 outlet — Fox News Latest. See all sources ↓
Archaeologists recently uncovered ancient food remains at biblical Shiloh, the ancient site where the Bible says the Ark of the Covenant was housed for centuries.The remains were found at Tel Shiloh, an archaeological site in the West Bank that is traditionally identified as biblical Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept before it was taken by the Philistines.The discovery was made beneath an Israelite-period ritual deposit and adjacent to an ancient Canaanite fortification wall, according to the excavation team.'SIGNIFICANT' EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH EMERGES BENEATH FORMER FISH MARKET IN ANCIENT CITYTwo of the jars contained olives, while a third held lentils, according to archaeobotanical analysis — and one of the vessels contained some 500 burned olive pits.The olives in the jar were likely preserved in oil before they were burned thousands of years ago, said Scott Stripling, excavation director and the president of the Near East Archaeological Society.Stripling, who is based in Texas, told Fox News Digital that "some sort of accident" likely started a fire — and ended up preserving the olives for thousands of years."Once it started on fire, then it caught that whole area on fire," he said. "That's what it appears to me. But next year we'll have to excavate a broader area to better understand exactly what it was."ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH ANCIENT TREASURE CACHE AT BIBLICAL CITY CONNECTED TO GENESISBefore reaching the jars, archaeologists excavated an Israelite-period ritual deposit containing roughly 10,000 animal bones, pottery vessels and eight gold and silver objects, including pendants and earrings, Stripling said.The deposit was not an ordinary garbage pit, he said — but a favissa, where the remains of sacrificial offerings were deliberately buried rather than discarded with everyday waste."We went through about two meters [6.6 feet] of heavy sort of tumble, and then we came down on these storage jars," he said."At the top, we could see the rims. So we were very careful not to remove any pieces of it, and to keep going down deeper and wider so that we could leave them intact."CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTEREventually, the team made so much progress that it needed ladders to enter and exit the excavation trench.Though the scale of the olive pits was surprising, the types of food were not.
Read the full report at Fox News Latest ↗
Why it matters
A world story we're tracking; its significance and source trust firm up as more outlets confirm it.
- What's the story?
- Archaeologists recently uncovered ancient food remains at biblical Shiloh, the ancient site where the Bible says the Ark of the Covenant was housed for centuries.The remains were found at Tel Shiloh, an archaeological site in the West Bank that is traditionally identified as biblical Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept before it was taken by the Philistines.The discovery was made beneath an Israelite-period ritual deposit and adjacent to an ancient Canaanite fortification wall, according to the excavation team.'SIGNIFICANT' EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH EMERGES BENEATH FORMER FISH MARKET IN ANCIENT CITYTwo of the jars contained olives, while a third held lentils, according to archaeobotanical analysis — and one of the vessels contained some 500 burned olive pits.The olives in the jar were likely preserved in oil before they were burned thousands of years ago, said Scott Stripling, excavation director and the president of the Near East Archaeological Society.Stripling, who is based in Texas, told Fox News Digital that "some sort of accident" likely started a fire — and ended up preserving the olives for thousands of years."Once it started on fire, then it caught that whole area on fire," he said. "That's what it appears to me.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 9m ago.
How outlets are framing the same story
Here's how each outlet is covering the story — compare their headlines and timing at a glance.
- Coverage card1 outlet1CoverageScouting report
Archaeologists make unusual find near site where Ark of the Covenant was once kept
Sources1TypeCoverageFox News Latest