Archaeologists say newly uncovered walls, ritual objects, and fortifications at biblical Shiloh may strengthen the case that they are excavating a site connected to Israel’s ancient Tabernacle — though researchers stress that the Ark itself has not been found.
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Archaeologists excavating biblical Shiloh say new discoveries may strengthen the case that they have uncovered ruins connected to the ancient Israelite Tabernacle — the sacred worship center where Scripture says the Ark of the Covenant once rested.
The findings were reported after the eighth excavation season at Shiloh by Associates for Biblical Research, whose team has been working on the northern end of the ancient site, located about 19 miles north of Jerusalem in Judea and Samaria, also known internationally as the West Bank.
According to the Bible, Shiloh was the place where the Israelites set up the Tabernacle after entering the Promised Land, and it served as a major center of worship for more than 300 years.
The Ark of the Covenant, described in Scripture as the gold-covered chest containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments, remains one of the most famous missing objects in biblical history. The Bible records its presence in Israel’s worship life, but the Ark disappears from the biblical record before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
This season, ABR archaeologists located the southern wall of a large monumental building that runs east to west and appears to have proportions similar to the biblical description of the Tabernacle. The discovery allows researchers to reconstruct the full dimensions of the structure and better evaluate its possible function.
Dr. Scott Stripling, director of the Tel Shiloh excavation, said the newly uncovered wall “now enables our researchers to reconstruct the full dimensions of the building and better evaluate its function and significance,” according to Bible Archaeology Report.
The architectural discovery is not the only reason the site is drawing renewed attention. In and around the monumental structure, archaeologists have recovered worship-related artifacts, including ceramic pomegranates, altar horns, and murex shells. The shells are especially significant because they were used in antiquity to produce blue dye, which is associated in Scripture with priestly garments and sacred service.
Researchers have also reported animal bones from sacrificial contexts, with many coming from the right side of the animals — a detail some scholars note may echo Leviticus 7, where the right portion is assigned in connection with sacred offerings.
The 2026 excavation season also revealed more of Shiloh’s ancient defensive system, including additional walls, a bent-axis gate complex, and multiple rooms. Researchers say the discoveries provide a clearer picture of the city’s layout and defenses during its early periods of occupation.
“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.
In Area D, archaeologists also uncovered three large Middle Bronze Age storage jars, or pithoi, beneath later levels. The jars contained charred remains of olives and wheat, and ABR plans to conduct radiocarbon testing to help establish a more precise date for the associated destruction layer.
For Bible-believing Christians and Jews, Shiloh carries enormous spiritual and historical weight. It was at Shiloh that Joshua allotted the tribal inheritances, Eli ministered as priest, Hannah prayed for a son, and the prophet Samuel grew up in service before the Lord.
Still, researchers are urging caution. No Ark of the Covenant has been found, and the newly defined structure has not been conclusively identified as the Tabernacle. Yet the discoveries at Shiloh are significant. They continue to place the biblical world in real geography, real history, and real stones — reminding modern readers that the faith of Scripture was not born in myth, but in places where people worshiped, prayed, sacrificed, failed, repented, and encountered the living God.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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