Three Ancient Storage Jars Unearthed at Biblical Shiloh

Archaeologists working at Tel Shiloh in the West Bank have uncovered three large, well-preserved storage jars dating back thousands of years, near the area where the biblical Tabernacle is believed to have stood. The find was made in the latest stage of the annual excavation season run by the Shiloh tourism site and the Mishkan Shiloh association, in cooperation with the Archaeology Staff Officer at the Ministry of Heritage.

The jars appeared during deep digging in a trench that had already yielded about 10,000 animal bones, many Late Bronze Age pottery vessels, and gold and silver offerings. The current dig was designed to reach bedrock and complete the site's stratigraphic sequence. Instead, the team found the jars in a very early Middle Bronze Age layer, below the Late Bronze Age remains and beneath Iron Age strata.

Researchers plan detailed laboratory excavation and a series of scientific tests to determine the jars' exact date and original use. Their initial assessment is that the vessels were used to store agricultural produce, possibly grapes, wine, olive oil, and other goods that formed part of daily life there thousands of years ago.

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the excavation proves Jewish historical ties to the land, while Binyamin Council head and Yesha Council chairman Israel Gantz called Shiloh one of the strongest pieces of evidence for the deep roots of the Jewish people in the region. Benny Har Even, head of the Civil Administration Archaeology Staff Officer in Judea and Samaria, said the finds add to what is known about Shiloh, where the Tabernacle stood for centuries, and stressed that archaeological work in the area is far from finished.