Traces of possible Ark of the Covenant storage site found at Israeli dig

Archaeologists excavating the ancient site of Shiloh in Israel say they have uncovered additional remains of a portable shrine believed to be where the biblical Ark of the Covenant was once kept.

The Associates for Biblical Research (ABR), a nonprofit, announced that recent excavations at Shiloh in the West Bank had revealed the southern wall of a large structure, religious ritual artifacts and a new fortification facility, according to the New York Post on June 30 (local time).

Researchers believe the structure is the portable tabernacle described in the Bible. The Shiloh region is considered an early center of Israelite faith, where the tabernacle is said to have stood for more than 300 years.

According to biblical accounts, the tabernacle housed the Ark of the Covenant — a gold-covered wooden chest containing two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, said to have been placed there by the Israelite leader Moses. The ark appears throughout scripture from around 1445 B.C., when the tabernacle was erected, before disappearing from the record ahead of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

The most significant find of the excavation is the confirmation of the structure's southern wall. Researchers say it is a key clue to determining the building's full dimensions, which align with the biblical description of the tabernacle.

The team also recovered numerous ritual artifacts near the structure, including ceramic pomegranate figurines, altar horns and murex shells. Murex shells were used to produce the blue dye that colored the garments of priests who performed sacrificial rites at the time.

Lead excavator Scott Stripling said in a report that "these discoveries provide important information about the early occupation period at Shiloh" and that they "help us understand the history prior to the settlement of the Israelite people."

However, the team was careful to note that the Ark of the Covenant itself has not been found, and that there is no definitive evidence the structure is the biblical tabernacle.