Pillared storehouse

In the north-eastern part of the Jezreel Valley at Horvat Tevet, in the 2018-19 season, Israeli archaeologists uncovered the remains of an elaborate pillared storehouse from Old Testament times. Dr Omer Sergi, of Tel Aviv University, states that it is the ‘best-preserved building of the House of Omri ever found in Israel’.¹

In one of the entrance rooms a four-horned altar² was found, which likely testifies to idolatrous practices. Also associated with these were pottery kilns, grinding stones to produce flour and textile workshops, indicating a thriving economy. All these came to end in about 840 BC when King Hazael of Damascus conquered the area, as recorded in 1 Kings 19 and in extensive layers of destruction at the site.

Bronze anklets

Earlier burials at the site most likely relate to the early 10th-century BC period of Ba-asha (c.900-873 BC/1 Kings 15:16-16:7). Associated with one female burial were four bronze anklets, attesting to the existence of considerable wealth for some.³ Metallurgical analysis of these, led by Professor Erez Ben Yosef of Tel Aviv University, revealed the use of copper from Timna, in the southern desert of Israel. Formerly an Edomite activity, its mining and production came under Israel’s use following David’s establishment of garrisons in the south-east (2 Sam.8:14; 1 Chron.18:13) and the increased power of the kingdom under Solomon, reaching as far south as Elath, where he based part of his navy (1 Kings 9:26).

Researchers have endeavoured to prove for many decades that the city was split in two - as described in the biblical books of 1 Kings ...

The extensive Israelite use of bronze for the Temple is clear from 1 Kings 7:1-51 and the summary in 2 Chronicles 4:18. Decline into paganism seems to have begun under Solomon’s son, Jeroboam (930-909 BC), who made “shrines on the high places” and priests “who were not of the sons of Levi” (1 Kings 12:31).

Ancient moat

Another exciting recent discovery has been parts of an ancient moat that was made more than 3,000 years ago in the City of David,⁴ the original settlement core of Jerusalem, known locally mostly as Wadi Hilweh, one of the oldest cities in history. Researchers have endeavoured to prove for many decades that the city was split in two - as described in the biblical books of 1 Kings (11:27) – and they have recently exposed the moat that separated the City of David from the Temple Mount in the north (though the Temple itself came later).

This 'monumental' structure measures 30 feet deep and nearly 100 feet wide with perpendicular cliffs on each side that made it impassable. The moat was originally created to protect the city, particularly its northern flank, which was the only vulnerable point in the City of David’s defences. The moat’s sheer size and the engineering skills required for its construction highlight the power and capabilities of Jerusalem’s ancient rulers.⁵

City of Zanoah

Meanwhile, just a few weeks ago, PT News and Views⁶ shared the recent finds⁷ of the Israeli Antiquities Authority from the ancient city of Zanoah, situated within the Promised Land, inhabited by the Israelites after Moses led them out of Egypt. The discovery reveals stone walls, pottery and other artifacts that date back more than 3,200 years. The team also uncovered a broken jar handle that featured the name of a king Hezekiah (2 Kings 18-20) , providing further evidence of the truth of the Hebrew Scriptures.

archaeologists have discovered a fragment of a 3,800-year-old textile coloured with 'scarlet worm', a dye that is mentioned 25 times throughout the Old Testament; this, in the 'Cave of Skulls' in the Judean Desert in Israel.

Red dye

Elsewhere, within recent months, archaeologists have discovered a fragment of a 3,800-year-old textile coloured with 'scarlet worm',⁸ a dye that is mentioned 25 times throughout the Old Testament; this, in the 'Cave of Skulls' in the Judean Desert in Israel.⁹ The crimson pigment is coveted because it's obtained through a painstaking process involving Kermes insects. The red dye was created from the bodies and eggs of the insects, which people would grind up into a powder to produce red garments.

Lost alphabet

Others have finally traced a lost alphabet that puzzled scholars for decades,¹⁰ found on 15 different tablets with strange carvings at the site of an ancient settlement in Jordan. The writings were likely made by the Canaanites, an indigenous group mentioned numerous times in the early books of the Old Testament, who dwelled in the ‘Promised Land' from 3500 BC until 1200 BC, before they were conquered by Israeli tribes following their Exodus from Egypt.

The study, published in the American Society of Overseas Research, revealed that the script was written from left to right and featured 29 unique symbols, including dots, vertical bars, and other abstract designs. Researchers suggested that the inscriptions are short cultic proverbs related to the religious temple they were found in, which was burned and destroyed thousands of years ago.¹¹

Document-seals

Finally, hot off the press, as excavations continue in the former city of David, downslope from the Temple Mount, the latest discovery has just been reported. Unlike many of the image-free clay document-seals that bear biblical names such as we find in Jeremiah’s account, this item is beautifully carved from black stone, bearing a depiction of an Assyrian ‘apkallu’, a winged demi-god.¹² A fine hole drilled through it indicates its likely use as a signet worn as a pendant when not in use, as well as a protective amulet. When used, a negative image on clay or wax document seals would be produced. The quality suggests that its owner would have been an important pagan official. However, it also bears a haphazardly-scratched Hebrew name, Yeho’ezer ben Hoshʼayahu, suggesting secondary use. It has been assigned a date of the late eighth/seventh century BC.

Such discoveries not only encourage our trust in the Hebrew Scriptures, but remind us forcefully of the ever-present dangers of falling away from the ways that God Himself prescribes.

As yet, the only biblical link has been to assign it to the period when the Kingdom of Judah was a vassal-state of the Assyrian Empire. To my mind, it seems to indicate a period when Judah was apostate – why else would a Hebrew be comfortable with a pagan image? It could well have occurred during the reign of Ahaz, as recounted in 2 Chronicles 28, before the godly reforms of Hezekiah and the rise of the Babylonian Empire. It is a salutary reminder of the ever-present dangers of apostasy, a condition that increasingly applies to our own country.

Scriptural reliability

Such discoveries not only encourage our trust in the Hebrew Scriptures, but remind us forcefully of the ever-present dangers of falling away from the ways that God Himself prescribes.

As the Apostle Peter reminds us, quoting Leviticus 11:44, “Gird up the loins of your mind, as obedient children …. as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Pet.1:13-16, quoting from Lev.11:44).

Prophecy Today intends to follow up this article with a future piece on recent archaeological discoveries relating to the time of Jesus and the New Testasment era. Do watch out for that, for the finds of that period are every bit as exciting and revelaing as those discussed in the present article. 

Endnotes

1. https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2020-01-29/ty-article/.premium/royal-estate-that-served-biblical-kings-found-in-northern-israel/0000017f-df89-df7c-a5ff-dffb68f30000
2. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/which-altar-was-the-right-one-in-ancient-israelite-religion/ 
3. https://doi.org/10.1080/00310328.2024.2363667 
4. https://www.timesofisrael.com/archaeologists-find-fortifying-moat-in-city-of-david-solving-150-year-mystery/
5. https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/chorazin-temple-0021248 
6. https://prophecytoday.uk/comment/society-politics/item/3142-news-and-views.html
7. https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology-ancient-places-asia/zanoah-biblical-city-0021084
8. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13649151/textile-Israels-Cave-Skulls-Bible.html
9. https://archaeologymag.com/2024/07/massive-ancient-moat-in-jerusalem/ 
10. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-04-15/ty-article/canaanite-inscription-found-in-israel-is-missing-link-in-alphabets-history/0000017f-dbd3-db22-a17f-fff3274e0000
11. https://www.iflscience.com/3800-year-old-red-cloth-found-in-cave-of-skulls-came-from-far-far-away-75155 
12. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/an-assyrian-genie-in-first-temple-jerusalem/ 

Footnote: David Longworth had the privilege of working as a volunteer under Professor Ben Yosef at Timna, in the winter of 2018.