Shiloh (Tel Shiloh / Khirbet Seilun)
Iron I storerooms, collared-rim jars, and an altar horn at the home of the Tabernacle
Found 1926 — Danish expedition led by Hans Kjaer (1926–32); Israel Finkelstein (Bar-Ilan, 1981–84); Scott Stripling (ABR, 2017–present)
Where Tel Shiloh, Samaria hills, north of Ramallah (West Bank (Palestinian Territories))
Dates from c. 1200–1050 BCE · Iron Age I · Judges to Shmuel (Samuel)
Now at Site (Ancient Shiloh heritage park); finds at the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Shiloh visitor center
How Shiloh (Tel Shiloh / Khirbet Seilun) was found
The Danes found Middle Bronze fortifications and Iron I remains. Finkelstein uncovered pillared storerooms full of collared-rim jars beside the Middle Bronze wall, ending in a fire around 1050 BCE. Stripling's team has reported a stone altar horn, a ceramic pomegranate, animal bones skewed toward the right side (compare Vayikra 7:32), and large storage facilities.
What it is
A 7.5-acre mound with a Middle Bronze glacis and wall. On its western slope stand Iron I pillared buildings with more than twenty collared-rim storage jars, some still holding burned grain and raisins. The 2019 altar horn is a limestone corner-piece of a horned altar.
Why it matters for the Bible
Shiloh housed the Tabernacle and the Ark for most of the Judges period (Yehoshua 18:1; 1 Shmuel 1–4). The archaeology shows a major Iron I center with unusually large public storage, then a destruction by fire around 1050 BCE, the time of the Philistine victory at Even-ha-Ezer and the capture of the Ark. Jeremiah later points to Shiloh's ruin as a warning. No trace of the Tabernacle itself has been found; the flat area north of the tell is one proposed location.
The Hebrew word: meesh-KAHN
מִשְׁכָּן
מִשְׁכָּן is pronounced meesh-KAHN and means dwelling place, Tabernacle (Strong's H4908).
People this discovery connects to
- Eli — עֵלִי (ay-LEE) — exalted
- Samuel — שְׁמוּאֵל (shmoo-EL) — heard by Elohim / name of Elohim
- Hannah — חַנָּה (chah-NAH) — grace
Places
- Shiloh — שִׁלֹה (shee-LOH) — tranquil, place of rest
Events
Tabernacle set up at Shiloh (Joshua 18:1) · Hannah's prayer and Samuel's childhood (1 Samuel 1-3) · Capture of the Ark and destruction of Shiloh (1 Samuel 4; Jeremiah 7:12)
Shiloh (Tel Shiloh / Khirbet Seilun) in Scripture
Joshua 18:1 Israel set up the Tent of Meeting at Shiloh; the site becomes a major Iron I center at exactly this time.
1 Samuel 4:10-11 The Philistine victory and loss of the Ark; the Iron I storerooms end in a fire around 1050 BCE.
Jeremiah 7:12 'Go to Shiloh... and see what I did to it'; the burned ruin was still a lesson in Jeremiah's day.
Questions people ask
What is Shiloh (Tel Shiloh / Khirbet Seilun)?
A 7.5-acre mound with a Middle Bronze glacis and wall. On its western slope stand Iron I pillared buildings with more than twenty collared-rim storage jars, some still holding burned grain and raisins. The 2019 altar horn is a limestone corner-piece of a horned altar.
When was Shiloh (Tel Shiloh / Khirbet Seilun) discovered?
It was found in 1926 by Danish expedition led by Hans Kjaer (1926–32); Israel Finkelstein (Bar-Ilan, 1981–84); Scott Stripling (ABR, 2017–present), at Tel Shiloh, Samaria hills, north of Ramallah.
Where is Shiloh (Tel Shiloh / Khirbet Seilun) today?
Site (Ancient Shiloh heritage park); finds at the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Shiloh visitor center.
Which Bible verses does Shiloh (Tel Shiloh / Khirbet Seilun) relate to?
Joshua 18:1, 1 Samuel 4:10-11, Jeremiah 7:12.
Related discoveries
- מִשְׁכָּןShiloh Monumental Iron I BuildingEast-west structure on the northern platform proposed as the tabernacle's resting place
- קֶרֶןShiloh Altar HornsThree horned corner stones of a four-horned altar, found in secondary use
- שִׁלֹהShiloh's Burnt Layer and Sacred-Precinct WallThe fiery end of Iron I Shiloh around 1050 BCE — the aftermath of Eben-ezer?
- אוֹצָרShiloh Storage Rooms and Collar-Rim JarsPillared storehouses and pithoi along the northern wall — the sanctuary's pantry
- הַבָּמָה הַגְּדוֹלָהNebi Samwil (Tomb of Samuel) ExcavationsThe hilltop shrine of Samuel — and the search for Gibeon's 'great high place'
- שׁוֹק הַיָּמִיןShiloh Animal Bone DepositsTens of thousands of bones from sheep, goats and cattle — with a bias toward the right side
Sources
- I. Finkelstein (ed.), Shiloh: The Archaeology of a Biblical Site (1993)
- ABR Shiloh Excavations
- Wikipedia: Shiloh (biblical city)
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