According to the biblical account in the Book of Joshua, Shiloh served as Israel’s religious center for generations. It was here that the Tabernacle stood, where the priest Eli ministered, and where news arrived that the Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines.
For nearly ten years, Stripling and his team from Associates for Biblical Research have been excavating key areas of the site. Their previous work uncovered a massive stone structure that immediately attracted attention from biblical scholars and archaeologists alike.
The building stretches along an east-west axis and is divided according to a precise 2-to-1 ratio. Researchers have pointed out that these measurements closely resemble the proportions described for the Tabernacle in the Book of Exodus.
Even more striking was what investigators discovered surrounding the structure.
Over 100,000 animal bones have been recovered from the site. The overwhelming majority came from animals considered kosher under biblical law, including sheep, goats, and cattle.
Researchers also noted an unusual pattern. Roughly two-thirds of the bones originated from the right side of the animals.
That detail has fueled additional interest because Leviticus 7:32 specifically assigns the right thigh of a sacrificial animal to the priest.
Beneath the structure, archaeologists uncovered what appears to be a sacred deposit known as a favissa, a location where religious materials and sacrificial remains were intentionally buried rather than discarded as ordinary refuse.
Inside that deposit were thousands of animal bones, pottery fragments, and valuable artifacts, including gold and silver jewelry such as pendants and earrings.
But the most recent excavation season may have produced the biggest surprise yet.
This summer, the team dug approximately six feet below the sacred deposit and encountered three enormous storage jars dating back to the Canaanite period.
Two of the vessels contained olives.
The third contained lentils.
One jar alone reportedly held hundreds of burned olive pits that had remained preserved for thousands of years.
Researchers believe the jars were caught in a destructive fire long before the arrival of the Israelites. The intense heat carbonized the olive pits while effectively sealing the contents in place, creating a rare archaeological time capsule.
The result was a snapshot of daily life frozen in time.
The olives had originally been stored in oil when the blaze swept through the area. Instead of being destroyed completely, the contents were preserved beneath layers of debris for roughly 3,500 years.
Stripling told Fox News Digital that the jars are currently undergoing restoration and analysis. Scientists expect radiocarbon testing to help establish a more precise date for the destruction of the settlement.
Based on pottery evidence already recovered, researchers believe the jars belong to the Middle Bronze Age, a period dating approximately from 1800 to 1550 BC—long before Israelite occupation of Shiloh.
The discovery adds another layer to a site that many biblical archaeologists believe continues to align with Scripture in remarkable ways.
Supporters of the excavation point to a growing list of findings that appear consistent with the biblical narrative. They cite the structure’s proportions, the concentration of sacrificial animal remains, the location of ancient gates mentioned in biblical accounts, and now evidence of an earlier Canaanite settlement beneath later Israelite worship layers.
For decades, debates over biblical history have divided scholars, with skeptics frequently questioning whether many Old Testament events had a historical basis.
Yet discoveries at Shiloh continue to generate discussion because they repeatedly uncover evidence that researchers say fits the biblical framework rather than contradicting it.
While many academics urge caution and emphasize the need for additional study, the discoveries have undoubtedly intensified interest in one of the Bible’s most significant locations.
For Stripling and his team, the work is far from finished.
Future excavations are expected to focus on determining whether the newly discovered jars were part of a kitchen complex, a storage facility, or another area within the ancient Canaanite settlement.
For now, the ancient vessels remain a fascinating glimpse into a civilization that existed centuries before Israel established worship at Shiloh.
After thousands of years hidden beneath the earth, olives, lentils, and fragments of a forgotten world are once again telling their story—and raising new questions about the history recorded in Scripture.
