Shiloh Excavations:
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History of the Site

Ancient Shiloh was first established in the Middle Bronze (MB) II period, around 1700 B.C. It was expanded in MB III, around 1600 B.C. and was continuously occupied until the middle of Iron Age I (around 1070 B.C.) when the Philistines destroyed it (See I Samuel 4). It was rebuilt in Iron II (980-587 B.C.) and was occupied through Early Roman times. The Byzantines and Crusaders also built structures there. Most importantly, it was the center of Israelite worship for at least 300 years. The tabernacle was erected at Shiloh and may have been later replaced by a more permanent structure. The city is in the territory of Ephraim, Joshua’s tribe.

History of Excavations

Shiloh was excavated for three seasons by a Danish team between 1926 and 1932 and again in 1963. Israel Finkelstein worked the site from 1981-84. Although a minimalist, Finkelstein confirmed the presence of “proto-Israelites” from the time of the Conquest through the period of the Judges. A very large deposit of burned cultic bones was uncovered, confirming a sacrificial system. Like at Maqatir, the Israelites built their houses against the MB wall. After Finkelstein, the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria (KAMAT) renewed sporadic excavations at Shiloh in 1988. To date, ancient gates have not yet been found, but there was a glacis (fortification slope) and fortified wall that surrounded the site, which no doubt will eventually lead to the gate(s). 

Associates for Biblical Research has been excavating at Shiloh since 2017.

Extensive Bibliography on Shiloh: Updated August 31, 2018 (PDF).

Reports from the 2023 Excavation Season

Video Reports from the 2023 Season: SHILOH LIVE!

The 2023 Shiloh Dig Study Packet (PDF Download from Dropbox)

Reports from the 2022 Excavation Season

Video Reports from the 2022 Season: Shiloh Network News!

The 2022 Shiloh Dig Study Packet (PDF Download from Dropbox)

Reports from the 2021 Excavation Season (CANCELED)

Reports from the 2020 Excavation Season (CANCELED)

Reports from the 2019 Excavation Season

Video Reports from the 2019 Excavation Season on YouTube

Tel Shiloh 2019 Excavation Report: Submitted to the Staff Officer of the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria: PDF Download from DropBox

Reports from the 2018 Excavation Season

Tel Shiloh 2018 Excavation Report: Submitted to the Staff Officer of the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria: PDF Download from DropBox

The Shiloh Excavations 2018: Season 2 Week 1

The Shiloh Excavations 2018: Season 2 Week 2

The Shiloh Excavations 2018: Season 2 Week 3

The Shiloh Excavations 2018: Season 2 Week 4

The Shiloh Excavations 2018: Season 2 Week 5

Reports from the 2017 Excavation Season

Tel Shiloh 2017 Excavation Report: Submitted to the Staff Officer of the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria: PDF Download from DropBox

The Shiloh Excavations 2017: Season 1 Week 1

The Shiloh Excavations 2017: Season 1 Week 2

The Shiloh Excavations 2017: Season 1 Week 3

The Shiloh Excavations 2017: Season 1 Week 4

The Shiloh Excavations 2017: Season 1 Week 5: Conservation Work

Other Resources on Shiloh

Tim Lopez, Scott Stripling and David Ben-Shlomo “A Ceramic Pomegranate from Shiloh.” JSRS Volume 28, No. 1, 2019, 37–56.

Scott Stripling, "The Israelite Tabernacle at Shiloh." Bible and Spade 29:3 (2016): 88-95.

2013 Roundup of Significant New Discoveries "These buildings were destroyed in a fierce conflagration. Burnt floors were found all over. Collapsed burnt bricks accumulated on these floors to a height of more than three feet. Some of the bricks had been baked by the blaze that had raged here. Roof collapse was discernible in many places. All this dramatic evidence of fire must be associated with the destruction of Shiloh by the Philistines after they defeated the Israelites near Ebenezer in the mid-11th century B.C. Jeremiah knew what he was talking about when he later threatened the people with destruction like Shiloh’s."

Livyatan-ben-Aryeh, Reut, and Hananya Hizmi. “The Excavations at the Northern Platform of Tel Shiloh the 2012-2013 Seasons [Translated from Hebrew].” Edited by D. Scott Stripling and David E. Graves. Translated by Hillel Richman. Judea and Samarea Studies 23 (2014): 113–30.

Amihai Mazar, "Archaeology and the Bible: Reflections on History Memory in the Deuteronomistic History," in Congress Volume Munich 2013 (Vetus Testamentum Supplementum), ed. C.M. Maier, (Leiden:Brill, 2013): 350-351. (off site link).

Israel Finkelstein, Shlomo Bunimovitz, Zvi Lederman and Baruch Brandl. Shiloh: The Archaeology of a Biblical Site. Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University. 1993.

Marie-Louise Buhl and Svend Holm-Nielsen. Shiloh: The Danish Excavations at Tall Sailon, Palestine in 1926, 1929, 1932, and 1963: Pre-Hellenistic Remains. The National Museum of Denmark. 1969.

Donald G. Schley. Shiloh: A Biblical City in Tradition. Sheffield Academic Press. 1989.

David Rubin. God, Israel, and Shiloh. Shiloh Israel Press. 2011.

Holy Land Magazine, "Go Now to My Place at Shiloh," 2016. (off-site link)

From Ramesses to Shiloh: Archaeological Discoveries Bearing on the Exodus-Judges Period Fall of Shiloh (l Sam. 1-4). Significant architecture from the Iron Age I, the time of Eli, has been excavated at Khirbet Seilun, ancient Shiloh, 17 km south of Shechem. All traces of Iron Age and earlier occupation on the summit of the site unfortunately were removed by later building activity. On the slopes, however, enough material from the Iron Age I period has been found to determine that the settlement at that time was 2 1/2 to 3 acres in size.

Archaeological-ages-handout-Wood-2016.pdf (29.12 kb)

JSRS_Vol28-1_Eng_2-Lopez_2019-06-23_Web_copy.pdf

Tabernacle-Stripling-BS-Fall-2016.pdf

The Associates for Biblical Research (ABR) is conducting the Excavations at Biblical Shiloh for which we are seeking help and partnerships from other evangelical institutions and individuals. Because of limited resources, ABR cannot effectively complete this project by itself. Therefore, educational institutions, churches, Christian ministries, corporations and private individuals are invited to participate in the endeavor.

ABR is forming a consortium of interested parties to carry out the excavation. ABR will supply the professional expertise, organization, and leadership for the project while consortium members will be called upon to provide manpower and funding.  In conjunction with the Shiloh Dig, optional touring of major Biblical and archaeological sites in Israel is offered.

As part of its mission to train others in the field archaeology, ABR conducts a Field School as an integral part of the tour and excavation. ABR recognizes that the level of funding available from prospective members of the consortium varies. Therefore, several levels of participation, with a sliding scale of benefits, have been established. Membership in the consortium is on a yearly basis.

All consortium members receive the following benefits:

• A unique opportunity to participate in what may be one of the most important discoveries in Biblical archaeology in defense of the Scriptures.
• Recognition in the publication of the excavation results.
• Copies of all publications pertaining to the excavation.
• Participation in the ABR Field School. The Field School consists of  evening lectures by the core staff on places visited while touring, archaeological methodology, pottery typology, and lectures related to Shiloh.
• Member schools are encouraged to offer credit to students taking part in the program.
• A faculty member who participates in the excavation on a regular basis is given the opportunity to be trained as a Square Supervisor. The faculty member is then assigned his/her own square to excavate, along with students from the faculty member’s institution.
• Authorization to publicize participation in the excavation.

Levels of consortium membership, with corresponding benefits:

Consortium Patron— Supports the project with an annual gift of $6,000.00 or more. Qualifies for the “Five for One” faculty participation plan for an unlimited number of faculty members. For each five students from the faculty members’ institution participating in the program at full cost for a minimum of two weeks, one faculty member’s room and board will be covered.

Consortium Sponsor— Supports the project with an annual gift of $3,000.00. Qualifies for the “Five for One” faculty participation plan for two faculty members. For each five students from the faculty members’ institution participating in the program at full cost for a minimum of two weeks, 50 % of a faculty member’s room and board will be covered, up to a total of two faculty members.

Consortium Member—Supports the project with an annual gift of $1,000.00. Groups and individuals who become Consortium Members will be recognized in pertinent ABR publications.

Our consortium package allows for these different levels of participation, depending upon the interests and objectives of your institution. Levels of participation can be customized to fit the unique circumstances of your school. This project is being conducted with the highest level of academic rigor, and most importantly, with fidelity to the Scriptures as the inerrant and authoritative Word of God.

Please contact Henry B. Smith Jr., Administrative Director of the Shiloh Excavations, for more information on how your organization can be involved in one of the most exciting archaeological and apologetic projects ever!