A rare Egyptian scarab seal, possibly belonging to a senior Egyptian official, was found at the Tel Shiloh archaeological site in Samaria. Archaeologists estimate it is 3,000 years old.
The scarabs were carved in the shape of a dung beetle, a creature of cosmological significance in ancient Egypt. Numerous scarabs have been found in archaeological excavations in Israel.
The dig also uncovered a horn-shaped edge of a stone altar, dated to the Iron Age, also referred to as the Israelite period, 1200–586 BCE.
This summer, volunteers from 12 countries converged on Tel Shiloh—Israel’s ancient capital for 369 years—to resume the third season of archaeological excavations at the site.
Led by Dr. Scott Stripling, the provost at The Bible Seminary in Katy (Houston), Texas, and Director of Excavations for the Associates for Biblical Research (ABR), the archaeologists are seeking to uncover the secrets of the multi-layered site, and especially those of the biblical tabernacle.
Yisrael Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council, which includes ancient Shiloh, stated that the “rare findings at ancient Shiloh are exciting, powerful and prove in a forceful way our historic truth and our hold on the Land of the Bible.”