Archaeologists have uncovered the secrets of a biblical city that lay within the “Promised Land” where the Israelites settled after Moses led them out of Egypt.
The Israel Antiquities Authority recently shared its findings from Zanoah, which is mentioned in the Old Testament, revealing stone walls, pottery and other artifacts dating back more than 3,200 years.
The Bible states that the Israelites reached the Promised Land, also known as Canaan, around 1406-1407 BC after wandering for 40 years in the wilderness.
The team also discovered a broken jug handle that bore the name of a king described in the Bible, providing further evidence for the biblical story of Moses.
Archaeologists have discovered ancient artifacts that could coincide with the time when Moses led the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. Researchers found retaining walls for agricultural terraces used to create level areas for planting and protect steeper soil from erosion.
The Israel Antiquities Authority recently shared its findings from Zanoah, which is mentioned in the Old Testament, revealing stone walls, pottery and other artifacts dating back more than 3,200 years.
The story of the Exodus spans the biblical books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
It begins with the Israelites enslaved in Egypt, before Pharaoh, compelled by 10 terrible plagues, agrees to free them and Moses leads them through the miraculously parted Red Sea.
Once they arrived at the Sinai Peninsula, Scripture says they traveled to Mount Sinai, where Moses received the 10 commandments.
The group then headed to the southern border of Canaan, but because they were too scared to enter, they were condemned by God to spend decades in the wilderness.
After spending years at the oasis of Kadesh Barnea, the Israelites traveled to the eastern border of Canaan, where Moses died and was buried on Mount Nebo.
In the following Book of Joshua, Joshua assumes leadership of the Israelites, leading them into the Promised Land across the Jordan River and conquering Jericho, and Zanoah is mentioned in the Book of Joshua.
Joshua 15:34,56 describes the boundaries and cities within Judah’s tribal allotment once they entered the Promised Land, which includes Zanoah.
Archaeologists also recovered well-preserved pottery, with an LMLK stamp on the jar’s handle, a rare occurrence in the Judean hills. These marks are ancient Hebrew seals meaning “of the King.”
The fragment had a wide rim with three concentric bands in a grid-like pattern and featured rope decoration.
Archaeologists discovered several stone walls throughout the ancient city.
Researchers excavated the area in 2019 but published their findings. findings in march.
The team discovered walls made up of rows of large white rocks that they believed were retaining walls for agricultural terraces used to create level areas for planting and protect the steeper soil from erosion.
Preserved pottery was also unearthed, including one that had a seal on the handle reading “of the King,” to honor King Hezekiah’s reign in Judah in 701 BCE.
Hezekiah’s life is described in the biblical book of 2 Kings, chapters 18-20.
In 2 Chronicles, the king is said to have reopened Solomon’s Temple, known as “the First Temple” and built on the site where God created Adam.
Hezekiah also smashed the bronze statue of the serpent that God commanded Moses to make, which is mentioned in Numbers 21:8-9: ‘Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make an image of the serpent and set it on a pole.”
The biblical story of Moses begins with the Israelites enslaved in Egypt, before Pharaoh, compelled by 10 terrible plagues, agrees to free them and Moses leads them through the miraculously parted Red Sea.
Shards of pottery littered the landscape, with about 20 percent dating to the time when the Israelites were said to have arrived after 40 years of wandering in the desert; the rest was made over the next 900 years.
Decorated fragment of a cosmetic bowl made of white limestone.
‘It has a wide rim adorned with a decoration of three concentric bands separated by gaps: the outer and inner bands are narrow and feature a rope decoration, while the central band is wide and features an intermittent grid pattern,’ the researchers shared in the study.
Other finds included bowls and jugs, one of which had perforations suggesting it may have been used as a lantern, and metal objects were also discovered.
However, the researchers did not specify when they were made, only that they were bronze jewelry, such as a ring and earring fragment.
Other evidence that ancient humans once lived in the region include iron tools, nails of various sizes, and strips of bronze used for soldering iron.
“While some of the finds are likely to have originated in the ruins and then been washed down the slope over the years, the majority of the finds, especially those dating to the early Byzantine period, relate to agricultural activities carried out on the hillsides,” the researchers said.
They added that the large number of finds indicates the importance of the site “and highlights (its) potential significance.”