Three well-preserved large storage jars dating back to the Middle Bronze Age were discovered during annual excavations in ancient Shiloh ahead of the city’s annual Wine Festival on Friday.

The excavations - whose purpose was to reach the site’s bedrock - were led by Dr. Scott Stripling, the Ancient Shiloh site and the Mishkan Shiloh Foundation, in cooperation with the Archaeology Staff Officer and the Heritage Ministry.

The jars were found in a layer of earth dated to the iddle Bronze Age, hidden beneath Late Bronze Age remains and below those from the Iron Age.

Archaeologists had also previously uncovered approximately 10,000 animal bones, numerous Late Bronze Age pottery vessels, and offerings made of gold and silver in the same area.

Following their excavation, the jars will undergo careful scientific analysis in order to determine their exact age and their original use, currently theorized as being storage vessels for agricultural products, such as grapes, wine, olive oil, and other similar commodities.

In the Tanach, Shiloh served as one of the ancient Israelites’ central locations of worship and housed the biblical Tabernacle. The ancient city has been positively identified with Tel Shiloh, located in modern Israel, just over 30 kilometers from Jerusalem, in the West Bank.

Over the past several years, Shiloh’s annual excavations have become a significant archaeological research projects - and this year, despite the ongoing war and looming Iranian threat, dozens of participants from across the globe arrived at the ancient site to take part in unearthing the site’s history.

The discovery comes just days before Ancient Shiloh’s annual Wine Festival, which will feature dozens of wineries, workshops, and tastings and a lecture by Professor Shivi Drori, one of Israel’s leading wine researchers, who will discuss the connection between Israel’s archaeology and the modern wine industry. 

Recently, Drori has led groundbreaking research working to identify and revive ancient grape varieties through genetic analysis of archaeological remains, some of which have since been used to produce local wines.

"This is an especially exciting discovery,” said Stripling. “We set out to investigate the earliest layers of the site in order to better understand the history of Shiloh, and along the way we uncovered three impressive storage jars that have remained preserved for thousands of years.”

“We now have the opportunity to examine what they contained and perhaps learn new details about the daily lives of the people who lived here long ago.”

“Every year we come here with researchers and volunteers from around the world to uncover another chapter in the story of Shiloh, and this year people chose to come despite the war because they understand the significance of this remarkable place,” he continued.

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu added that “anyone who wants to understand who this land belongs to need only get down on their knees and dig.”

“Every layer of soil in Shiloh tells a story that cannot be denied: the Jewish people lived here, worked here, and produced wine and oil here thousands of years before anyone ever dreamed of inventing a Palestinian people,” Eliyahu said. “We will continue to develop and excavate our history in Shiloh and throughout Judea and Samaria, revealing to the world these findings that serve as undeniable proof of the Jewish people's ownership and connection to this land.”

Mateh Binyamin Regional Council Israel Ganz echoed Eliyahu’s sentiment, noting Shiloh’s ancient connection to the Jewish people in the land.

“While there are those who seek to distort, deny, or erase our history, the earth itself continues to speak,” Ganz explained, adding that “time and again, discoveries emerge here that tell the story of our ancestors, who lived, worked, prayed, and built their lives in this place thousands of years ago.”

The jars, he noted, join a “long line of evidence connecting the past to the present” showing that the Jewish people are simply “continuing the path of those who came before us, cultivating the land, building communities, planting vineyards, and developing the region.”

“This is a story of historical continuity that has never been broken and will continue for generations to come.”

The Civil Administration’s Archaeology Unit’s Staff Officer Benyamin Har Even affirmed the unit’s support for Shilah’s excavations, adding that each excavation season adds to Israel’s historical understanding of one of the most important biblical archaeology sites.

“There is something especially moving about the fact that just days before the Ancient Shiloh Wine Festival, jars thousands of years old, likely used to store grapes and wine, have been uncovered here,” Mishkan Shiloh Foundation CEO Kobi Mamo said.

“The discovery is unrelated to the festival and emerged as part of the annual excavation,” Mamo went on, “yet it beautifully illustrates Shiloh’s unique historical continuity, from the vineyards and wines of ancient times to the leading wineries operating here today.”