Ancient Shiloh Yields Three 3,000‑Year‑Old Jars That May Hold Biblical Wine Secrets

During the current field season at the historic hill of Shiloh, archaeologists uncovered three sizable ceramic vessels that date back to the Middle Bronze Age. The discovery emerged while scholars were probing the deepest strata of the site, known locally as Ancient Shiloh.

The excavation is coordinated by Dr. Scott Stripling of the Ancient Shiloh project, together with the Mishkan Shiloh Foundation and Israel’s Ministry of Heritage. Identified as Tel Shiloh in the West Bank, the location occupies a central role in biblical narratives.

According to the Tanach, Shiloh functioned as a principal sanctuary for early Israelite worship and once housed the portable Tabernacle. Decades of digging have yielded artifacts from multiple epochs, making the mound a focal point for scholars of the Levant.

Middle Bronze Age Vessels Unearthed Beneath Later Layers

The containers were recovered from a deposit assigned to the Middle Bronze Age, situated under Late Bronze Age remains and further covered by Iron Age sediments. The team reached the level of bedrock when the jars appeared.

Even after millennia beneath the earth, the pottery shows remarkable preservation, with most of each jar remaining intact.

Previous work at the same trench has already produced notable finds. The Jerusalem Post reported the recovery of roughly 10,000 animal bones, a suite of Late Bronze Age pottery, and precious metal offerings of gold and silver.

Researchers suggest the jars may have held staple agricultural products such as grapes, wine, olive oil, or similar commodities. Laboratory testing of any residual material will be required to confirm their original contents.

“Finding three such well‑preserved containers is truly thrilling,” said Dr. Scott Stripling. “Our aim was to reach the earliest occupational levels at Shiloh, and instead we uncovered these impressive jars that have survived for thousands of years.”

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Next Steps: Scientific Examination of the Vessels

The pottery pieces have been carefully lifted from the trench and will undergo a series of analyses in the coming months. The team hopes that residue testing and radiocarbon dating will pinpoint both their exact chronology and the substances they once contained.

Preliminary reports indicate that microscopic traces trapped inside the jars could shed light on the dietary and economic practices of Shiloh’s Bronze‑Age inhabitants.

Discovery Coincides with Shiloh’s Annual Wine Celebration

The timing of the find has drawn interest because it precedes the upcoming Ancient Shiloh Wine Festival, an event that gathers regional vintners for tastings, workshops, and a lecture by Professor Shivi Drori, a noted Israeli specialist in ancient viticulture.

The Jerusalem Post notes that Drori’s work focuses on reviving extinct grape varieties through genetic analysis of archaeological plant remains, some of which have already entered modern winemaking.

Organizers clarified that the archaeological find is unrelated to the festival’s programming and resulted from the routine seasonal dig. Nonetheless, the coincidence highlights a tangible link between Shiloh’s ancient material culture and its contemporary wine scene.

“It is poignant that, just days before the Wine Festival, we uncovered jars that may have once stored grapes and wine,” remarked Kobi Mamo, chief executive of the Mishkan Shiloh Foundation.