Archaeologists working in Jerusalem have discovered proof of a major earthquake that occurred in the Land of Israel 2,800 years ago that is mentioned in the Bible.
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Evidence of the quake has been excavated at various locations throughout Israel, but researchers believe that for the first time, archaeologists have positively identified traces of ruin that demonstrate that the cataclysmic event affected Jerusalem, as well.
Excavations at the City of David National Park outside the Old City of Jerusalem have revealed a layer of ruins that include a number of smashed artifacts, including lamps, storage jugs, and cooking vessels that were crushed when the building in which they were found collapsed.
Researchers think that because the findings do not bear signs of fire, the event that caused their destructive had not been caused intentionally, and was instead the result of an earthquake that shook Israel in the eighth century BCE, in the time of the Kingdom of Judah.
Excavation directors Dr. Joe Uziel and Ortal Chalaf of the IAA noted that "When we excavated the structure and exposed a layer of destruction from the eighth century BCE, we were very surprised, because we know that Jerusalem existed continually until the Babylonian destruction, which occurred some 200 years later.
"We asked ourselves what could have caused the dramatic layer of destruction we had uncovered. After examining the findings from the dig, we tried to look into whether there was a biblical explanation for it. Interestingly, the earthquake mentioned in the books of Amos and Zechariah happened in the same period when the building we excavated in the City of David collapsed.
"The combination of the discovery in the field along with the biblical description led us to conclude that the earthquake that caused damage to the Land of Israel during the reign of Uzziah King of Judah, also damaged the capital of the kingdom – Jerusalem," Uziel and Chalaf explained.
The findings from the dig, conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority, will be presented to the general public at the City of David Studies of Ancient Jerusalem conference, an annual event hosted by the Megalim Institute. The conference is currently scheduled to take place in early September.
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