Earthquake cited in the Bible is found in Jerusalem
A team of researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority found evidence of a massive earthquake in the city of Jerusalem approximately 2,800 years ago.
Previous research had uncovered evidence of a major earthquake in Israel in the mid-eighth century BC at places such as Hatzor and Tell es-Safi/Gath, but no evidence was found in Jerusalem. In this new effort, the researchers found evidence of damage from an excavation in the City of David National Park, along with references to the earthquake in the Hebrew Bible.
Archaeological Evidence Reveals Devastating Earthquake in Ancient Jerusalem
Researchers note that the earthquake was mentioned in both the book of Zechariah and the book of Amos. Both described the damage that resulted in Jerusalem many years after the event, suggesting that it must have had a great impact on the people living there at the time. More importantly, they found physical evidence in the form of broken pottery, lamps, kitchen utensils, furniture and crumbling walls. They also found what they describe as a “row of broken vessels,” reminiscent of damage seen in other earthquakes. The artifacts were covered by earthquake survivors, who built structures on top of them, creating what the team describes as a layer of destruction. When looking at the damaged products, they could find no evidence of fire or intentional damage, such as from intruders, leaving an earthquake as the most likely candidate. They also note that the buried depth of the artifacts helped locate them at the time of the earthquake.
Researchers were surprised by the things they found at the excavation site, because previous research had shown that Jerusalem continued to exist as a city after the earthquake, until the time of Babylon’s destruction, which occurred approximately 200 years later. They suggest that it seems likely that while Jerusalem was heavily impacted by the earthquake, it was not the epicenter. The team is scheduled to make a presentation describing their work at this year’s City of David Research Conference.
Check out the Israel Antiquities Authority video about the discovery
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