The archaeological dig at Shiloh in Samaria has produced many significant artifacts but the most recent discovery of a 3,000-year-old Egyptian scarab predates the Exodus from Egypt.

Archeologists from the Associates for Biblical Research in Texas led by Dr. Scott Stripling and the Archaeological Staff Officer at the Civil Administration presented their findings from the dig at Shiloh at the 8th Shiloh Conference, held on Thursday in the ancient Shiloh area. Among the finds they presented were a scarab believed to be 3,000 years old and a stone horn-shaped edge of an altar they believe dates to the Iron Age (1200–586 BCE ).

Researchers believe the scarab, used as a seal, was Egyptian in origin and was used by a senior Egyptian official.

Scarabs carved from stone or molded from clay were popular amulets and impression seals in Ancient Egypt. They survive in large numbers and, through their inscriptions and typology, they are an important source of information for archaeologists and historians of the ancient world. They also represent a significant body of ancient art. Numerous scarabs have been found in archaeological excavations in Israel.

The horn from the altar is believed to be evidence that the Jewish Tabernacle constructed in the desert during the Exodus did indeed stand in Shiloh. According to Biblical accounts, the Tabernacle stood in Shiloh for approximately 369 years until the First Temple was built in Jerusalem. The age of the find is significant as archeologists have discovered a change of cultures in the region, transitioning in the period between 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE from a Canaanite culture to the Tribes of Israel and the Philistines.

This is the third season Dr. Stripling has led a team of volunteers at the dig in Shiloh.