Archaeologists Uncover Evidence Proving Biblical Story of Revolt

A team of archaeologists headed by a Divinity School professor has discovered evidence to verify and date the Biblical account of an ancient Hebrew revolt.

Working in Jordan near the early Israeli capital of Shechem, the group used pottery fragments found in the ruins of a fortress to date the revolution led by Abimelech at about 1150 B.C. A team of 22 scholars participated in the excavation, the largest American archaeological project ever attempted in the Holy Land.

The expedition, led by G. Ernest Wright, Parkman Professor of Divinity, uncovered the ruins of the temple which Abimelech supposedly destroyed in his seige of Shechem. The Biblical story of the revolt is narrated in the Book of Judges.

The archaeologists, in their attempt to relate Biblical history to known events in ancient history, reconstructed parts of the 4,000 year record of the town of Shechem. The team also calculated a more complete dating scheme for the later period beginning at the reign of Alexander the Great.

The site of the excavations is mentioned in the Bible as the first capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, which was formed when certain tribes seceded from Solomon's empire. The group intends to return there for further study in 1942.