The Monumental Building at Shiloh: Archaeological Evidence for the Israelite Tabernacle?

Tim Lopez will examine the monumental building uncovered at Shiloh and the archaeological evidence relevant to the question of whether the structure can be connected with the Israelite Tabernacle.

In the opening season of archaeological excavations at Tell Shiloh by the Associates for Biblical Research, excavation exposed portions of the first walls of what would later be known as the Monumental Building. It appears the building had a cultic/religious function due to its dimensions, its east-west orientation, and several cultic objects including altar horns. Furthermore, a recently discovered standing stone at its entrance, and a nearby favissa to the east of the structure, seem to confirm this assessment. The Monumental Building has at least two phases dating to the Iron Age, which has led some to question if it can be connected to the Israelite cultic activity at the site, as described in the biblical books of Joshua and 1 Samuel. While the archaeological record does not currently provide direct evidence for such a connection, the architectural, spatial, and material evidence warrants further consideration.

The proposed presentation is directly connected with the eighth season of archaeological excavations at biblical Shiloh in 2026, where Tim Lopez worked as an archaeologist and area supervisor with the Associates for Biblical Research excavation team.

Following the 2026 season, ABR announced three significant discoveries from the site. Archaeologists identified the southern wall of a monumental structure, allowing its overall dimensions to be reconstructed more fully. The structure is oriented east–west and has proportions that have been compared with the biblical description of the Tabernacle. These architectural similarities are archaeologically significant, but they should be presented as evidence for scholarly investigation rather than as definitive proof that the structure was the Tabernacle.

Earlier finds from the area surrounding the monumental structure include cultic objects such as altar horns, ceramic pomegranates and murex shells. The 2026 season also produced three Canaanite storage vessels containing remains associated with olives and wheat, as well as newly uncovered walls belonging to the site's gate complex.

These discoveries provide the immediate scholarly background for the presentation, which will examine what the new archaeological evidence may contribute to the discussion of Shiloh, the Israelite Tabernacle and traditions concerning the Ark of the Covenant.

Tim Lopez is a Swedish–Spanish archaeologist whose research and fieldwork focus on the archaeology of the biblical world and the eastern Mediterranean. He serves as an archaeologist and area supervisor with the Associates for Biblical Research excavations at Shiloh, where he has participated in fieldwork since 2017. His archaeological experience also includes work connected with Dalarnas Museum in Sweden, Empúries in Spain and the archaeological site of Oxyrrhynchus in Egypt. His work at Shiloh includes research on the site's architecture, material culture and cultic objects.