Egyptian Sarcophagus ,3,300-year-old coffin discovered near Kibbutz Sarid

Skeleton of man believed to be either Canaanite or Egyptian discovered in coffin together with gold scarab, pottery, additional rare artifacts, testifying to rich regional culture.

A 3,300-year-old skeleton and artifacts belonging to an Egyptian clerk were discovered in an ancient coffin in northern Israel Wednesday, along with a ring with the name of an Egyptian pharaoh engraved into it.

Israel Antiquities Authority inspectors recently discovered the 3,300-year-old sarcophagus of a clerk which they believe was part of the Egyptian army. The coffin contained a skeleton and various artifacts, including a gold scarab seal marked with the name of the Egyptian Pharaoh Seti I.

The historical pieces were found between Kibbutz Sarid and Ramat Gabriel as part of work on Israel's natural gas transportation infrastructure.


During the excavation, a part of an ancient burial was revealed from the Late Bronze Age at the foot of Tel Shadud near Kibbutz Sarid. The skeleton of a grown man was found inside the internal part of the coffin together with pottery pieces, a bronze dagger, a bowl and pieces of hammered bronze.

Photo: Clara Amit, IAA

The excavated graves of two men and two women were also discovered near the coffin. The discovery of the coffin indicates Egypt's control of Jezreel Valley area in the Late Bronze Age (13th century BC). During the reign of the Pharaohs in Israel, Egyptian culture had prominent influence on the Canaanite elite and the recent find is an important sign of that influence.

Dr. Edwin Van Dan Brink, Dan Kirzner and Dr. Ron Be'eri - IAA excavation directors, said that "because the tools that were buried together with the deceased were of local production, we assume that the deceased was of Canaanite origin who worked under Egyptian rule."

Ancient golden seal with the name of Pharaoh Seti I (Photo: Clara Amit IAA)

Another possibility is that the coffin belonged to a wealthy man who imitated the Egyptian burial customs. An ordinary person couldn't have afforded such a coffin. It is obvious the deceased was a member of the local elite.

The rare Egyptian scarab also found on the scene was used to seal documents, and bears the name of Pharoah Seti I, who was the father of Ramses II, identified by some scholars as the pharaoh from the Torah's account of the Exodus from Egypt.


The excavation at the site in question have ended and the findings were transferred to the Israel Antiquities Authority in Jerusalem, which is considering sampling DNA from inside the coffin to see determine if the deceased was originally a Canaanite, or an Egyptian buried in Canaan.

Archeology again appears to back up biblical account

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Israeli archaeologists digging at the site of an ancient Canaanite capital in the Galilee region believe they have found further evidence that the biblical account of Israel's presence in the land is accurate.

Tel Hazor is one of the most prominent archeological sites in the country today, and with good reason. The ancient city of Hazor was for nearly one thousand years the largest fortified city in Canaan prior to the arrival of the Children of Israel in roughly 1300 BC.

Israeli researchers have managed to uncover a great deal of ancient Hazor, and in recent years unearthed what they believe to be the royal palace from the time of the Israelite conquest. More recently, archeologists discovered a room in that palace that contained 14 clay jugs filled with burnt wheat.

Dating on the jugs put the time of their destruction right around 1300 BC, and the fact that the wheat was burned lines up perfectly with the biblical account of Joshua's conquest of Hazor, the only Canaanite city that the Israelites destroyed by fire.

Not all archeologists agree with this assessment, and some continue to insist that Hazor was destroyed by the Egyptians or various sea-faring tribes like the Philistines. However, the Egyptians kept detailed records of the cities they conquered, and Hazor does not appear on any of their lists. Nor did the Philistines and other "Sea Peoples" typically venture too far inland, and Hazor is situated in mountainous terrain a long distance from the coast.

As such, most archeologists have come to accept that Hazor was destroyed by the Israelites, lending a great deal of legitimacy to the biblical record. And new discoveries only seem to be further bolstering that position.

Israel covering up major Biblical Archeology find in the Judean Hills

Monday, April 22, 2013 |  Israel Today Staff  

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Israel's Makor Rishon Hebrew daily reported at the weekend that a major biblical archeology find in the Judean Hills south of Jerusalem is apparently being covered up by the government.

Last week, a member of the Kfar Etzion Field School in the Eztion Bloc of Jewish communities stumbled across an ancient ornate pillar as he descended into a cave in the Judean hills.

The pillar and its attached capital clearly belonged to a royal structure, and local archaeologists said it certainly dated back to the times of the Judean kings, if not David himself.

The undisturbed nature of the find suggested that a large part of the ancient palace was probably buried intact beneath where the pillar was found.

"We appear to have a complete castle here," Kfar Etzion Field School Director Yaron Rosental told the newspaper. "Those who lived here after it did not know of its existence and thus, instead of using its stones to build a new building as was the usual practice, left it intact."

But, when Rosental contacted Israel's Antiquities Authority, he was harshly rebuffed and told to "keep [his] mouth shut" about the find.

The Antiquities Authority later confirmed to Makor Rishon that the find exists, and had actually been first discovered last year, but that present political sensitivities prevent archaeologist from exploring the site at this time.

It was pointed out that the find is located in territory claimed by the Palestinian Authority. Uncovering a major and even unprecedented archaeological site that solidifies the ancient Jewish presence in and control of these lands could upset the peace process.

Inscription from time of King David found in Jerusalem

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Israeli archaeologists working in the "City of David" section of Jerusalem have unearthed the oldest alphabetical written text ever discovered in the city.

The inscription appears on the edge of a large pithos, a type of ceramic jar, and was found in a landfill used by kings David and Solomon to support their expansion of Jerusalem in the 10th century BC.

The inscription is in a proto-Canaanite language, and so its meaning is still unknown, though it likely identifies the owner of the jar. Jerusalem still had many Jebusite residents who used their ancestral written language during the time of Israel's two most famous kings.

The oldest Hebrew inscription ever found in Jerusalem dates to the 7th century BC, though this latest find offers hope that older artifacts might still be discovered.

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The recovered "bone boxes," which were found by police during a raid on the home of an antiques dealer long suspected of trading in stolen goods, are believed to have been used for the burial of nobles and prominent citizens living in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.

Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the boxes were presumably stolen from a cave near Jerusalem, a practice that is not all that uncommon in a land overflowing with historical artifacts.

The discover of the Negev monastery was completely unexpected, coming during routine archaeological checks in preparation for road construction.

Israeli experts believe the monastery is the remains of the Byzantine city of Horvat Hora. The mosaic floor is believed to be part of a large communal prayer room. Numerous pieces of pottery and coins were also found, indicating an affluent local citizenry.

Israel's Antiquities Authority plans to rebuild parts of the monastery and open the site to the public in the near future.