Archaeologists from the Israeli Antiquities Authority believe they have found remnants of an earthquake that hit Jerusalem, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Judah 2,800 years ago.
The earthquake is mentioned in the books of Zechariah and Amos.
Zechariah 14:5 reads: “And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.”
Amos 1:1 says: “The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.”
In a social media post, the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) said they had found the evidence during an excavation in the City of David National Park. The excavations revealed “a row of shattered vessels, bowls, lamps, cooking utensils, smashed storage, and storage jars,” from when a building’s wall had collapsed. They also said that no sign of fire or a deliberate collapse of the building was found.
Excavation directors Dr Joe Uziel and Ortal Kalaf also confirmed the earthquake had occurred in the middle of the 8th century BC and “was probably one of the strongest and most damaging earthquakes in ancient times. Evidence of its occurrence has been discovered in past excavations conducted at a variety of sites throughout Israel.”
The final findings of the excavations will be presented in September at an archaeological conference hosted by Megalim Institute.
