Archaeologists excavating in Jerusalem, near the Temple Mount and a First-Temple-era wall have unearthed evidence of an 8th century BC earthquake. The earliest floor of the southernmost room of a building bore evidence of destruction, but not by fire, and was dated to a time period when no known conquest of Jerusalem occurred. Stones from an upper part of the northern walls had collapsed, shattering a row of vessels that had been along the wall beneath. The excavation directors from the Israel Antiquities Authority, Dr. Joe Uziel and Ortal Chalaf, believe this corresponds to the great earthquake which occurred in the days of King Uzziah, and is mentioned in Amos 1:1 and Zech. 14:5. Archaeological evidence for “Uzziah’s earthquake” has been found at other sites in Israel, including at Hazor and Tell es-Safi/Gath (see the Digging for Truth episode on King Uzziah – link below), but this is the first time archaeologists have identified evidence of the earthquake in Jerusalem. A similar 8th-century destruction layer was noted in a collapsed building 100 meters south of the current dig, which was excavated by Yigal Shiloh in the 1970’s, but it was not associated with Uzziah’s earthquake at that time. The evidence will be presented to the public in a research article and lecture on September 2, 2021 at the City of David’s Megalim Conference.
OFF-SITE LINKS:
DIGGING FOR TRUTH - KING UZZIAH
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