About Shiloh

Shiloh was a Canaanite town that became the centre of worship for the Jewish people. It was the city of the Tabernacle and the first capital city of the Jewish people before Jerusalem. Shiloh was an assembly place for the Israelites from the time of Joshua (Joshua 18:1).

Biblical Tabernacle

The original tabernacle, preceded the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, rested at the summit of ancient Shiloh for over three centuries. The Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines in the battle of Aphek during the time of the high priest Eli. The Ark never returned to Shiloh. Eventually, after the Philistines sent it back to the Israelites, David took it to Jerusalem.

Biblical Stories

At Shiloh, Joshua allotted the land to the various tribes of Israel. The Jewish people would come here for the annual celebrations and feasts. Shiloh was also the place where young women came out to the fields during the grape harvest in late summer to dance. The men from the tribe of Benjamin would come to the dances, hoping to find wives. Here, Hannah prayed for a child and bore her son Samuel who eventually became the most important prophet in Judea, anointing Saul and David as kings.

Archaeological Finds

Excavations have uncovered remains from the times of the Bronze Age, Canaanites, Romans and Byzantines. Among the ruins are three Byzantine-era churches.