
Religious archaeologists in Israel claim they have discovered the stone on which Ark of Covenant once sat.

The biblical claim was made by researchers from Tel Aviv University who found a 3,100-year-old temple near the modern-day town of Beit Shemesh.

Religious teachings claim that the Ark contained the Ten Commandments received by Moses on Mount Sinai.

They also preach that the Ark rested on a square table and this latest find is being hailed as merging biblical teachings with archaeological evidence.

Archaeologists say it is strikingly similar to the mythical 'large stone' described in the First Book of Samuel.

It was used to hold up the Ark after it arrived at Beth Shemesh when it had returned to Israeli hands from the Philistines.

Excavations of the 12th century BC temple reveal it was subsequently plundered and 'intentionally desecrated' by the nearby Philistines who turned it into an animal pen.

The Ark of the Covenant has been sought for centuries by archaeologists, a search made famous by the fictional 1981 Steven Spielberg film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

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Excavations of the 12th century BC temple reveal it was subsequently plundered and 'intentionally desecrated' by the nearby Philistines who turned it into an animal pen

Religious archaeologists in Israel claim they have discovered the stone on which Ark of Covenant on. Religious teachings claim that the Ark contained the Ten Commandments received by Moses on Mount Sinai

The Ark of the Covenant has been sought for centuries by archaeologists, a search made famous by the fictional 1981 Steven Spielberg film Raiders of the Lost Ark, starring Harrison Ford (pictured, right)

Academics researching the discovery of the 'large stone' believe the 1,100 years between its existence and the time of Moses is evidence of biblical history dating back further than most experts previously believed.

It is believed the 12th century BC building is a temple due to the fact it was separated from most of the buildings, had sturdier walls and faced the rising sun.

The speculations go further, stating that two large round concave stones with carved gutters may have been used for libations of wine or for creating sacred wine from olives.

Fragments of animal bone, pottery and cups indicate rituals were performed at the site.

'There is a lot of evidence that this was indeed a temple,' Professor Shlomo Bunimovitz, the archaeologist leading the dig, told Haaretz.

The relic was 28 feet (8.5 meters) long on each side and perfectly square.

'When you look at the structure and its content, it's very clear that this not a standard domestic space but something special,' Professor Bunimovitz added.

The holy place of worship was plundered and destroyed in the mid-12th century BC and covered in animal dung.

'Very shortly after it was destroyed, the entire place was turned into an animal pen,' Dr Zvi Lederman, a Tel Aviv University archaeologist who led the project, tells Haaretz.

'To me this is an act of hostility, an intentional desecration of a holy place.'

There is no evidence linking the nearby Philistines - whose settlement of Tel Batash was just seven km away - as the culprits of the destruction, but the researchers believe them to be prime candidates, according to their interview with Haartz.

Beth Shemesh was a border town in pre-monarchic Israel sandwiched awkwardly between the Israelites and the Philistines.

It was often a flashpoint for conflict and between the vying religious factions.

The reason for such hostilities could be the alleged table found deep inside the temple.

First found last summer, six years after the excavation started at the site, the square slab was found lying on two smaller rocks.

'At the beginning we thought it was a massebah that had fallen over,' Lederman says.

First found last summer, six years after the excavation started at the site, the square slab was found lying on two smaller rocks. 'At the beginning we thought it was a massebah that had fallen over,' the discoverer says

Academics researching the find believe the 1,100 years between when it existed and the time of Jesus, Moses and the Ark is evidence of biblical history dating back further than most experts previously believed

Beth Shemesh is a town situated 12 miles to the west of Jerusalem. It then went to King David in Jerusalem after a 20 year detour via Kiriath Yearim

According to the Bible, people who looked inside the Ark were struck down by God via lightning, This scene is fictionalised in the 1981 Harrison Ford film, Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, where the faces of people looking inside melt (pictured)

Massebah were standing stones used in the Levant as part of cult rituals.

'But soon we realised that it was meant to be a table.'

According to the first book of Samuel, Beth Shemesh natives then peered inside the Ark and were struck down with lightning from God as punishment.

This tale from the Old Testament is retold and dramatised in cinematic fashion via the Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark, which sees the faces of the poor souls peering into the Ark melt.

After its stint in Beth Shemesh, the Ark then went to King David in Jerusalem after a 20 year detour via Kiriath Yearim.

The concept that this find is indeed part of the Ark of the Covenant tale is littered with issues.

Firstly, the bible states the table was in a field and not in a temple.

Secondly, the story was not written into scripture until the 7th century BC, centuries afterwards.

Tel Aviv University archaeologist Israel Finkelstein has led other excavations also in search for the Ark.

He sheds doubt on the latest find and the fact 400 years passed without anything being penned.

He told Haartz: 'The Ark Narrative depicts realities from the 8th century B.C.E. It is difficult to assume that a memory from the 12th century B.C.E. was preserved until the 8th century with no continuous writing tradition.'

But Avraham Faust, a professor of archaeology at Bar-Ilan University, cautions the value of the find may not lie in its literal existence, but what it means for traditions.

'Obviously the story was written much later, but this find might support the theory that there are some very early traditions that made their way into the Bible.'

He adds: 'This is a noticeable stone, placed in a conspicuous position within what looks like a temple, at sort of the right time, so there are many dots that can connect this find to an old tradition that may have found its way into the biblical story.

'I don't know if they are right or wrong, but I think it should be examined carefully.'