Unearthed: Evidence of an Ancient Earthquake in Jerusalem

(Video and editing: Yaniv Berman, Israel Antiquities Authority and City of David)

Archaeological digs by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the City of David National Park have unveiled a layer of destruction, featuring an array of shattered artifacts, including lamps, storage jars, and cooking utensils, which were crushed when the building's walls collapsed on them. Researchers believe that since no burn marks were detected, the destruction wasn't intentional; instead, it resulted from an earthquake that struck Israel approximately 2,800 years ago during the Kingdom of Judah's era.

Dr. Joe Uziel and Ortal Kalaf, excavation directors for the Israel Antiquities Authority, explained, "As we excavated the structure and uncovered an 8th-century BCE destruction layer, we were quite surprised, as we know Jerusalem continued to thrive until the Babylonian conquest about 200 years later. We asked ourselves what could have caused this dramatic layer of destruction that we uncovered."

"Interestingly, the earthquake mentioned in the Bible in the books of Amos and Zechariah occurred during the same period as the structure's collapse we discovered in the City of David. Combining the field findings with the biblical narrative led us to conclude that the earthquake that struck the land of Israel during the reign of Uzziah, King of Judah, also impacted the kingdom's capital - Jerusalem."

The researchers added, "The mid-8th century BCE earthquake was likely one of the strongest and most damaging earthquakes of ancient times, with evidence of its occurrence previously found in excavations at various sites across Israel, such as Hazor, Gezer, Tel Agol, and Tel Safit/Gath. Now, our latest excavations in the City of David suggest the earthquake likely affected Jerusalem as well."

After their discovery, the crushed ceramic vessels were transferred to the Israel Antiquities Authority's labs and restored.