The ashes found attest to a devastating fire the occurred at
the site. The dating of the clay pitcher, 1,050 BCE, correlates with
the dating of the events depicted in Book of Samuel.
As the Oxford Biblical Studies archive notes, the city of Shiloh was a
religious sanctuary around the 12th century B.C.E., until it was
captured by the Philistines. The Ark of the Covenant, containing the Ten
Commandments, was also kept in Shiloh during this time.
The Book of Samuel writes of this battle between the Israelites and
the Philistines, but has never explained how exactly the city was
destroyed, according to the Tazpit News Agency.
