In the biblical book of Amos, there are several references to a tremendous earthquake that struck the Land of Israel “in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel”—i.e., in the 8th century BCE. Likewise, the much later book of Zechariah mentions an earthquake that took place “in the days of Uzziah.” Archaeologists have just found new evidence of this event, writes Amanda Borschel-Dan:
In a forthcoming research paper, the archaeologists chart, for example, that in one particular 8th-century-BCE structure, the destruction layer did not show signs of fire, yet other factors suggested the building had been damaged in a traumatic event, apparently an earthquake.
Through decades of research, archaeologists and seismologists have successfully documented the historical veracity of such an earthquake event that spread throughout the kingdom of Judah 2,800 years ago. . . . But only in recent excavations led by Joe Uziel and Ortal Chalaf was this destruction layer discerned in Judah’s capital, Jerusalem. And it could be a real game-changer.
Until now, the earliest destruction layer of Jerusalem comes from the Babylonian conquest of 586 BCE. For archaeologists, an earlier historical anchor—if proved through hard, securely dated evidence—serves as an important stratigraphical benchmark for scientific excavations in Jerusalem.
“It’s not that per se we’re providing here a way to date [excavated objects], but rather an anchor to which we can compare what comes before and what comes after,” cautiously explained the Israel Antiquities Authority excavation co-director Uziel; . . . “if I know I should be looking for some kind of destructive event in the middle of the 8th century, then I know what comes before and after.”
Read more on Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/archaeologists-unearth-1st-jerusalem-evidence-of-quake-from-bibles-book-of-amos/