Scientists to explore home to the Ark of the Covenant in hope they will find missing 10 commandments
According to the Bible, the Ark of the Covenant was kept at Kiriath-Jearim, Jerusalem, for twenty years
THE hunt for the ten commandments inside the Ark of the Covenant is back on.
Archaeologists will explore a biblical site believed to have held the forgotten artefact this summer.
Israeli and French researchers will begin excavating the ancient site of Kiriath-Jearim, for the first time in August.
It is one of the few remaining unexplored biblical sites, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept for two decades, according to the Bible.
The Ark - which is believed to be a wooden and gold plated box that contains the ten commandments handed to Moses, were speculated to come with a curse.
The rumours inspired the script of Hollywood blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Historians have never been able to find the infamous golden chest or the ten commandments believed to be housed inside.
But now researchers at Tel Aviv University and College de France have been given the green light to explore.
"The place is important for several reasons,” Professor Finkelstein told .
"It’s a large, central site in the Jerusalem hills that hasn’t been studied until now. It may be the only key site in Judah that hasn’t undergone a systematic archaeological excavation."
Kiriath-Jearim is mentioned in the bible as the resting place of the mythical Ark – which is a gold gilded wooden chest.
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The book of Exodus in the Bible claims the tablets inscribed the Ten Commandments are said to lay within the scared box.
The researchers believe that whether they find the covenant or not, an ancient temple may be buried within the site because it is documented as a place of religious significance.
The expedition will take place between August 7 and September 1.
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