Josh Gates chases one of archaeology's most legendary quests: the Ark of the Covenant, the gold-covered chest said to house the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. The Ark's last documented location was Jerusalem's Temple Mount, where it resided in Solomon's Temple until the Babylonian siege of 589 BCE, after which it vanished from the historical record. Gates investigates two competing theories about its fate—one suggesting the prophet Jeremiah hid it in secret passages beneath the Temple Mount before the Babylonian invasion, and another claiming it was transported out of the Middle East entirely to Ethiopia. The expedition takes Gates into previously unfilmed underground chambers in Jerusalem and follows trails to Ethiopian sites where local traditions insist the sacred relic remains hidden.
Mainstream biblical archaeology acknowledges that the Ark was a central element of ancient Israelite worship, but no physical evidence of it has ever been found, and most scholars believe it was likely destroyed when Nebuchadnezzar's forces razed Solomon's Temple. The episode's power lies in its exploration of how religious tradition and archaeological investigation intersect in one of history's most contested and sacred landscapes. Gates navigates the political and religious complexities of excavating beneath Jerusalem's Old City, where the Temple Mount remains under Arab control and holds profound significance for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike. New excavations reveal hidden passages that offer tantalizing possibilities while respecting the profound sensitivities surrounding this extraordinary site.
Abba Pantaleon Monastery
Ethiopia · historical
Gates and historian Sisay Tsegay climb to the Abba Pantaleon monastery, one of the oldest churches in Africa, to examine ancient manuscripts including the Kebra Nagast that contain accounts of the Ark's journey to Ethiopia.
Axum
Ethiopia · historical
Gates travels to the ancient city of Axum, the former capital of the Kingdom of Axum, to investigate Ethiopian claims that the Ark of the Covenant was brought here by Menelik, son of Solomon, and is still held there today.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia · archaeological
Josh continues his search for the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia, where some traditions claim it is hidden.
Israel
Israel · archaeological
Josh searches for the lost Ark of the Covenant, the sacred relic said to contain the Ten Commandments and possess extraordinary powers.
Jerusalem
Israel · historical
Search for fragments or evidence of the True Cross of Christ, the wooden cross on which Jesus was crucified.
Lake Tana
Ethiopia · historical
Gates crosses Lake Tana by boat to reach Tana Kirkos Island as part of his investigation into the Ark's alleged sojourn in Ethiopia.
St. Mary's of Zion Church
Ethiopia · historical
Gates attempts to gain access to St. Mary's of Zion Church in Axum, where the Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims to hold the Ark of the Covenant, and eventually has a brief encounter with the reclusive guardian of the Ark.
Stelae Field of Axum
Ethiopia · archaeological
Gates examines the ancient stelae of Axum with Bob Cornuke, focusing on a fallen stela with a carved image that Cornuke argues is a 2,000-year-old depiction of the container of the Ark of the Covenant.
Tana Kirkos Island, Lake Tana
Ethiopia · archaeological
Gates, Bob Cornuke, and archaeometallurgist Sariel Shalev visit the sacred island monastery of Tana Kirkos on Lake Tana, where legend holds the Ark rested for 800 years, to examine and scientifically test ancient artifacts said to have accompanied the Ark.