3. The Ark of the Covenant nonetheless remains one of the most iconic religious artifacts from history
Constructed to house the Tablets of Stone upon which Moses carved the Ten Commandments, the Ark of the Covenant was designed based on specific guidance offered to the religious leader by God during his forty-day stay atop Mount Sinai. Gilded with gold and ornately illustrated, the Ark was to be covered as a sign of respect by a veil and is believed to have also contained Aaron’s rod and, according to the Jewish tradition, a pot of manna. Captured by the Philistines following a battle at Eben-Ezer, the Ark was later returned to the Hebrews after enduring a period of disaster and ill-luck attributed to divine disfavor.
Placed in a special room of Solomon’s Temple – the Holy of Holies – in 587 BCE the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, including the temple, after which the location of the Ark fell out of recorded knowledge. Whilst some allege it was carried off the Babylonians to be lost during the collapse of their own civilization, others contend the Ark was hidden in advance of the defeat in order to prevent its capture. With several locations proposed as the secret resting place of the Ark throughout history, ranging from Mount Nebo to Rome, the inestimably valuable relic was more likely been destroyed along with any chance to understand one of the foundational items of the Judaeo-Christian narrative.