A team led by Houston-based Dr Scott Stripling, has been excavating the site, near Jerusalem, for several years. And now they claim they have finally uncovered the location of the city, which is mentioned in the Book of Joshua. The excavation is being funded by the Associates for Biblical Research, a US-based group described by the Breaking Israel News website as “a Christian organisation that brings together Biblical research and archaeology to mutually advance both disciplines".
There were 14 years of difficult digging with an eight-year hiatus due to the Intifada
Dr Scott Stripling
Dr Stripling said: “There were 14 years of difficult digging with an eight-year hiatus due to the Intifada.
"We suffered from constant vandalism.
“But we persevered and did an excellent job of excavating."
Ai is thought to been conquered 1,500 years before the birth of Jesus.
An aerial view of the excavation site (Image: Dr Scott Stripling)
In the Book of Joshua, chapters 7 and 8, the Israelites attempt
