The excavation season at ancient Shiloh wrapped up with archaeological discoveries including ancient jars and a rare purple snail shell found in a ritual bath at the site. But for Clayton and Abigail Van Hess, the American archaeologists who led the work, Shiloh is also where they met, fell in love, and got married.
2+The two met at the dig site when Abigail was Clayton’s supervisor. According to him, during his first excavation season he tried to impress her—he even thought he’d found an ancient jar and tried to reassemble it. It later turned out to be pieces of ancient toilet paper. Abigail said she was impressed by his persistence and his desire to investigate for himself what he’d found.
Two years ago, Clayton proposed. When he asked where she wanted to get married, Abigail answered: “In Shiloh, the place where Hannah prayed.” Last year the two married at the site itself, alongside the excavation team, while their families in the United States watched the ceremony via livestream.
2+Even the war didn’t keep them away from Shiloh. “I’m not afraid, you just learn to live with it,” Abigail said. Clayton said that over the past year they’ve seen missile interceptions above the dig site. After the wedding they were even forced to leave Israel through Egypt following the closure of Ben Gurion Airport—a journey they called a “reverse Exodus from Egypt.”
Despite the archaeological finds, Clayton calls Abigail his greatest discovery. “When people asked me what’s the most amazing find I discovered in Shiloh, I had no doubt—Abigail is my most amazing find,” he said. Abigail responded: “I’ve been digging for many years, but I’ve never found anything better than Clayton.”
2+Now the two are considering settling in Israel permanently. Clayton plans to continue his studies at Ariel University. Binyamin governor and Yesha Council chairman Israel Gantz said that “ancient Shiloh is the place where the Hebrew holiday of love was born.” According to him, the couple’s story illustrates how the site connects people from around the world to the roots of the Jewish people, alongside historic discoveries.