Archaeologists plan a mission to explore the Ark that inspired Indiana Jones in the hopes of discovering the Ten Commandments

Researchers from France and Israel will excavate an ancient site in August
The unexplored Jerusalem site is believed to be home to the Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant is a box containing stones bearing the commandments

Published: 09:00 EST, 14 February 2017 | Updated: 09:00 EST, 14 February 2017

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The search for the Ark that inspired the Indiana Jones blockbuster has been given a new lease of life.

The Ark of the Covenant, a wooden and gold-plated box, is believed to contain the famous stone tablets which bear the Ten Commandments.

But despite its fame, nobody has ever been able to find the sacred box.

Moses and Joshua bowing before the Ark of the Covenant, which was believed to be kept at the ancient site of Kiriath-Jearim, in west Jerusalem, for two decades

WHERE ELSE IS THE ARK RUMOURED TO BE KEPT?

Mount Nebo: An ancient biblical text claims that the prophet Jeremiah buried the Ark in a cave on Mount Nebo. Mount Nebo is believed to be the site where Moses viewed the Promised Land. Mount Nebo is near the east bank of the Jordan River near Jerusalem.
Ethiopia: The Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims to possess the Ark. The sacred box is kept under guard at the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum.
United Kingdom: British author Graham Phillips claims that an English baron called Ralph de Sudeley found the Ark in Jordan and brought it back to his estate in Herdewyke, Warwickshire

Now, researchers from Israel and France are reigniting the quest to find the Ark by excavating a little-explored biblical site believed to have once held the lost artefact.

The ancient site of Kiriath-Jearim, in west Jerusalem, will be opened up for the first time this summer.

'The place is important for several reasons,' Professor Israel Finkelstein, from Tel Aviv University, told The Times of Israel.

'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.'

The Ark was stored at Kiriath-Jearim for two decades, according to the Book of Samuel.

The ancient site is referred to as a place of worship multiple times in the bible, and has various names including Kiryat Ye'arim, Kiryat Ba’al, Ba’alah and Ba’ale Judah.

The sacred artefact inspired the plot of the 1981 blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark starring Harrison Ford as Dr Indiana Jones

Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant, which contains the two stone tablets bearing the Ten Commandments

The site is rumoured to have been the inspiration behind the 1981 blockbuster, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Professor Finkelstein, who will excavate the site along with researchers from College de France, said: 'It's reasonable to assume there was a temple there.

'To follow the story, the place where they took the Ark of the Covenant wasn't, of course, just some field or under a tree, they refer to an important cult place.'

The scientists will explore the ancient site between August 7 and September 1.