Ronald Eldon Wyatt (June 2, 1933 – August 4, 1999) was an American pseudo-archaeologist who claimed to have discovered several sites and artifacts related to the Bible and biblical archaeology, including the Red Sea crossing, Mount Sinai, the site of the crucifixion of Jesus, and the Ark of the Covenant.
Life and career Wyatt was born on June 2 1933, and was raised in Gatlinburg, Tennessee as a Seventh-day Adventist. The co-founder of denomination Ellen White believed that the Ark of the Covenant had been secreted away safely in a cave, and would reappear shortly before Jesus's second coming. Wyatt retained a belief in Biblical literalism as an adult. Wyatt was trained as a nurse anesthetist. He was working in a hospital in Madison, Tennessee, when, in 1960, he saw a picture in Life of the Durupınar site, a boat-like shape on a mountain near Mount Ararat. The resulting widespread speculation in evangelical Christian circles that this might be Noah's Ark started Wyatt on his career as an amateur archaeologist. From 1977 onward, he made more than a hundred trips to the Middle East, developing his interests in the Old and New Testaments.
Ark of the Covenant
Believing that the Ark of the Covenant was buried in a cave under the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, in late 1981 and early 1982, Wyatt got permission to dig a shaft in its grounds. Finding a cave system, he claimed to have found rotted timbers, ancient animal skins and a "gold-veneered table", which he recognized as the table of showbread, an artifact from Solomon's Temple. Within the cave he noticed a black substance which appeared to have dribbled on a flat stone that had split in two. He had "the most overwhelming realization" that the black substance was the blood of Christ, and the Ark was under the large stone. He had also noticed a rock hole in the garden above the cave, which he theorized was the site of Jesus' cross. The earthquake mentioned in Matthew's gospel had led to the stone to crack, so that Jesus's blood could reach the Ark of the Covenant in the cave below. He subsequently used a colonoscope to shine a light beneath the split rock; seeing flashes of gold and crown moulding he knew he had seen the Ark. Wyatt also claimed to have seen multiple other religious objects, as well as to have seen the stone tablets with the ten commandments, and legible scrolls within the Ark. Due to the small space, he said he could not remove any of these objects; however, he took samples of the black substance and took some fuzzy polaroid pictures before he sealed up the chamber. He reported that he had found the Ark of the Covenant to Dan Bahat, an archeologist working for the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums. Bahat reported that Wyatt took him to a pit, and asked him if he saw the box. Bahat saw nothing and instead observed that it was simply a hole where the gardeners dumped their garbage. Wyatt, however, claimed that Bahat had been pressured to keep the discovery secret in order to preserve public order. Wyatt returned later with professional archeologists, but by that time the chamber had collapsed. Wyatt claimed that the black substance had proved to be human blood with twenty four chromosomes rather than the usual 46: 23 chromosomes from Mary and one chromosome from God. Joe Zias, the former Curator of Archaeology and Anthropology for the Israel Antiquities Authority reported that he was asked to look into Wyatt's claims by three American pastors who were concerned that money was being siphoned away from local community projects into his organization. Zias contacted Wyatt asking for a copy of the DNA lab report, and for a sample of the blood to replicate the test. Wyatt did not respond except reportedly to refuse to speak to Zias because he was an "infidel". After Wyatt's death, the Wyatt Archaeological Research and the Biblical Archaeology Foundation funded a trial excavation of the caves under Garden Tomb in 2005 led by archeologist Yehiel Zelinger. The findings indicated that the site was originally a quarry and then later a building from the Roman period. Finds included glass, ceramics and a cylinder seal from the Iron Age and the Hellenistic–Byzantine periods. Richard Rives, president of Wyatt Archaeological Research acknowledged issues with the Wyatt's claims given the lack evidence and of witnesses, and because the "recent exploration reveals unexplained discrepancies in that account". Released in 2006 after his death, a documentary "Testimony of the Ark", directed by Rebecca Truraiaire was made about Wyatt and his work, and in particular his claims about the Ark of the Covenant.
Noah's Ark
From 1977 onwards, Wyatt went to Durupinar to study the site, including tracing the supposed walls of Noah's Ark. He claimed that the unusual rock found at the site was the petrified Gopher wood of the Ark. He reported that the petrified wood did not have any rings, as trees did not have them until after the flood. Wyatt used what he termed a molecular frequency generator, similar to a dowsing rod, and with it detected striations of metal that he said corresponded with the crossbeams of the boat. Wyatt reported he had found rusted iron brackets from the Ark using a metal detector, a rectangular black "wood beam", as well as so-called anchor stones. Wyatt had various samples, including the beam, analyzed at the Galbraith Laboratory in Knoxville, Tennessee. According to Wyatt the results indicated the beam was made of "plywood". The reportedly metal components were found to be composed of iron, magnesium, manganese, aluminum and titanium. Noah had reportedly been given the knowledge for forge alloys of these elements when he made the Ark.
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