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The ark is tied up with the early history of the Jewish people and for many centuries it was the symbol of their nation. At some point in time, no later than 1000 BC, the Hebrews who had been enslaved by the Egyptian Pharaohs escaped their bondage under the leadership of Moses. He led them into the wilderness, according to the Old Testament, Moses was instructed by God to make the ark when he was on Mount Sinai for forty days and nights <ref> Exodus 19:20</ref>. The Jews are believed to have made the tabernacle in the desert of Sinai. Some scholars believe that the ark was based on Egyptian and even Mesopotamian models <ref> Noegel, Scott B. "The Egyptian Origin of the Ark of the Covenant." In Israel's Exodus in Transdisciplinary Perspective, pp. 223-242. Springer, Cham, 2015)</ref>.During the wanderings of the Jews in search of their homeland, the ark was carried before them. The Hebrews believed that the ark contained the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments, Aron’s rod and a jar of manna. For them, it was filled with the spirit of Yahweh (God). There are different accounts of what the ark looked like and its characteristics, but most relate that the ark was an ornate, gold-plated wooden chest, that was carried on poles by the Levites (Hebrew priests). It was widely believed that the moveable shrine had special magical power because it was imbued with the spirit of God and it helped the Hebrews to overcome their many enemies during their wanderings <ref> Munro-Hay, Stuart C. The quest for the ark of the covenant: The true history of the tablets of Moses (London: IB Tauris, 2005), p. 11 </ref>. The priests often carried the ark in front of the Israelite army when it went into battle. It was typically hidden under a veil or cloth and anyone who looked inside it, died, as in the finale of the Indiana Jones movie. The ark was carried into battle by Joshua and later by the Judges, such as Saul and typically was believed to have helped them to achieve victory <ref>Joshua 3:3</ref>. The ark was eventually kept at a sacred site in Shiloh. However, the Israelites were defeated by their archenemies’ the Philistines at the Battle of Eben-Ezer (c 9th century BC). The Philistines captured the ark and took it back with them as booty. However, a series of disasters befell them, and they returned it to the Israelites. They placed the moveable shrine in a temple in Beth Shemesh. King David later seized the ark and placed it in his new capital of Jerusalem. He used it to legitimize his new Empire and his title as king. The ark was kept in the First Temple, in Jerusalem which was built by King Solomon. It rested in the Holy of Holies inside the Tabernacle of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem. It was only seen by the High Priests and then only during Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In 587 the Neo-Babylonian Empire invaded Judea and besieged Jerusalem. The Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar, savagely sacked the city and deported the population back to Babylon. The conquerors sacked the Jewish capital and destroyed the First Temple, but what happened to the Ark?

[[File: Ark 2.jpg|200px|thumb|left|A replica of the ark]]

There are two main traditions with regard to what happened to the ark after the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar. The first one is that the ark was taken to Babylon by the conquerors, this comes from a Greek version of the Biblical Book of Ezra <ref>1 Esdras 1:54 </ref>. Typically, during a siege, the victorious would loot a vanquished city of all its goods and riches. The ark which was plated with gold would have been regarded as a valuable prize. Moreover, it was a symbol of the Hebrews and by seizing it, Nebuchadnezzar was symbolically demonstrating his ascendency over them. At some point, the ark’s gold may have been stripped away and melted down and the ark destroyed. There is no evidence with regard to the fate of the shrine if it is was taken to the city. Babylon itself was later conquered by Cyrus the Great and his Persian army and the ark could have been destroyed at this time. However, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire was very well disposed to the Jews and he permitted them to return to the Land of Israel. It is likely that if the ark had been found in Babylon that, Cyrus would have bestowed it on the Jews. The other tradition with regard to the fate of the artifact that held the Ten Commandments was that it was hidden during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. There are references to the fate of the ark in the Book of Maccabees. It states that the ark was taken to Mount Nebo twenty miles south of Jerusalem, which was long associated with Moses and was believed to be the location where he died. This was done at the behest of the Prophet Jeremiah who predicted the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar. According to one biblical source, the ark would be revealed when the Hebrews returned from exile <ref>2 Maccabees 2:4-10</ref> However, the Bible does not state what happened to the ark after the Jews returned from exile in Babylon. It appears that they were no longer aware of its location, or else they would have placed it in the Second Temple that was built in Jerusalem. This has led to centuries of speculation as to the location of the tabernacle.

[[File: Ark 3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The Ethiopian Church which claims to hold the ark]]