The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant - Sign and the Seal

People argue whether these theories make sense or not. I see that it is an amazing reading to open one's mind. Graham Hancock puts himself in the frontline to show us soundly that history as we know may have not been so, and he ventures into an interesting and honest journey to satisfy his genuine curiosity, without pretenses. I love it. I feel it utterly honest and that's what I like the most about it.

At first i was quite fascinated with the writer and the book but as he moved along i noticed a trend in the book that bothered me. For one thing he seems to accept the bible exactly when it comes to some things and then doesnt in others like he has in a footnote in the back he believes that Moses and the Jewish only traveled for four years not forty like it says in the bible...also that Moses most likely had a few hundred maybe a few thousand but not 600,000 plus. All he doesnt say it outright, he seems to be in awe of the templars who searched for the ark...never of course mentioned how they butchered Jews in jerusalem simply for not believing the way they did. In additon he took two snips at jews...one where after a riot took place on the temple mount and after rocks were rained down on the worshipers below the police were called in to quell the riot and because people was shot which in reality the people down below couldnt have known...he interperted the cheering in a negative way as how can anyone cheer when people are getting killed......way one side and a sign of ignorance of what was going on...they were cheering because the police stopped deadly bricks from hitting them in the head. Also he portrayed a hasidic man as he walks as he was the owner of the market....gee didnt say anything negative about anyone else. He also kind of cast a negative light on the rulers in Jerusalem and them being capable of handling in oncoming crisis of where to move the tablets in time of trouble....again not anyone else. He no doubt has some good writing skills and i do like when he gets persistant to know the facts.....it just the above and also how the book winds up very quickly to conclusions as if to finish the work off quite different then as it was in the begining

This is easily one of the most interesting books I've ever read. This is not Indiana Jones! It is a thought provoking look at the character of Moses and the greatest treasure of the Jewish nation and what may have become of it. It's a fascinating read, as Hancock's other work often does, it will make you question what you thought you may have known.

Hancock really did his homework on this one. Perhaps more emphasis could have been placed on the 'Menelik' myth. Nevertheless, a great job! It is very plausible that the ark is indeed located in Axum, Ehtiopia. Why should we be surprised? Ethiopia, one of the largest and oldest empires in antiquity, has long since had ties to Jeruselum. Making referencene in today's bible, Ethiopia, or 'Cush' can first be seen in Genesis. Secondly, Moses' wife during the 'exodus' was an Ethiopian woman. In the book of Acts, Phillip the evangelist, made a proselyte, of the new testament doctrine concerning the risen Christ, of an Ethiopian treasurer, who was worshipping in Jeruselum and conducting business for Candace, the queen of Ethiopia, at the time. As we can conclude, it would have been a very easy task for the the Queen of Sheba, using established trade & religious routes, to visit Jeruselum and the wise King Solomon; and seeing his obvious appreciation of women, for her to return home pregnant. We can easily dismiss the notion of an Arabic queen. Ethiopia has a historical lineage of queens leading right up to mordern history. The notion that the Queen of Sheba was Arabic can undoubtedly be attributed to the fact that Ethiopia, an imperial power of that time rivaling Egypt, probably controlled that region of the world. But we cannot dismiss the Falashas, or 'black Jews' who were recently (in the 70s'), officially recognized as Jews and were provided settlements in Isreal. They had preserved Old Testament religion to the exact 'letter of the law' as written by Moses, even unto this day. An interesting note, they claim descent from Menelik I, the illegimate son of King Solomon and Makeba, the Queen of Sheba. Even more fascinating is the modern day Battle of Adowa. The king of Ethiopia, Menelik II, as he was called (because of traditional lineage), was reported to have used the ark in this battle. A battle in which the Ethiopians, armed with a few rifles, spearmen, and men on horseback, defeated the Italians, equipped with mordern day weaponry, to include artillery pieces. The odds were something like 4-to-1, in favor of the Italians. In review of the battle, some of the artillery pieces were not even fired. How is that for intriguing (this battle actually happened)? Sounds like the ark of the covenent again. The result of this battle gave recognition to Ethiopia as a modern day world power. Quite a leap from men on horseback to an eventual modern day equipped nation that worshipped the God of Isreal. Other world powers stood in line to conduct business with Menelik II and Ethiopia. The point being, the Ark of the Covenent could only be kept and maintained by a people adhering to the undisputed law of God. And, what better place to keep the ark, if we are to believe in the supernatural power of God, than in a nation that still practices the law of Moses(Falashas), to this very day? Perhaps the ark is their motivation for having maintained the Old Testament doctrine? Especially seeing the many times that Isreal had been invaded and provided a brief home to many pagan religions, during the reign of the kings. I think the conclusion, whether theoretical, hypothetical or factual, is quite clear. Good job!

This book deals with one of Archaeology's most interesting mysteries, but one that is rarely acknowledged as so, since the Ark of the Covenant is assumed to be legend by the Archaeological establishment. And Graham Hancock, who has by now made a career of challenging Academia's sacred cows, shows with "The Sign and the Seal" that to find answers it is necessary sometimes to get out and go places, like Ethiopia, which turns out to be a fascinating country of which I knew next to nothing. Hancock retraces the history of that culture, including the very probable presence of a strong Jewish influence millenia ago (otherwise it is difficult to explain how the Ark came to be kept in Ethiopia). The author's argument is convincing and reasonable. This does not mean that it is true, but it means that he has done an honest job, put his case forward, and made it available to us. We must decide. I had not given much thought to the Ark beyond going to see the movie by Spielberg. If it exists, though, it would be a fantastic discovery, and it might still have a surprise or two for us to learn. Read the book with an open mind. This one is not as challenging as his next best seller "Fingerprints of the Gods," but it shows a Graham Hancock already interested in mysteries that have been with us for a long time and for which the established scholars tend to have established -and mostly ludicrous- answers. It is good that the author knows what happens when you "assume" this or that. Starting with this point of view, he goes on to walk his own path, to show what he uncovers, and to reach his own conclusions. Just for that he is to be commended. He writes well, too, and his books are interesting. That doesn't hurt. "The Sign and the Seal" is a good mystery. Enjoy and get your own answers.

An excellent book, very well-sourced. I was gratified to see Hancock citing evidence/clues/references from a very wide selection: scholarly papers, published Freemason lore, Arthurian grail lore, the Biblical account, Jewish lore, Josephus, interviews with scholars and experts, etc. You have to give the man credit for backing up his theories with evidence.

I am less comfortable with his section on what the Ark was. As he disallows that it manifested the power of God, he suggests magic or lost ancient engineering knowledge instead. Frankly, I find the Biblical account more believable. But this section takes away but a little from the overall enjoyment I've gotten from this work.

Prior to reading this I knew nothing about the history and spirituality of Ethiopia; I now feel better versed in it.

I have read a review that because the author wasn't allowed to see the Ark in the St. Mary Church in Axum, this work is diminished. What could he do, save attempt to break in? This would instantly take him out of the field of historical researcher and into the realm of crackpot. So, no, the book isn't diminished simply because the work is open-ended.

Well worth reading. It pushes pop culture and Indiana Jones far to the back of your head.

Like all speculative literature, Graham Hancock's methodology in "proving" the Ark of the convenant is in Ethiopia relies on a chain of assertions. If you half-believe the first assertion, then a second assertion can be made, and if you half-believe it, then you now must fully believe the first assumption. Continue down this logical road, and you will soon find that the Knights Templar are involved in just about everything -- which is what we suspected all along, right?
But even though there is not a lot of merit in this sort of reasoning, Graham Hancock at least writes an interesting and entertaining book, which is far better than being logically consistent.
His journey begins in Ethiopia, where he hears that there is a legend about the Ark of the Covenant being brought there -- a legend which does not date earlier than the 13th centruy text which asserts this. Hancock could have decided that the 13th century tale was merely an invention of storytellers trying to make an upstart dynasty look respectable (consider, for instance, the genealogies that were used by Irish bards to prove that Brian Boru was actually a true claimant to the throne of Ireland), but instead, Hancock works from the position that the 13th century tale is true. From this humble beginning, Hancock then build his edifice of progressively unlikely assertions.
He ends up with the Ark being taken to Egypt, then to Ethiopia, discovered by the Knights Templar, lost by the Knights Templar, and travelling around quite a bit within Ethiopia before resting at Axum. Is it there? The guardian whom Hancock met claims it is, but won't let anyone see it.
Hancock also speculates that the Ark was built by Moses, who had received instruction while growing up from a secret society of Egyptian priests from a cult whose origins lie in the ruins of an Indian Ocean Atlantis founded by the Egyptian god Thoth -- a society which secretly has been kept alive by organizations like the Templars and Freemasons.
He also asserts that the Holy Grail (another medieval literary invention) and the Ark are one and the same -- and that the Grail legends and the architecture at Chartres are actually a secret code pointing to the Ark, and its location in Ethiopia.
This is a very fun book, with a lot of twists and turns, and always entertaining. It is not at all hampered by its conclusions, which are all undoubtedly nonsense. Don't take it too seriously, but enjoy it for what it is.

Graham Hancock is one of the authors that I really pay attention, mostly because of the seriousness of his studies. In here, he attempts to demostrate that he found the Ark of the Couvenant using keen archeological insight. But there are few points I want to make clear.
First, it's the fact that he uses the Holy Grail stories and novels to find the Ark. This method can be highly questionable if one considers the fact that when the tales of the Holy Grail first appeared, nobody knew what the Holy Grail was. Only many years after the first tale appeared, it began to be related to the cup or vase of the Last Supper or with the blood of Christ. In fact, in one of the stories, when the hero finds the Grail, he stops believing in God. Is this really related to the Ark of the Couvenant?
Secondly, I had the feeling throughout the book that he wanted to find the Ark in Axium. Although I recognize all the good job he has done finding all the archeological evidence, it seems to me that this can be a questionable factor in his book.
However, once again, I enjoyed the book. I am not so much of a believer in relics. In fact, my Bible studies seem to indicate that the Ark really existed, be it of supernatural origin or not. I think that, even when Hancock is not very convincing, his quest as shown in his book is really quite fascinating.

As an intellectual adventure story this book is top rate. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I virtually read it in one sitting. That alone merits the book five stars; however, it is not without faults. I don't want to appear overly down on the book, but I do feel that I must point these things out. For one thing, the Holy Grail is not the Ark. They are two completely separate artifacts, and despite the fact that Hancock uses a lot of fudgery to convince himself of this, he is wrong. Next, the Knights Templar may have found the Ark, but again this is unlikely. Also, the book is a bit of a let-down because Hancock never actually finds the Ark. He rather assumes he has found it and then let's the reader's imagination run amok. While the Ark may be in Ethiopia (this is the most likely place for it's location), Hancock does not definitively show this. Many have faulted Hancock for what they term his "Egyptian bias". I myself do not. Anyone who has seen the Great Pyramids or even pictures of them knows that there is more to ancient Egypt than meets the modern eye. Egypt was pretty much the center of the ancient world, and it should be treated as such. Unfortunately, Hancock fails to reveal or appreciate the importance of the religious element in any rediscovery of the Ark. As a vessel which basically served as the meetingplace between man and God for the ancient Hebrew, a rediscovery of the Ark would be of immense religious significance for the Destiny of the Human Race in it's relationship with the Divine. This book is for dreamers and seekers, for those of us who view human history as guided by Providence and who continue to look for the primitive artifacts of our ancient ancestors in a better attempt to understand the place of man in this world.
A word of warning. I liked this book a lot, so I attempted to find some other books of Hancock's to read. About this: Don't even bother. He ends up "selling out" to the "aliens crowd", who regard all the ancient myths as nothing more than a battle between mankind and the aliens (whatever that might mean). Wherever an unknown creature or something mysterious occurs, they attribute it to aliens. This is a religious type of movement and a product of postmodern decadence. It's not that I'm hostile to the notion of aliens (however, I myself admire the kind of radical super-humanism behind such modern notions as the Anthropic Cosmological Principle), but the idea that aliens at one time inhabitted the earth is pretty much unfounded. This totally fails to appreciate the ancient myths for what they are, encoded science, encoded history, and the psychological attempt by man to give meaning to his existence. As such, it robs man of his proper place in the universe and his relation to nature. In his other books, Hancock just throws speculation upon speculation in an attempt to support these unsubstantiated hypotheses.
However, don't let this detract from the quality of this book, or the meaning behind man's search for the lost Ark.

I was highly impressed with Graham Hancock's committment to completing his quest and telling his story. He did so at the cost of his family, which is regretable. I much appriciate his sacrifice for all of us. It is obvious that he put a great deal of time, research and effort into his work. We now have a more clearer story of the "FOUND" Ark of the Covenant of God; "found" because I do believe it is in Ethiopia.
However, I do disagree with a few of Graham's conclusions, specifically with regard to Moses as only being a master magician, educated by the Egyptians, and Jesus as not being the Divine Son of God. I have many ideas and comments on the subject, but with just 1,000 words allowed, I must be brief.
I also wish to contact Graham, to share some of my insights, but I do not have a way of establishing communications with him. I have numerous questions, such as: 1) Has Graham actually read the Book of Enoch; 2) Has he done research on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (for they have a lot of templar type traditions-- and a definite connection with Freemasonry); 3) Has he actually attempted to contact the modern Templars and the Vatican for direct questioning, particularly concerning the true motivation for the Knight's quest for the Ark, and concerning the contact of Pope Clement V with the Ethiopian delegation, just one year prior to the persecution of the Templars; and 4) is Graham himself a Templar?
I am a Christian and have full faith that the scriptures are accurate. I also do not believe that it is inconsistant that a just and loving God would slay the wicked, for disobeying him-- especially on such sacred and important matters as the establishment of God's Law and Gospel to His Children, on earth, through his vessel-- the Ark. It is not unjust for the righteous to slay the wicked. Therefore, I do not classify God as being a psychopathic murderer as Graham had suggested.

Mr. Hancock does an excellent job providing historic and cultural information on Ethiopia - a country that is typically only known for its periodic famines and political upheaval. I couldn't help but be disappointed in the method he used to present his hypothesis. That is, he begins the book with a full explanation of the arch's location. The remainder of the book goes on to justify why he thinks this is true. As I read each chapter, I kept waiting for some intriguing plot twist or new revelation, but these never came. It was like reading a "whodunit" novel and discovering the killer's identity in the first chapter. I've read a few other books in this genre ("Holy Blood/Holy Grail" for example) that were truly suspenseful even if you totally disagree with the findings. Hancock's informaiton on Ethiopia does have some value, especially for those who are interested in ancient history.

Devil's Verse: Natasha Azshatan Unlocks Ancient Mysteries, Reveals Secrets, And Wrestles With Demons As She Fights To Stay Alive

In The Sign And The Seal, Journalist and explorer Graham Hancock takes the reader along on his real life quest to find the legendary ark of the covenant. He follows clues in the bible and in other ancient writings, including the legend of the holy grail, which Hancock asserts is actually a literary map which leads to the ark's location. He uncovers clues left by the Knight Templers that were carved in stones across Europe and eventually to Axum Ethiopia where a secluded tribe of Ethiopians claim to posses the Ark inside their temple. This is a fun read. Whether the ark is in Axum or not, the journey is epic.

but without ruining the ending (which some here have done) don't expect the excitement of anyone's head exploding and Nazi's to burst into flames. Heck don't expect the excitement of watching grass grow.
The subject matter is fascinating. And some of the research is remarkable. The researcher finds "clues" in a cathedral, and at a grave site, and pieces together info from biblical text. Great stuff!!!! But holy cow, 600 pages!?!?! ( I thought it was more, it felt like more).
Read this if you are REALLY interested in archaeology and the Bible and the Ark. But if you are looking for a good adventure, not here my friends.
Again I felt smarter for reading this (maybe that was because it is a 600 pg book, I'd neverread that much before) and that made this a satisfying purchase, but I would never tell anyone they have got to read this.

This is an exceedingly interesting book, albeit controversial, for anyone interested in "history's mysteries." For those of us who have pored through the works of Zecharia Sitchin and dared to ponder questions that the scientists and religious authorities regard as sacrilegious (after all, science itself is a religion), this is especially interesting material. You don't have to believe in Hancock's theories (although he offers a weighty, serious argument for them) in order to love this book. Even if you regard the idea of the Ark of the Covenant resting in Ethiopia (or the notion that the Ark even exists) as preposterous, you can still enjoy this book in the same way you can delight in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories; this book is about solving a mystery. Just as Holmes' series of adventures often resulted in no real, firm, graspable truth, so is the case here. This detracts little from the story, however. The final judgment is left up to you, the reader, which is the trademark of any substantive mystery--only in this way can the great and unattainable "truth," in its most esoteric sense, be glimpsed.
Granted, Hancock is not a scientist or theologian, but this may in fact serve as his greatest qualification for tackling the types of lofty problems he embraces. After all, the vast majority of scientists and theologians dismiss without consideration the sorts of "wild" ideas discussed in this book; if not for the open minds of men like Mr. Hancock, many truths that have now been established would remain jokes told by the arrogant "experts" over tea--take, as an example, the discovery of Troy. As for the content of this book, it truly is a mix of history, religion, and archaeology. This is not Indiana Jones' quest for the Ark of the Covenant, so anyone looking for that sort of action will be disappointed. Anyone expecting to see pictures and Hancock's personal descriptions of the Ark will also be disappointed. Whatever rests in the Church of Saint Mary of Zion in Ethiopia will not and probably should not be revealed to the eyes of anyone other than its appointed guardian.
What you will find in this book is a lesson on the history of the ancient Israelites and of the Biblical Ark, a history of Ethiopia (which I for one had never really heard the first thing about), a history of the mysterious Knights Templar (truly fascinating and mysterious men), and an enlightening story of Gothic architecture and mediaeval literature. Parzival is not an easy book to read, and thus it is rather unknown, even though it is just as important (and, if Hancock is correct, much more important) than Malory's better-known treatment of King Arthur and his search for the Holy Grail. The idea Hancock presents, namely that the Holy Grail was in fact the Ark of the Covenant, manages to bring together the story of the two most important Biblical artifacts in history. If you have an open mind and a zest for "understanding," then this book should definitely be included on your reading list. Believe Hancock's opinions or not, the tale he tells is fascinating, dramatic, and intellectually enlightening.

One of my favorite books all-time books, from one of my favorite authors. In this true-life Indiana Jones adventure, Graham Hancock travels the world in search of the Lost Ark of the Covenant. Years of research went into this book, and it shows.
Hancock combines the results of his fascinating research with tales of his travels to uncover the mystery of the Ark's final resting place. Also included are numerous photographs and sketches discovered during his research and travels. It really is an exciting, sometimes nail-biting, true-life adventure.
Even if you have no interest in religion or archaeology, Hancock's writing will entertain and intrigue you. A tough book to put down.

A good book, but Graham Hancock failed to mention the gold ark (2.5c-1.5c-1.5c), gold table (2c-1c-1.5c), gold­ altar (1c-1c-2c), gold candlestick, gold breastplate, gold ephod, ­gold censer, and brass laver; stored inside the brass altar (5c-5­c-3c), located beneath Lieutenant-Colonel William Hawley's "Helesto­ne [Heelstone] lion head, calf head, man face, eagle wings", at the bottom of In­igo Jones' "Stone-Heng [Stonehenge] Restored trench", described in Hawley's Diary at­ Stonehenge on 24th May 1923; the same located at Easternmost bottom of WA3607 br­oad cut (9ft wide) trench: BEGINNING at mapped WA3606 (Stonehole "B"); THENCE deep­ening Northeast; THENCE crossing Easternmost Posthole "A", cross-sec­tion C6 right triangle, and Heel Stone 96 circular ditch (containing the twenty-four elder Carboniferous Limestone fossils; Aclisina, Aviculopecten, Bellerophon, Caninia cornucopiae, Chondrites, Cleiothyridina roissyi, Composita, Conocardium, Delepinea (Daviesiella) destinezi, Euphemites, Girvanella, Hapsiphyllum (Zaphrentis) konincki, Linoproductus, Megachonetes papilionaceous, Michelina grandis, Mourlonia, Murchisonia, Palaeosmilia, Plicochonetes, Rhipidomella michelini, Schellwienella cf. S. crenistria, Straparollus, Syringopora, Zoophycos); THENCE East to below Hawley's "Helestone [Heelstone] lion head, calf head, man face, eagle wings", at DI's refraction seismic station 96 (sledgehammer source) of 1st April 1985. Other than Graham Hancock not mentioning the gold ark, gold table, gold­ altar, gold candlestick, gold breastplate, gold ephod, ­gold censer, and brass laver, stored inside the brass altar, located beneath Lieutenant-Colonel William Hawley's "Helesto­ne [Heelstone] lion head, calf head, man face, eagle wings", at Easternmost bottom of In­igo Jones' "Stone-Heng [Stonehenge] Restored trench", described in Hawley's Diary at­ Stonehenge on 24th May 1923, the book "SIGN AND THE SEAL : THE QUEST FOR THE LOST ARK OF THE COVENANT" is a good read about one replica (Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Axum, Ethiopia) of the twenty-four replicas circulating round about the world.

The book was way too long - the author unnecessarily repeated certain ideas over and over again. [Proof by repetition!]
At the same time, the author skipped around other issues entirely. For example, what was the ark? The author provided almost no speculation from a scientific point of view. I was quite disappointed by "it's a gift from god and cannot be explained". The author is great at speculating and drawing conclusions from very little, so it's hard to understand why he didn't do a little more work on this. It makes me wonder what he had in mind in the event that he actually found the ark. Would he have stopped at a physical description of it? Surely he had a long list of questions that could be answered. But he never talked about it, so it's as if he knew there was no point in preparing such a list. (I could've imagined a whole chapter on this subject alone.)
Same observation about Axum. Why did he not have a long list of questions (and ideas) for what was going to happen when he finally talked to the keeper of the ark. I'm astounded that he just asked some weak questions and gave up. There are all sorts of ways he could've gotten more information. I can't help wondering if he did indeed find out that the Ark wasn't there and so he came up with this lame ending so the whole thesis of the book wasn't a total waste.
The book could've used a lot more pictures. He wasted pages and pages on text as he tried to describe symbols and their arrangements. A few good pictures would've been much simpler. (When a lawyer does this in court, it's because a picture would disprove the point he's trying to make.)
Sorry to be so negative - I am giving this four stars because I did enjoy reading the book and have recommended it to friends. It's just that it had some gaping holes.

I found this book to be quite fascinating and enjoyable to read. He offers different opinions about where the Ark could be, then he settles on Ethiopia. I commend him for the amount of research involved in writing a book of this nature, but there are doubts to whether the Ark is actually in Ethiopia. I also believed, as a previous reviewer stated, that he spent too much time talking about the Knights Templar. However, I believe anyone who has any interest in this topic, or simply enjoys a good detective story, will enjoy reading this book.

Fascinating account for a less known part of the Jewish history and the story of The Arch of the Covenant. Hancock traces the possible routes that the Arch could have been carried along, after its mysterious dissapearance from the temple of Solomon. Guaranteed to keep you awake as the author tries to unveil some of the most well kept secrets in history. Brilliantly logical in the presentation and at the same time exciting and intriguing narration.
A must for all history and mystery lovers and an excellent begining for those who want to continue exploring the nearly mythical world of the Knight Templars.

"Hey, Indy I've found something", Oh, wait, that's a line from the movie 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' isn't it? and 'The Sign & the Seal' is a serious historical, archaelogical account of the search for, and supposed discovery of the biblical Ark of the Covenant. Yes, one is fantasy and the other non-fiction, although after reading some parts of the book, don't be surprised if you find yourself flipping to the backcover to check on the publishing category. For your reference it's 'history/religion/archaeology'
That the book reads like a great adventure novel makes it enjoyable. That it purports to have solved the mystery of not only what happened to the Ark, but also that Hancock says that he knows where it is, makes this a book that deserves serious attention. The author spent considerable time researching this subject and his quest took him to Jerusalem, Egypt, the Chartres Cathedral in France and finally Ethiopia. He read widely and interviewed many people and discusses a wide variety of topics. The Kebra Nagast (the ancient Ethiopian history of the Queen of Sheba), the Templars, the Holy Grail, the biblical story of Solomon and the Babylonian Exile of the Jews all have some bearing on the wherabouts of the Ark. Hancock weaves it all together with style.
Research, genuine interest, enthusiasm and writing style however are insufficient in overcoming the critical flaw of the book. Unlike a movie which can end however it chooses, an investigative history book must prove it's thesis. Hancock neatly dodges producing proof by telling us that the guardian of the Ark won't let anyone see it. In recalling the conversation Hancock remembers saying 'this is a great disappointment for me', to which the guardian philosophically replied 'there are worse things in life than disappointment', to which I say, there are many movies that could use good endings like this but a history book should not be allowed to get away with it.

The story begins with Graham Hancock in Ethiopia in 1983 when he is hired by the Mengistu regime to write a coffee-table book about Ethiopia (a business deal that he would later regret). While on this assignment, he goes to Axum because not only is it the birth place of Ethiopian Christianity, 331 CE, and the capital of the Ethiopian Empire from the first through approximately the tenth century, but also the site of many ancient ruins including palaces and obelisks more than two thousand years old. Here Hancock learns of an Ethiopian tradition, which holds that the Ark of the Covenant has been kept in Axum since its disappearance from Solomon's Temple between 970 and 931 BCE.
After returning home, Hancock begins research on literature pertaining to the Ark of the Covenant. Naturally, he begins with the Old Testament, but ends up chasing leads connected to the militant religious order of the Knights Templar. He hypothesizes that Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parsival of Grail legend is an encrypted treasure map of sorts that leads to the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia. Following a trail of clues left by explorers and chroniclers, he is convinced that there is something to Ethiopia's claim to being the last resting place of the Ark. He draws many parallels between Parsival and the Kebra Nagast, the book that contains the Ethiopian legend of Menelik, son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who abducted the Ark of the Covenant from his father's temple and brought it to Ethiopia.
Hancock dismisses the Kebra Nagast account of how the Ark came to Ethiopia as only partially true legend and gives credit to faithful Jews who rescued it from King Manasseh. The Ark was taken to the island of Elephantine (Aswan in Egypt) where there was a group of Jews who had built a temple. It remained there for two hundred years before war made it unsafe for the Jews. They moved into the Ethiopian highlands around the end of the fifth century. Hancock believes this also explains the origin of the Falashas, Ethiopia's indigenous Jews.
This book is quite a lot of fun to read. It appears to move quickly; from page to page Hancock discovers something new that sheds light on the mystery. Each clue seems to lead to something that in turn leads to something even more fascinating. It is helpful to remember that this book represents almost ten years of research, and what appears to move along in rapid succession has actually taken a long time to gather. Also, the material discussed and the works cited span thousands of years. It is easy to feel like you are really getting somewhere fast when you read it.
Hancock is the first to recognize his shortcomings and limitations as historian, archeologist, and linguist. He never hesitates to call on experts to help him, and he gives very detailed accounts of his interviews. The book is heavily annotated with references to many scholarly works as well as relevant primary sources. Even so, Hancock is not at all pushy in his presentation. In fact, it reads like a personal memoir, his only goal is to satisfy his own curiosity.
Any student of ancient civilization or medieval history should be pleased to read The Sign and the Seal for it contains a huge amount of information in these areas. Anyone who likes a good mystery will enjoy it, too.

Hancock's book is an entertaining account of an enthusiast who, from his own admission, was largely ignorant of his subject when he set out to discover the truth about it. The book has three main flaws. Whether by design or cultural self-centeredness, Hancock is too interested in searching for Knights Templar involvement, although the so-called Templar crosses in Ethiopia/Eritrea date from the 5th century AD. Linking the Ark to medieval Europeans sells books [Munro-Hay's Aksum (1991) and The Ark of the Covenant (1999) are far more informative but don't sell outside academia because European historical romanticism is absent in his works]. Secondly, Hancock had little understanding of the Kebra Nagast, which is a combination of two separate works, the Sheba-Menelik Cycle dating from oral (10th century BC) and written (pre-400BC) Semitic sources (Josephus summarises it (ca.90AD); and the Caleb Cycle (ca 518 AD). When Isaac's team compiled the Kebra Nagast around 1314 AD they used an Arabic Sheba-Menelik Cycle and a Ge'ez Caleb Cycle and then put in their own comments to try and make sense of the bizarre geography of the Sheba-Menelik Cycle. This included references to Cairo and Alexandria, which didn't exist in Solomon's day, something Hancock overlooked. Hancock is hardly alone in his third and major miscalculation. It is now generally accepted in mainstream archaeology that no evidence exists in Israel/Palestine of the events and places described in the Old Testament up until the Babylonian captivity. The site of modern day Jerusalem in Solomon's day was covered by a few small villages. There was no great city and nothing has been found of Omri's even more magnificent capital in Samaria. Historical linguistics, Tamil trade words in Hebrew, the lack of Egyptian words in Hebrew, the history of the Iron-Age (The Hebrews of Joshua were iron-age invaders of Canaan but were supposed to have fled bronze age Egypt), 11th century BC political-economic conditions, the name for the Ark in Ge'ez, the pattern of ancient Jewish settlement, the Saudi Gazette of Place Names, inscriptions on the Ethiopian plateau, remnant Judaic populations in northern Somalia and Eritrea, the history of the Queen of Sheba (three are mentioned in the Tigre inscriptions) and the extraordinary geographical references all point to the true location of Solomon's kingdom being between Taima and the Yemen border, in West Arabia, not Israel/Palestine. The Ark was probably stolen from a sanctuary near Abha in Arabia. If Hancock's hypothesis of a theft from the site of present Jerusalem it is difficult to accept that the Ark, reputedly the most dangerous weapon on the planet and in the hands of a small group of hunted desperadoes, would be casually waved all the way through tightly controlled Dynastic Egypt which was ruled by Solomon's own father in law. Hancock suggests the Ark was in the hands of the Elephantine Aramaic-speaking Jewish garrison in the 5th century BC who many commentators believe introduced Judaism to Ethiopia. However the Tigre inscriptions testify to a mixed Hebrew/Sheba population ruled by kings and queens of Shebans around 700 BC, which seems to corroborate the events in the Sheba-Menelik Cycle. Personally I believe the Sheba-Menelik Cycle pre-dates the Old Testament, which was first written around 400 BC without vowels and eventually standardised with vowels between 500-950 AD. Nevertheless, Hancock's work on the Ark in Ethiopia is very informative. What he has missed is a chance to show that the history of the Ark is the key to the true location of the Old Testament.
Dr Bernard Leeman Ethiopian Research Council Former Deputy Head of History, Asmara University [email protected]

I started reading this book just after it was first published, in 1992 I trudged on for a hundred or so pages, and then put it down. For 10 years. Heavy reading indeed. Every year or so I would pass by the book on my shelf, and it would glare back at me, calling out "Unbeliever!" "Backslider!" I would respond (silently for the most part) "Oh yeah, if the Ark of the Covenant really is in a Church in Axum, then I think, given the importance and power of the Ark, that it might have been subjected to well publicized, widespread, and modern analysis and study by not only religious scholars, but historical scholars as well.
Well, at least an article in Time or Newsweek.
But I digress.
Most useful part of book: Hancock's historical research is very interesting. He made the Bible become an historical record, as opposed to the Holy Book. I had never really though of the Bible as an attempt to lay out a historical narrative, and this book really made it easy to see the Bible in that light. He did a lot of research in a lot of areas for this book. But, I would be really interested in seeing what true scholars make of his sources and conclusions. I don't think many people have the depth of knowledge to truly assess the credibility of those sources and his conclusions. For all we know, the people and sources in his footnotes might be considered a little "wacky" by scholars.
I picked the book up again a few months ago, determined to finish what I started, and finally solve the great Mystery of the Ages (and I don't mean the location of Atlantis, or that Isis and Thoth and Moses were Masons). I got very close to putting it down for another 10 years during Part IV. But I am determined to finish it yet. I feel that I might get in trouble, in a religious sense, if I don't.

I tend to be fairly skeptical but enjoy history, especially when written by someone who knows how to keep the reader's interest. I think Hancock makes a very good case for the Ark being in Ethiopia...in fact, just to be sure he wasn't 'sandbaggin' me, I even bothered to check some of the authorities he quotes as "scholars" and indeed he was scrupitiously honest.
I agree with another reviewer here that the ending was more than a small disappointment but the trip was overall worth it.
Well-written, and recommended.

This particular book very much stands out among Hancock's works. Of his other six "alternative history" compositions, five are dedicated to making a case for a pneumatically-minded civilization that flourished prior to at least one of the enormous floods that accompanied our planet's entrance into its current interglacial period. In "The Sign and the Seal", on the other hand, Hancock attempts to locate the Ark of the Covenant of Hebrew mythology.

There are essentially two general ways I see that a reader could enjoy this book. To those who actually believe in the Ark's existence, Hancock has presented the ONLY plausible case I have ever read for the current residence of the devine artifact. While there are some inaccuracies and hasty inferences made on the author's part (particularly in "Part II: Holy Ark and Holy Grail"; some of his ideas on the Knights Templar made me laugh out loud), they are mostly errors in "side information" that present little consequence to his overall case.

The only real flaw I see in Hancock's argument is the precious little evidence that the Ark of the Covenant ever existed. In "Part IV: A Monstrous Instrument", the author spends two lengthy chapters speculating on just WHAT, exactly, the Ark might be (mercifully, he does so from a more-or-less secular perspective). While the points he makes are interesting, and implant the POSSIBILITY that the object existed in the reader's mind, they are also nothing that any objective researcher wouldn't have picked out from a few hours of combing through the Torah.

So, on one hand, if you can go into this book taking the Ark's existence for granted, chances are you will be thoroughly convinced of Hancock's claim regarding its current location; his theory on how exactly it got there is quite interesting and plausible as well.

But, if you are skeptical of the Ark's existence, there is one other way in which "The Sign and the Seal" differs from Hancock's usual prose. All of the books he has produced after this one are almost entirely informative-argumentative in content. "The Sign and the Seal" is split about 50/50 between presenting the author's argument and telling the story of how he was led to these discoveries. Much of it reads better in that regard than the majority of modern fiction, in my opinion (thought to be fair, its made more interesting by the fact that it actually happened). So, even if you are unable to buy into the theories presented in it, "The Sign and Seal" will not fail to entertain as a fictional detective story. Anyone who is literate should be able to come away satisfied in some way.

I found this book and exciting and stimulating read, and Hancock does his research well, as best I can tell. He leaves the reader with a great deal to think about, both in the biblical context of discovering what happened to the Ark, and in the Ethiopian context of the unusual reverence the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has for the Ark, and their claim to possess the original artifact.
However readers should be forwarned that, as in all his other work I have read, Graham Hancock is willing to draw the most sensational conclusions from what appears to be very scanty evidence. He links his ideas together very poorly and often reasons from ealier conclusions that, while they seem reasonable, are never backed up fully. He has no single compelling piece of evidence, just a lot of suggestive ideas.
Nontheless, it is an excellent read, and I highly recommend it. I just want to warn those who read it and feel 'all them historians and egyptologists is wrong, Graham Hancock knows the TRUTH' that he never proves any of his theories, and therefore as well as not being easy to dismiss, his ideas should not be too easily accepted.

While I read this book with intense interest I found that it raises far more questions then it really answers. I would have preferred that Mr. Hancock develop the theme of the Knights Templar in greater depth and I thought he rolled over too easily when he was denied access to the chapel in Axum. I did, however, enjoy the detail he provided in tracing the journey of the ark from Jerusalem and all of the historical background that came with it.

Hancock's work is very readable and easy to follow. This one, although not quite as good as "Fingerprints of the Gods," is also sometimes hard to put down and often reads like a mystery/thriller. I think I just wasn't as interested in the ark of the covenant as I was in the material in the other book. But there's a lot of interesting information here that I've never seen anyplace else. Lovers of ancient history will probably enjoy it.

In the early 1990's,Graham Hancock undertakes a search for the Ark of the Covenant--i.e. the receptacle holding two stone tablets imprinted by God with the ten commandments. The search ultimately leads Graham to Axum, Ethiopia, reported to be the final resting place of the Ark.

Through research and site vists, Graham explains how the Ark arrived in Ethiopia which contrasts with other theories that the Ark was destroyed by the Babylonians or that the prophet Jeremiah hid the Ark on Mt. Nebo.

The book poses some interesting questions. For example:

1. Did Moses devise the Ark based on an Egyptian prototype found in King Tut's tomb.

2. Is there evidence that the Templars searched for the Ark in Ethiopia and did they find it?

3. And, if this novel is nothing more than an elaborate fictional superstructure erected above some historical truths, what is its hidden meaning??

I really enjoyed this book as a speculative adventure piece. I learned a bit about the history of the Ark, the Grail, the Templars, and the Ethopian Jews.
In the end, I had to take his conclusions with more than a grain (a pillar perhaps?) of salt. He leaves holes big enough to drive an ark through... and that would be Noah's, not the Ark of the Covenant.
Read it with a healthy dose of skepticism and enjoy a quasi-historic tourbus ride come detective novel.

The authors search for the Lost Ark of the Covenant often puts him at odds with the scientific and religious establishment. The phrase "In for a penny, In for a pound" has never been more apt. There are many things in the bible and ancient history that just don't add up and most people are afraid to cite the obvious. The author fearlessly goes where most researchers are afraid to go.

It is certain that the Old Testament is a chronical of amazing events. These stories were already ancient history when the bible was compiled. I agree with the author that there was a civilization that had attained a sophisticated level of technology, the remnants of which, are responsible for the sudden appearance of the roots of civilization as we know it

I disagree with the reviewer who calls this type of inquiry silly. it is important to have an open mind and to risk being ridiculed to get at the truth.

I heard about Hancock while watching a documentary on the Discovery Channel. His work, while controversial, is backed up with a mountain of research and is thoroughly convincing. I for one believe that Hancock has made his case beyond a reasonable doubt. Please don't confuse what he has done with the highly specious theories of, say, a von Daniken or Velikovsky. Hancock's work stands on its own with any Professor at any top University.

Graham Hancock's passion to find out the truth or at least some clear evidence about the existence and origins of the Ark of the Covenant is inspiring. It is a great intellectual excercise for people who enjoy questioning and I think his research work is very good. The basic notion is that the lost Ark, whose existence is mentioned in the Bible and different religions and traditions, was built with a presumably more advanced and lost knowledge and technology. Still, neither its existence nor its potientialities have been proved and its influence (at least for the people who believe in it) remains dogmatic.
Although I enjoyed the book very much, I thought he was too quick in building conclusions from a fairy small body of information (and in jumping from one conclusion to another). I also felt he lacked some deepening at critical parts of the research. Yet, I found his reasoning persuasive and the combination of his open mind to new possibilities and his own creative thinking makes the reading really interesting. The narrative is great!

Grahm Hancock is a modern investigative journalist/author that is in a class all by himself.
So you didn't know there were black Jews in Ethiopia since the time of Solomon.
You didn't know the Templar's found these 'lost jews'.
You didn't know 'til this day the 'church of Ethiopia' which is a misture of Old Temple Jewish customs and early Coptic Christian customs actual has a temple dedicated to housing THE ARK taken from Solomon's Temple.
If you like religious works this is one you will love.
BUY IT NOW

Hancock writes a fascinating tail of one of the most sought after religious relics of our time. Displaying a profound and almost scary ability to find connections and meanings in the most darkest of corners. I found this book to be not only entertaining but very informative. Hancock's journalistic qualities are readily apparent as he weaves a fascinating tail of epic proportions. Fact or fiction? Only you can be the judge of that, but the evidence presented by Hancock is of a most astounding nature. Presenting convincing evidence of the long and perilous journey of the Ark and it's relationship to religious artifacts and cults of all genre. An absolutely fantastic book.

Hancock takes you on a ride of a lifetime through the history of the grail legend, from Chartes to Scotland to the Holy Land to Ethiopia. This is a fast read for those interested in this subject. I read this book in three weeks. I could not put it down.
Hancock connects the dots. If this is true, then a question of the ages may very well have been answered.
This book makes sense. It is well researched, and Hancock actually travelled to these many places for research.

Graham Hancock has become quite the authority on alternative views of our ancient past and The Sign and the Seal was a terrific introduction to his work. Like himself, I became interested in the legend of the Ark of the Covenant after seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark as a teenager. I must admit, I learned more in the short amount of time it took me to read his book than I had in the previous 15 years. Whether the Ark does in fact reside in Ethiopia or not, we'll probably never know. However, Mr. Hancock has built a strong case to support that idea. This book, along with several appearances on cable documentaries I've recently seen have made him a big influence on me personally and I look forward to reading his other works very soon.

Mr. Hancock's novel was very interesting and was hard to put down for more than 5 minutes at a time. I found myself reading his book during every free moment of my day. The book was intriguing and I believed all of the conclusions Mr. Hancock was making.....until I got to the second half of the book. Mr. Hancock started to lose credibility with me when he tried to tie Moses, the Ark, and Atlantis together. It seemed that he was mixing biblical and historical facts with his own personal beliefs to create unbelievable answers to questions his research posed. I was disappointed with the conclusions he reached but I found the majority of his research interesting and would recommend this book for fans of history and mystery but not for those unwilling to open their minds to unconventional religious thinking.

This does read as an adventure story and archeological expedition all in one, as such it provides gripping stuff. Graham Hancock, along with other authors, have tapped into what appears to be a growing global awareness of a hidden literal history that lyes as an undercurrent in many religous teachings. In his further books he carries this theme along well, ok maybe mars is one planet too far, but it continues to incurr many minds too ponder the wonderous world we live in. Co-operation is better than competion so maybe he can learn from more orthodox minds and they in turn can try to open up to the many possibilities of an alternative view. Always search for the truth and although this book may not contain the whole truth it will make you sit back and think which is far better than going through life blissfully blind to the potential within all of us.

Following the trail of the mystery was almost as exciting as reading the The Da Vinci Code and knowing it was a real story made it inspiring. Although the ending in Brown's book was more satisfying than in this one, the search for facts to support his theory did inspire me to write my own detective style historical book Noah's Ark, Discovering the Science of Man's Oldest Mystery. So thanks for the information concerning the Falasha Jews and opening my eyes to an exciting style of investigative history writing.

After reading through some of the other reviews of this book I question whether any of the poor reviews even finished reading this book. It is an excellent read and seems to have exhausted every clue given about the Ark and its whereabouts. He takes you on an adventure while presenting the facts which gives you a sense of "being there". Take this book on its own merits. Many call Graham Hancock a "pseudo-scientist" which is a typical respite for someone who trys to present a view directly in contrast to their agenda or beliefs. Let us remember that Some times "The Majority" only means all the fools are on the same side". Secondly this book is NOT science. There are no experiments to be performed only historical data to be collected, and he does so in a very exhaustive way. This author has come a long way from his first books in presenting his information. I highly recommended this book as well as The Fingerprints Of The Gods by the same author.

If you are interested in the mystique of the lost Egyptian wisdom, the Ark, Atlantis, mysteries of the Bible, the Knights Templar,or just plain enjoy reading a good book, this one is a must! I believe that Graham Hancock has found the true resting place for the Ark of the Covenant.

A great adventure begining at Chartres Cathedral in
historical journalism, fantasticly informative and
interesting. Does the Ark still exist and how close
can we get to finding the genuine article? Pretty damn close.

Read it.

Very good writing. The history contained in the book is very interesting, especially if you are interested in esoteric societies and the like. However, Hancock's conclusions were often poorly thought out and based on highly circumstantial evidence.

Athough controversial, Graham Hancock has done his research well. If he cannot substantiate a claim he says so, if he can he does it with background research. Although I have my doubts that the Ark of the Covenant is in Axom, the history he has in this book is outstanding.

Graham Hancock is a master at storytelling and this is non-fiction to boot. If you're an Indiana Jones fan or a fan in general of religious artifacts and their extraordinary powers, then this is definately one book you don't want to miss. At least in Indy is/was fictional, made up, and good. Here Mr. Hancock weaves the non-fiction in a adventurous way, so you feel like you are actually there with him doing the research. Let me tell you, I am a believer! If the vatican doesn't have it, then this is definately where the ark is!

AN EXCELLENT READ. INSPIRED ME TO MAKE THE TREK TO ETHIOPIA MYSELF TO SEE THE WONDERS DESCRIBED.
HANCOCK MISSES A CRUCIAL, BUT OBVIOUS POINT....THE ETHIOPIANS DO NOT HAVE THE ARK ITSELF, BUT ACTUALLY POSSES THE TABLETS (REAL OR A COPY THEREOF) THAT WERE IN THE ARK! THERE ARE SO MANY CLUES TO THIS, THAT I WONDER HOW GRAHAM SEEMS TO MISS DRAWING THIS EASY CONCLUSION.
THE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH/HISTORY/SCHOLARSHIP IN THE BOOK IS IMPRESSIVE. HE DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB TRACING THE JOURNEY OF THE ARK/TABLETS TO ETHIOPIA.
MORE THAN EVEN THE STORY OF THE ARK/TABLETS IS THE FACINATING HISTORY OF ETHIOPIA, ITS JEWISH HERITAGE AND EARLY 4th CENTURY A.D. CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY.

I thought it was really interesting, exciting, and very entertaining, it was kind of like a real life Indiana Jones Story except all true! If you like detective type books or if your a history buff you'll love it!

This book was captivating from the start. From an entertainment standpoint, the book was impossible to put down. Highly recommended for open-minded individuals searching for knowledge and truth. However, as should be the case with all works of this type, the reliability and proper intrepretation of the sources should be investigated before one considers the work scientific. In the end it all comes down to a matter of faith.

Hancock is a truth seeker after my own heart. The work is outstanding in all ways. Hancock has done a topnotch and honest job of researching, organizing facts, listing speculation and his own conclusions. It all "hangs together." A more important subject could not be found than looking for the Ark of the Covenant. Whether he is absolutely correct in all his conclusions or suppositions does not ultimately matter. What does matter is that he gives this subject his best and greatest effort.

I love a good mystery, especially an historical mystery and I, for one, applaud him. Besides, I hated to put the book down when I was called elsewhere and hated to see it end. I will definitely read more Hancock and would love to have a good conversation with him.

Dorothy K Morris

Author

This book covers along time period in which the author travels to many exotic and interesting places (ok I am a little jealous). While I am not convinced that the Ethiopians have the original AOC I do not dismiss that they could and Mr.. Hancock puts some convincing evidence to support that. I enjoy his style of writing as a narrative about his adventures rather than just a fact based book.

Whether you come out of this book believing the ark resides in Ethiopia or not, it remains to be said that Graham Hancock has produced a thoroughly interesting read, filled with indepth research and well based logical deduction. There is nothing better than reading a book on a subject like this where the author has done their homework. My advice is simply this: buy this book right now!

Just like the old Chariots of Gods, his books are very interesting and and entertaining. But please dont think that you are reading a scientific work. Real historical works are not as sexy and entertaining as these books just as real archeologists are not Indiana Joneses.

This book was a chore to get through. Hancock conures up a wild theory, does nothing to prove it, then treats it as an established fact in the next chapter.
(Try reading a book called THE GOLD OF EXODUS instead, much better written and infinitely more fun.)