In Israel, archaeologists believe they have discovered the town where Jesus appeared to followers after his resurrection.

After locating and excavating what Haaretz described as a 2,200-year-old "Hellenistic fortification," archaeologists say that discovery could also point to the town of Emmaus, which is mentioned in the Bible as one of the first places where Jesus appeared after his death.

For the past two years, a Franco-Israeli crew has worked to excavate Kiriath Yearim, a hill that overlooks Jerusalem. It is believed that the area was home to the Ark of the Covenant for two decades before King David moved the religious artifact to Jerusalem.

The fortification discovered is believed to have been constructed by the Seleucid general who is credited with defeating Judah the Maccabee, a priest who led the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid empire. He was killed in 160 BC by the Seleucid army under the leadership of general Bacchides, who had large walls built around Jerusalem.

Israel Finkelstein, an archaeologist from Tel Aviv University, and Thomas Römer, a College de France professor of biblical studies believe that the walls surrounding Kiriath Yearim and the nearby town of Abu Ghosh give proof that this area is, in fact, Emmaus.

Finklestein says: "The importance of this site, its dominant position over Jerusalem, was felt again and again through time: in the eighth century B.C.E., and then again in the Hellenistic period and then again after the First Jewish Revolt and the sack of Jerusalem in 70 C.E."

If correct, the finding provides context and meaning for Christians around the globe; a living example of biblical proof.

In Luke's account of the resurrection (24:13-35), the road to Emmaus is mentioned as the first place Jesus appeared to his disciples after coming back to life.

"That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened," read verses 13 and 14.

The Gospel of Luke also reveals that Emmaus was approximately 60 stadia from Jerusalem, an ancient measurement of around seven miles and the distance between Kiriath Yearim and the city now.

While Römer believes that this supports their belief, emeritus professor of ancient history from Tel Aviv University Benjamin Isaac is not yet fully convinced that Emmaus has been located, saying that "it is a hypothesis and remains a hypothesis."

Two other sites under excavation nearby, too, present possible options to be the town described in the Gospels.

Isaac, however, does admit to Finkelstein and Römer presenting a "good case archaeologically, geographically, and topographically."

A paper by Finkelstein and Römer will be published in the New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region journal on October 24.