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Possible wall of King David's Palace unearthed in Jersulam
Cleveland Jewish News ^

Posted on 12/06/2005 6:02:09 PM PST by Liberty1970

Amazing discovery in heart of biblical Jerusalem

By: DAVID HAZONY Special to the CJN

Recent archaeological find, thought by some to be the biblical palace built by King David, stirs controversy over the right of the Jewish people to claim Jerusalem.

In what many archaeologists hail as the potential find of the century, remains of a massive structure dating to the time of King David have been discovered in the heart of biblical Jerusalem.

Eilat Mazar, the Israeli archaeologist leading the excavation, has suggested that it may, in fact, be the palace built by David as described in the Bible.

The discovery has shaken the already contentious field of biblical archaeology to its roots: For the last few years, a number of respected archaeologists n most prominently Israel Finkelstein, chairman of Tel Aviv University’s archaeology department and author of the 2001 best-seller The Bible Unearthed n have argued that the biblical accounts of Jerusalem as the seat of a great and united monarchy under the rule of David and Solomon are false. If Mazar’s hypothesis proves right, it would go a long way toward proving Finkelstein and the others wrong.

Her findings will also doubtlessly affect the broader political battle over Jerusalem n that is, the question of whether the Jewish people has its origins in the city and thus has a special hold over it, or whether the concept of a Jewish origin in Jerusalem is nothing but a myth.

With such a potentially powerful find, there will naturally be no shortage of skeptics, whether for reasons of politics or scholarship. Yet there are many good reasons to identify Mazar’s find, at least provisionally, as the palace described in the Book of Samuel. These reasons deserve to be heard.

According to archaeological evidence, Jerusalem was founded two millennia before David arrived on the scene in 1000 B.C.E. Because of its unique topography n a high hill nestled between two deep valleys that converge at its southern point, graced with abundant sources of water and exposed to attack only along a ridge from the north n the location proved ideal for the capital of a kingdom.

Therefore, David did not destroy the city when he conquered it from the Jebusites, but rather added to it. The most notable addition was the palace built by the Phoenician king, Hiram of Tyre, as a gesture of friendship.

Based on the biblical account, coupled with textual clues as to the topography and findings previously published by Kathleen Kenyon, Mazar formulated her proposal as to the location of the palace in a 1997 article in Biblical Archaeology Review.

“If some regard as too speculative the hypothesis I shall put forth in this article,” she wrote, “my reply is simply this: Let us put it to the test in the way archaeologists always try to test their theories n by excavation.” In early 2005, with the support of the Jerusalem-based Shalem Center, the City of David Foundation, and Hebrew University, Mazar did just that.

The evidence she found is remarkable: A section of a massive wall, which runs about 100 feet from west to east before making a right-angle turn heading south, implies the existence of a very large building. Other findings include pottery shards, discovered in the dirt fill between the stones of the wall, which were dated to the 11th century B.C.E., the earliest possible date of the building’s construction.

Additionally, the building is positioned directly on bedrock along the city’s northern edge with no archaeological layers beneath it. This implies that the structure, built two millennia after the city’s founding, constituted a new, northward expansion of the city’s limits, as described in the biblical account. It is located at what was then the very summit of the mountain n a reasonable place for the palace from which David is said, in II Samuel (5:17), to have “descended.”

Finally, Mazar discovered a remarkable clay bulla, or signet impression, bearing the name of Yehuchal Ben Shelemiah, a Judean prince from the time of King Zedekiah mentioned by name in Jeremiah 37:3. This evidence suggests that four centuries after David, the site was still an important seat of Judean royalty. This matches the biblical account of the palace being in continuous use from its construction until the destruction of Judea by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.

The evidence seems to agree surprisingly well with Mazar’s claim that this could be David’s palace. The location, size, style, and dating of the building all match the textual description. Moreover, there are no finds that suggest the contrary, such as the idolatrous statuettes or ritual crematoria found in contemporary Phoenician settlements. Furthermore, the building appears in an ancient world where such constructions were extremely rare and represented the greatest sort of public works. Finally, the evidence fits well with previous archaeological finds from the site.

Naturally, many archaeologists, having been trained in a scholarly world wary of religious enthusiasts, will be extremely reluctant to identify any new archaeological find with particulars found in the Bible. Others, driven by a combination of interests, ideologies, or political agendas, will seize on any shred of uncertainty in the building’s identification to distract attention from the momentousness of the find. Both groups will invoke professionalism and objectivity to undermine the proposition that this was David’s palace: They will either raise the bar of required proofs to a standard that no archaeological find could ever meet, or they will simply dismiss it all as wishful thinking in the service of religious or Zionist motives.

Yet even if this is not in fact David’s palace, there is no doubt that we are talking about an archaeological find of revolutionary proportions. It is still the first discovery of a major construction from the early Israelite period in Jerusalem.

No longer is it reasonable to claim, as many revisionist archaeologists have done, that the absence of evidence from the relevant period shows that the great unified monarchy of David and Solomon was really an imaginary historiosophic creation. It is thus significant that the normally reserved Amihai Mazar, cousin of Malat Mazar and one of the most esteemed scholars in the field of biblical archaeology and author of the standard textbook Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, 10,000 - 586 B.C.E., has described the discovery as “something of a miracle.”

Furthermore, so long as we are willing to admit that possible future evidence may prompt a different conclusion, there is no reason not to identify this building as David’s palace. Put simply, we have before us two things: A biblical text describing in detail the creation of a Phoenician-style palace by David on a particular mountain around the end of the eleventh or beginning of the tenth century B.C.E.; and a grand Phoenician style structure dating from the same time on the summit of that very mountain, located with assistance from the text and previous archaeological discoveries.

Is this absolute proof? No. But surely it is enough to shift the burden of proof. For in the end, the theory that this is David’s palace is thus far the best explanation for the data. As Mazar herself says, “Anyone who wants to say otherwise ought to come up with a better theory.”

This is neither wishful thinking nor an imagined past. It’s good science.

David Hazony is editor-in-chief of Azure (http://www.azure.org.il). A longer version of this piece appears in the journal’s autumn 2005 issue.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Israel; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: apologetics; archeology; bible; christianity; godsgravesglyphs; jerusalem; jews; kingdavid; letshavejerusalem; palace; palestine
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To: Liberty1970
Possible wall of King David's Palace unearthed in Jerusalem

A wall is just a straight pile of rocks. I hope they're not reading intelligent design into a straight pile of rocks.

Humans are infinitely more complex than a straight pile of rocks, and we know that humans are just a series of accidental mutations that proved to be beneficial.

21 posted on 12/06/2005 7:30:57 PM PST by RJL
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To: Rabid Dog

For all those who say Israel doesn't belong in the Middle East, this will bring some much needed clarification. Many think the Jews only came to the vicinity in 1947. Won't they be surprised when this proves to be Kind David's Palace?!


22 posted on 12/06/2005 7:37:02 PM PST by Snapping Turtle (Slow down and get a grip!)
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To: RJL
"A wall is just a straight pile of rocks. I hope they're not reading intelligent design into a straight pile of rocks."

History and truth are important to all of us. "Us" being the same as your royal we."

23 posted on 12/06/2005 7:37:17 PM PST by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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To: blueminnesota
Royal Seal Unearthed in City of David

(IsraelNN.com) A royal seal dating to the period of the First Temple has been found in an archeological dig in the City of David, adjacent to the Old City of Jerusalem. The seal’s inscription has the name of Jehudi, son of Shelemiah, one of the top officials in the court of the last Judean king prior to the destruction of the First Temple, King Zedekiah. He is mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah. The seal dates from about 580 B.C.E.

The seal was found at the site which the is the site of the palace of the Judean kings, according to archaeologists under the supervision of Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University. Several years ago, another circa-580 B.C.E. royal seal was found in the same site. It had the name of Gemaryahu, son of Shafan, who is also mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah, and was a top official in the court of King Zedekiah's predecessor, King Yehoyachim.

These findings support the description in the Bible of the importance of Jerusalem in Jewish history. The First Temple was the center of Judean political and religious life and is at the center of Jewish claims to historical links to Jerusalem, as repeated by Jews throughout the generations who pray for "Next year in Jerusalem."
24 posted on 12/06/2005 7:37:37 PM PST by GarySpFc (De Oppresso Liber)
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To: Liberty1970

To add to your explanation, abandoned buildings were also sometimes 'mined' for construction materials so that they weren't so much buried as taken apart down to ground level.


25 posted on 12/06/2005 7:38:05 PM PST by Grut
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To: Liberty1970

Marking...


26 posted on 12/06/2005 7:39:50 PM PST by tubebender (,)
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To: blueminnesota
"...but I don't see how they would establish any modern rights about where people can live today."

The last legitimate international agreement (League of Nations, British Mandate) does, though. Israel is the Jewish homeland. Neo-Nazis (along with their identity religion friends and Euro-associates) are wrong, and they present no more than rhetoric to support their desires.
27 posted on 12/06/2005 7:40:46 PM PST by familyop ("Let us try" sounds better, don't you think? "Essayons" is so...Latin.)
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To: RJL

"Humans are infinitely more complex than a straight pile of rocks, and we know that humans are just a series of accidental mutations that proved to be beneficial."

You're assuming that complexity is evidence for design.

It ain't, thread hijacker. :)


28 posted on 12/06/2005 7:44:15 PM PST by adam_az (It's the border, stupid!)
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To: csmusaret
Jerusalem has been conquered many times, and in each of those times when the city is destroyed there is considerable rubble. As an example when the Romans conquered the city in 70 AD after a siege of 134 days Titus did not leave one stone on top of another.

In 132-135 AD there was the second Jewish rebellion, and the Romans once again destroyed the city. These are but two of the times the city was destroyed.
29 posted on 12/06/2005 7:47:25 PM PST by GarySpFc (De Oppresso Liber)
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To: RJL

Look at the picture in post number 17, and you will see there is far more than a straight line of rocks.


30 posted on 12/06/2005 7:53:52 PM PST by GarySpFc (De Oppresso Liber)
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To: blueminnesota

I like the following site for recent and earlier history that's easy to read, though.

http://www.palestinefacts.org/


31 posted on 12/06/2005 7:57:50 PM PST by familyop ("Let us try" sounds better, don't you think? "Essayons" is so...Latin.)
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To: Liberty1970

The muzzzzlims have NO RIGHT to ANY of the Holy Land!


32 posted on 12/06/2005 8:05:32 PM PST by Just Lori (End the leftist occupation of America!)
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To: GarySpFc

The Temple Mount is built on top of what was believed to be the First Temple built by Solomon, right? Rumors abound that the Muslims are excavating underneath, possibly to remove any remnants of the Jewish faith.


33 posted on 12/07/2005 5:26:09 AM PST by unionblue83
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To: GarySpFc

Spec Ops, huh? Noticed the Latin in the tagline.


34 posted on 12/07/2005 5:28:06 AM PST by unionblue83
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To: unionblue83
The Temple Mount is built on top of what was believed to be the First Temple built by Solomon, right? Rumors abound that the Muslims are excavating underneath, possibly to remove any remnants of the Jewish faith.

Some archaeologists and Jewish leaders also raise concerns that the Waqf is attempting to remove any trace of a Jewish presence on the Temple Mount for political reasons.
See: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/003/18.27.html

If you do a Google on "Temple Mount" and "excavating" you will find several articles regarding how the Muslims are determined to remove any historical presence of the Jews.

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPrint.asp?Page=%5CForeignBureaus%5Carchive%5C200505%5CFOR20050506d.html
35 posted on 12/07/2005 6:20:34 AM PST by GarySpFc (De Oppresso Liber)
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To: unionblue83

Special Forces to be exact, but that was many years ago.


36 posted on 12/07/2005 6:21:13 AM PST by GarySpFc (De Oppresso Liber)
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To: GarySpFc

Doesn't matter how long ago. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.


37 posted on 12/07/2005 6:31:59 AM PST by unionblue83
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To: GarySpFc
These findings support the description in the Bible of the importance of Jerusalem in Jewish history

And to think that Jerusalem isn't even mentioned in the Koran and Muslims want to claim it as their holy site. That's some real spinning.

38 posted on 12/07/2005 10:14:59 PM PST by Lijahsbubbe (does anyone miss Ted Koppel?)
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To: SunkenCiv; restornu

Another David posting....a 3rd title


39 posted on 02/24/2006 1:51:56 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It!)
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To: BibChr

'od ping echad.


40 posted on 02/24/2006 1:58:17 PM PST by Lurking Libertarian (Non sub homine, sed sub Deo et lege)
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