Significant Archealogical Discovery 3/23/2009 9:57:31 AM
This is a story that has been around for a while (posted Nov. 13, 2008), but I feel it is still timely enough that I should post it because it is of such great significance to students of the Old Testament. It relates to the discovery of an ancient city and a significant pottery shard--plus a whole lot more--at an new excavation in the Valley of Elah (where David slew the Philistine giant, Goliath). This particular story is from the New York Times. Read it and let me know what you think.
"Find of Ancient City Could Alter Notions of Biblical David
"KHIRBET QEIYAFA, Israel — Overlooking the verdant Valley of Elah, where the Bible says David toppled Goliath, archaeologists are unearthing a 3,000-year-old fortified city that could reshape views of the period when David ruled over the Israelites. Five lines on pottery uncovered here appear to be the oldest Hebrew text ever found and are likely to have a major impact on knowledge about the history of literacy and alphabet development.
"The five-acre site, with its fortifications, dwellings and multi-chambered entry gate, will also be a weapon in the contentious and often politicized debate over whether David and his capital, Jerusalem, were an important kingdom or a minor tribe, an issue that divides not only scholars but those seeking to support or delegitimize Zionism.
"Only a tiny portion of the site has been excavated, and none of the findings have yet been published or fully scrutinized. But the dig, led by Yosef Garfinkel of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, is already causing a stir among his colleagues as well as excitement from those who seek to use the Bible as a guide to history and confirmation of their faith.
“'This is a new type of site that suddenly opens a window on an area where we have had almost nothing and requires us to rethink what was going on at that period,' said Aren M. Maeir, professor of archaeology at Bar-Ilan University and the director of a major Philistine dig not far from here. 'his is not a run-of-the-mill find.'”
