Archeologists are excited about a recently uncovered large building in Jerusalem that has been attributed to King David in the Bible. The discovery could finally end the debate on the existence of the Biblical king and the Bible as a credible historical account.
Professor Avraham Faust of Bar-Ilan University led the dig at a valley in the Hebron hills in Tel Eton, located 30 miles outside of Jerusalem. Scholars have previously identified the site as Eglon, the lost city that belonged to the Judites (Joshua 15:20, 39).
Experts have long been debating the existence of King David and the recent discoveries at Tel Eton are furthering scholarly understanding.
"In the last 25 years or so, however, David's historicity, and especially the size of his kingdom, are hotly debated," Faust told Breaking News Israel. "The new discovery at Tel 'Eton, located in the Judean Shephelah to the east of the Hebron hills, seems to suggest that the highland kingdom controlled larger areas than some scholars believe."
Faust's team determined using radiocarbon dating techniques that the building they found was erected around 1,000 B.C. Interestingly, the archeologists discovered the foundation of the building by following mole rats that burrowed through the sites and gave them clues to the lost city under the current structures.
Found among the building's remains, which included a courtyard and three rooms, were stones inscribed with phrases that referenced David. The archeologists also found pottery, metal objects, arrowheads and other evidence that suggested a battle.
Faust said that they have yet to find specific inscriptions of "King David" or "King Solomon." The artifacts and the site, however, were consistent with the markings of a transition from "Canaanite culture to a Judean culture." His team will conduct further tests, which may shed more light on the possible connection with David.
Jesus Christ's genealogy, as written in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, described him as a descendant of King David, the shepherd boy who killed Goliath and brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He was succeeded by his son, King Solomon.
