2023-07-14 02:58:44
One of the leading figures in Israel’s history could be about to set a new precedent.
Yosef Garfinkle, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has claimed that five cities adjoining Jerusalem were ruled by King David in the 10th century BC.
Jerusalem is the religious center par excellence for Jews and Christians. | Photo: REUTERS
Although it is known that the cities to which the archaeologist refers were discovered separately, Garfinkle assures that he was the first to connect the five cities, thus demonstrating that they were societies united under the same empire.
The importance of King David in religious and political history
According to various records, David’s reign occurred between 1,104 and 960 BC, during the Iron Age, and, according to Judeo-Christian religious tradition, David was a Hebrew shepherd boy born in Bethlehem, who became the third and most important monarch of the Kingdom of Israel by uniting all the Israelite tribes under one territory. However, due to lack of evidence, this story has been questioned on certain occasions.
“Sometimes there are errors, sometimes there are illusions, sometimes there is ideology,” the archaeologist explained to the Times of Israel when he released his research, stating that “I hate using the term ‘trying to prove the Bible,’ because I’m not trying to to try anything.”
The cities the report references are Khirbet Qeiyafa, Tell en-Naṣbeh, Khirbet ed-Dawwara, Lachish and Beth Shemesh, located north and west of Jerusalem, the city that was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel.
As the “City of David” Jerusalem has been called because of the importance that this man had in the reunification of the tribes of Israel. | Photo: Getty Images / Atlantide Phototravel
The ruins of Khirbet ed-Dawwara were discovered between 1985 and 1986 despite the poor condition of the structures, while Khirbet Qeiyafa was excavated between 2007 and 2013, which had better preservation, where it was found that the city had two squares, a building with pillars, a public building and two gates. In total, 7 expeditions have taken place in the Judea region from 1932 to the present.
Not everyone agrees with the archaeologist
Garfinkel, in his report, describes the discovery of various Proto-Canaanite and Canaanite inscriptions at some of the excavated sites, indicating that “there was a great demand in the kingdom for communication that would mark centralized authority and a strong kingdom.”
However, Professor Aren Maeir, an archaeologist at Bar Ilan University, told The Times of Israel that the study “is an oversimplification and is flattening the details.” Several of Garfinkel’s coworkers are also unconvinced by the investigation’s findings.
The State of Israel was founded on May 14, 1948 in the midst of altercations with its Arab neighbors. | Photo: AMIR COHEN
Jerusalem again in the middle of the debate
The archaeological findings between the regions of Judea, Samaria and Galilee are very important for the State of Israel and the Palestinian Territories since one of the main problems that exists in this region is associated with the historical context of the time of King David since , if it were 100% verified that this monarchy existed as promulgated by the Jews, it would be an important advance for this community to appropriate Jerusalem in its entirety, which would encourage more disputes in a conflict as delicate as the Arab one. -Israeli.
1689331023
#Archaeologist #claims #cities #Kingdom #David #Israel