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Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Yosef Garfinkel, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, shows off an ark, or stone shrine model, that was found during excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa, an ancient settlement southwest of Jerusalem.
An archaeological dig near Goliath's biblical hometown has yielded evidence of Judean religious practices 3,000 years ago, pointing up fresh historical connections to the stories of King David and King Solomon.
"We have a city with a population relating to the Kingdom of Judah," Yosef Garfinkel, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told me today. "This is totally different from Philistine, Canaanite or the cult in the Kingdom of Israel."
The site, known today as Khirbet Qeiyafa, is about 20 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Jerusalem, on top of a hill overlooking the Valley of Elah. For the past five years, Garfinkel and his colleagues have been excavating the ruins of a fortified city there, situated across from what was once the Philistine city of Gath. In the Bible, the giant Goliath came out from Gath to face the Israelites, and was smitten by a rock hurled from David's sling.
Garfinkel can't vouch for the story of Goliath, but he says the weapons, the cult items and even the animal bones found around Khirbet Qeiyafa support his view that the settlement was a key military outpost for the historical House of David, riven by conflict. "There was something here quite military and quite aggressive," he said. "It was not a peaceful village."
Based on radiocarbon dating of burned olive pits found at the site, archaeologists believe the ancient city lasted for only 40 years, from 1020 to 980 B.C., before it was destroyed. Some skeptics have suggested that Khirbet Qeiyafa was just another Canaanite settlement, and that David was at best a minor chieftain, or perhaps a folkloric figure like Robin Hood. But Garfinkel said the items found at the site strengthen the connection to King David and the religious practices specified in the Bible.
"Over the years, thousands of animal bones were found, including sheep, goats and cattle, but no pigs," he said in a news release from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. "Now we uncovered three cultic rooms, with various cultic paraphernalia, but not even one human or animal figurine was found. This suggest that the population on Khirbet Qeiyafa observed two biblical bans — on pork and on graven images — and thus practiced a different cult from that of the Canaanites or the Philistines."
Garfinkel told me that the absence of human imagery was peculiar to the Judeans. "In the northern Kingdom of Israel, you find human representations," he said.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
One of the cultic standing stones can be seen in this picture of the Khirbet Qeiyafa site.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
This basalt altar was found during excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
A decorated clay shrine model was found at the Khirbet Qeiyafa site.
The cult objects included five standing stones, two basalt altars, two pottery libation vessels and two portable shrines. Garfinkel said the shrines reflected a Mesopotamian architectural style that went back centuries before the era of King David, and probably inspired the look of the palace built by Solomon, David's son. "It seems that Solomon didn't want to be Canaanite and took a different model from Mesopotamia," Garfinkel told me.
The shrines are boxlike containers made of stone or clay. "I think they were called in Hebrew 'Aron,'" Garfinkel wrote in an email. "This had been translated into English as 'ark' and became a mystic artifact. I think that the Hebrew name was just a simple technical term: a box for keeping god symbols."
Such shrines were probably similar in look to the "Ark of God" highlighted in the Bible as well as in such movies as "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
The clay shrine has an intricate facade, featuring two guardian lions, pillars and birds standing on the roof. The stone shrine was painted red, and its facade is decorated with characteristic triglyph symbols as well as a triple-recessed doorway in front. Garfinkel said the Bible may have referred to those architectural features in its description of Solomon's palace. The technical term usually translated as referring to pillars ("Slaot") may actually be talking about triglyphs, while another term that was thought to refer to windows ("Sequfim") might instead refer to the doorways.
"Now you can see by the model that you have triglyphs at the roof, and you have recessed doorways," Garfinkel said. Such features are also mentioned in biblical references to King Solomon's temple, which was built decades after the age that gave rise to the shrines found at Khirbet Qeiyafa.
Will these finds settle the debate over the historical David? Garfinkel would like to think so. "Various suggestions that completely deny the biblical tradition regarding King David and argue that he was a mythological figure, or just a leader of a small tribe, are now shown to be wrong," he said in today's news release.
But The Times of Israel quoted Bar-Ilan University's Aren Maeir, who's in charge of the dig at Gath, as saying the discoveries don't provide any dramatic new evidence for either side in the debate. For example, the fact that the clay shrine was decorated with lions and birds undercuts Garfinkel's claim that no graven images were found at the site. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted another expert, Tel Aviv University's Nadav Na'aman, as saying that the Canaanites, like the Judeans, observed a ban on eating pork.
Maeir said the distinctions between the various peoples mentioned in the Bible — including David's Israelites and Goliath's Philistines — were "fuzzier than the way they are often described."
"There's no question that this is a very important site, but what exactly it was — there is still disagreement about that," Maeir said. In a blog posting, Maeir said "what is clearly missing is a close interface with mainstream biblical and [Ancient Near East] textual scholars."
What do you think? Feel free to weigh in with your vote in the poll above, or add your comments below.
More about biblical archaeology:
- In Israel, diggers unearth the Bible's bad guys
- Dig yields what may be the oldest Hebrew text
- Artifact suggests Bible written centuries earlier
- Professor hunts for the 'Lost Ark of the Covenant'
- Gallery: Eight Jewish archaeological discoveries
- Cosmic Log archive on archaeology
Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
I didn't read all the comments, so maybe someone else already said this. I watched an interesting show once about Giantism and they hypothesized that if Goliath had the condition, he would have had a large tumor growing on his pituitary gland (which produces the human growth hormone), and that tumor would have been pressing on his optic nerve, which would have caused difficulty seeing. He possibly did not see David, and when David slung the rock, it could have ruptured the tumor, killing him instantly. Just thought it was an interesting tidbit!
I love when science and religion co-mingle and everyone opens their minds to a possibility. I personally have faith that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for us and that the bible is a guide for how we should live (New Testament), even when I don't understand or am skeptical about different things (Old Testament), but it's awesome when science can take some of the skepticism away. If anyone reads at least the New Testament, could they really argue that we shouldn't strive to be as good as Jesus was?
People really want to believe that one of the bibles has some truth to it.
Why are people still debating if the Holy Bible, that is riddled with history, mystery, love, and divine power is One of true accounts and has prevailed as the Number One best seller of all time? There is a GOD, ruler of all Universe. There is a Holy SON that even Lucifer will have to bow down to someday.
However, this article was very interesting. I wish and hope that archealogists will find more proofs.
Garfinkel: I discovered that there is actually a North Fork Ranch near Dallas, therefore, all of the TV episodes were real.
Garfinkel set out to prove the biblical fairy tales were true, and voila! The fact is that the bible is a collection of Middle Eastern goat herder fables. Most fables have a bit of truth at their core but that does not make the fable true. the great and mighty David is absent in the historical record, right along most with most of the other fabled biblical heroes. Garfinkel could probably find some evidence that Mary actually did have a little lamb.
I didn't know the Applle Macintosh was invented back then. Looksd loike burnt out Mac case.!!!
Oh and all those morons that believe the fairy tales created by a bunch of ignorant, drunklen hallucinating sheperds that like to have sex with animals, their daughters, sisters, etc, those people are class a idiots
Those artifacts were clearly placed in the ground by Satan in order to mislead mankind!
The Wailing wall in Jerusalem is sacred to Judaism, it is the temple of God built by Solomon. If Solomon built it and he was Davids son, David therefore must be real. I love how the atheists always condem those of faith for having faith and condemn us because we pity those without faith. They resort to childish name calling, like "stupid" or "dumb". Man did not create God, God created man and gave us his laws for a happy life. Unfortunately there are those whose hearts are so twisted by evil, they corrupt Gods law for their own vile purposes rather than for God. There are those who wish to live a life of baseist desires, which is contrary to Gods law, so to have their way, their solution is to reject Gods law. Those who think they can go to an eternal life of happiness without God, I say,
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" John 14:6
This is not a judgement, I may not like what you do or your opinion, but I will not attempt to deny your right to it or to express it, nor will I lower myself to childish name calling. No one is perfect, I least of all, but I have repented of my wayward ways as I know,
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23
People of faith have the same rights as you to our opinions and to express it. In the very end, it will not be any persons judgement of you that truly matters, it will be Gods judgement that matters.
"He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:11-12
All hail the Magic Man in the Sky.
followed by "they resort to childish name calling", "hearts are so twisted by evil", "their own vile purposes".
You may worship a holy spirit but you are every bit the imperfect man you profess to have risen above.
The literal story about David & Goliath is purely a fairytale - Most Biblical stories, including Noah's Arc, should be pondered for their "symbolic" significance - Looking for remnants of pieces of wood to verify that Noah's Arc actually existed, or digging to uncover imprints of Goliath's gigantic foot-print to prove the literal story, is an expedition bridge to the land of deceptions!!
I love it when archeologists find sites such as this one. It is so cool to see how those in the past lived and died. One should still keep in mind that it is ancient history and has no bearing on the present.
"Ancient history" has tremendous bearing on the present, just as the highway between your home and your work does, as it is "how you got there". History is the story of how we got here, to where we are now.
#62.1 - Fri May 11, 2012 9:24 AM EST
That is exactly why so many are lost, if one does not know where one is coming from and where one is, one can not know where one is going, so typical, and they claim themselves to be evolutionists lol
So basically, there is evidence of David, there is evidence of Goliath but hey the story of their battle is not correct. Based on what? There is no evidence to disprove the story but there is evidence of the two of them and being in proximity. Seems to me, that would make the biblical story more plausible not less.
Agreed. I don't doubt that something akin to their battle did occur. I won't claim it was divine however.
I won't jump into the mudslinging here, but just offer this for all sides to chew on:
reason4thehope.wordpress.com
Peace.
I found something in my backyard that looks just like that.
The Israelis are ALWAYS finding "evidence" to support their version of history. If you gave them a moon rock, no doubt they would find in it evidence that they are God's specially chosen people, and that God gave them all of Palestine as a gift -- just for being such superior people. I'm certainly not anti-Semitic, but our world is mired in politically and religiously driven manure. We should all have contempt for politically/religiously motivated untruths -- and untruths of every kind for that matter -- wherever and whomever they come from.
Amen to that brother.
There is coming a time in human history, soon I hope, when people will laugh at their ancestors for ever believing in this mythology. Just like we now laugh about Ra, Horus, Zeus, Thor, witches, ghosts, one-eyed giants, et al.
I doubt it...the less educated the republicans make us the higher the religious fervor...why do you think islam plays so well in the least educated nations? Same with christianity in our midwestern and southern less educated states...
The fool sais in his heart, "There is no God."
That's why I sais it on the internets, I'm no fool
"How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones Against the rock." (Psalms 137:9, New American Bible)
Mine ain't so little, they're about average
More conning of the masses for religous purposes...you've been conned again dummies...their is no god or heaven...just man's desire to control other men with fairy tales....
see?
Haha what is this myth that Christians are unedumacated? Ha! The irony. Maybe you'll believe the lil green men then.....smh. Science points to God.
Please elaborate. I have seen examples based on statistics and thermodynamics that supposedly "prove" god, but they are always based upon 1) faulty assumptions, 2) incorrect understanding of the science, and 3) outright errors.
So what, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is coming, you'll see. Can we bomb Iran now?
'Flying spaghetti monster'? Has that been declassified already?
There are political reasons for Israelis to claim that archaeological finds there support the scriptures version of history. Israeli writers and archaeologists then tend not to be disinterested. The artifacts and ruins are very interesting and may contribute to a better understanding of prehistory. Attempts to tie the evidence to the scriptures may be legitimate or not. The scriptures are thought to be from oral traditions that were mainly poetic and mythological, as well as political (e.g. puffing the pedigree of a dynasty or giving it supernatural sanction). Considerable scepticism is in order
.Gee, I almost feel bad for these people, almost. They'll do anything to prove their cult was real and yet NO artifacts have ever been found to substantiate anything in either bible old or new. It's almost pathetic that all these people have to go on is a book They want to believe in a god so bad that almost any interpretation twists any facts they may come upon.
These finds are not very interesting, at least as they have been described here. At most they seem to show that Gath may have been a military or militarized town of some prominence. So what? That doesn't prove that David existed, or that Goliath existed, or that anything from the books of 1-2 Samuel or 1-2 Chronicles are remotely true. And, we already have strong archaeological evidence for the existence of David. It's as if someone discovered a bath towel from the Titanic and exclaims that it proves that the Titanic was real - we already know that! We found the boat! But again, to show that David existed or that Gath existed is to show nothing about Goliath. If you prove Sherwood Forest existed, you haven't proved that Robin Hood existed. Finally, the Bible is completely inconsistent about who killed Goliath anyway. The stories in 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel are contradictory, and the stories in 1 Samuel about how Saul recruited David are contradictory. So, it is impossible to confirm the Bible's account of David and Goliath, because it contains multiple, inconsistent accounts. Sheesh. Doesn't anyone know anything about the Bible anymore? These stories only receive any attention because of the incredible ignorance and bad education of people.
ENGESQ. Elaborate? Need proof? Thats funny cause what it seen was made not made out of what is visible. As G.K. Chesteron said, "This is the psychological flaw of scientific triumphalism. Science, being a description of nature, can have nothing to say about what is outside of nature but how did the situation arise where educated people assume science and Christianity are antagonistic? Duuh. Modern science actually comes from Christians. Remember back in the old days when folks thought the universe was infinite, world was flat, and the sun revolved around the earth. Well we never believed that. We knew the universe had a beginning...it just took Hubble to figure that out for the world to catch on. Sooner or later you'll all 'catch on' smh
Living
What on earth are you talking about? Science is not about its findings, it is about a method, a procedure. You come up with a hypothesis, test it in the physical world, and then form a theory. What does that have to do with believing that one out of hundreds of religions is the true one? Nothing at all.
The big bang theory describes in great detail the first instants of the growth of the universe... what "caused" the big bang is still being researched and debated by scientists. The big bang theory in no way points to the story in Genesis.
If there were a God, why would He permit such things as diseases and hot-dog eating contests? No, sorry - we're on our own.
this is just my own humble opinion.
as far as the adam and eve story.... i clearly believe that when the bible mentions 'animals', it is talking about men and woman. the world was populated but God greated adam in his likeness and when adam rejected the 'animals'... adam was rejecting the men and woman outside the garden of eden. so God created Eve for him. the bible is against incest so they were breeding with other men and woman... not just having sex within family and populating earth. that is how cain went to a city. i think people really need to study to be able to debate or argue bible. the bible is pretty clear on many things. one has to study and put the pieces of puzzle together.
as far as the article goes, it is very interesting. i am happy to know we continue to dig and explore our past. when it comes to organized religion, unless one takes the time and effort to study the bible... just like any other subject... dr, dentist, electrical work, janitor, politics and so on... it is easy to be very ignorant when debating. i, for one, would never debate a doctor because i am uneducated when it comes to that subject, although, i could come up with enough ignorant statements to hold my own for a few moments. just like my english. i not smart when it comes to those things.
My only hope is that 1) people who believe and have faith, understand that others should not be subjected or forced to believe the same things that you do. 2) people who do not believe do not bash something they obviously do not take the time to study or understand because they do not believe. 3) people who quote or argue bible actually know and study the subject they are arguing so less ignorance comes thru and detracts from the actual discussion. ccatain is my utube channel name. or search chris catain