Archaeological find from the time of
King David's kingdom.
Two small containers unearthed at Khirbet Qeiyafa are believed to be the first ever archaeological evidence of Judean ritual dating from the time of King David, about the 10th century B.C.
The two small containers (above photo) one of clay and one of stone, were unearthed at the site called Khirbet Qeiyafa near Beit Shemesh. Containers of this type, which look like model shrines, are known to archaeologists from other sites, but Prof Jossi Garfinkel the head of the Hebrew University says the Khirbet Qeiyafa finds are unique because they reveal motifs known from the biblical description of Solomon's Temple. Furthermore, the models resemble the description of Solomon's Temple in the biblical Book of Kings.
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| The Khirbet Qeiyafa site. |
The ruin is on a rocky slope overlooking the Elah Valley in Israel's western lowlands, contains remnants of a walled city dating back 3,000 years. Originally the walls rose to a height of some six meters. Along the walls, which still stand three meters tall in some places, archaeologists have discovered the remains of 99 dwellings.
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| Hebrew script on fragment of pottery. |
Profosser Garfinkel says he thinks these models, which predate Solomon's Temple, show how depictions of a Solomonic-like shrine were present in the local architecture of the ancient East. (WJD.com)
(Photos: Copyright Control)
(Photos: Copyright Control)
