Archaeological Discovery Linked to David & Solomon

[wraggy]

Six official clay seals found by an archaeological team at a small site in Israel offer evidence that supports the existence of biblical kings David and Solomon. Many modern scholars dismiss David and Solomon as mythological figures and believe no kingdom could have existed in the region at the time the Bible recounted their activities. The new finds provide evidence that some type of government activity was conducted there in that period.

"The fact that these bullae came off of sealed written documents shows that this site -- located out on the periphery of pretty much everything -- is integrated at a level far beyond subsistence," he said. "You have either political or administrative activities going on at a level well beyond those typical of a rural farmstead."

"It is our contention that, when taken together, these reflect a greater political complexity and integration across the transitional Iron I/IIA landscape than has been appreciated recently, as scholars have tended to dismiss trends toward political complexity (e.g., state formation) occurring prior to the arrival of the Assyrians in the region in the later eighth century b.c.e."

I think that it is a bit of a stretch to say that these seals are evidence that David and Solomon existed.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141216100433.htm

[evangelion]

Dec 20, 2014 2:00:10 GMT wraggy said:

I think that it is a bit of a stretch to say that these seals are evidence that David and Solomon existed.

Agreed, but it is still a remarkable discovery and a mighty slap in the face for minimalism.

[ignorantianescia]

Yes, it strictly isn't evidence for David and Solomon, but sometimes it is argued that a lack of government activity is consistent with their non-existence (by the sizeable minimalist minority) or that it indicates David and Solomon couldn't be much more than mere tribal chiefs (by advocates of the New Chronology). It does affect those arguments.

[wraggy]

From the translation of a Babylonian “Ark Tablet” to the resurfacing of a skeleton from Ur in a museum basement, 2014 was a year full of exciting Biblical archaeology discoveries and new interpretations. As we ring in the New Year, let’s take a look back at the top 10 finds that thrilled us in 2014.

**The stories below are listed in no particular order and are free to read in Bible History Daily**

www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/top-10-biblical-archaeology-discoveries-in-2014/

[ignorantianescia]

Dec 30, 2014 4:12:23 GMT wraggy said:

From the translation of a Babylonian “Ark Tablet” to the resurfacing of a skeleton from Ur in a museum basement, 2014 was a year full of exciting Biblical archaeology discoveries and new interpretations. As we ring in the New Year, let’s take a look back at the top 10 finds that thrilled us in 2014.

**The stories below are listed in no particular order and are free to read in Bible History Daily**

www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/top-10-biblical-archaeology-discoveries-in-2014/

Thanks for posting that, it's some extremely interesting stuff. I'll highlight a few of them.



So Atrahasis' ark was a coracle:

www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/hebrew-bible/the-animals-went-in-two-by-two-according-to-babylonian-ark-tablet/

We all know the story of Noah’s Ark. Ever since George Smith’s 1872 translation of Babylonian texts similar to the Biblical Deluge (see “George Smith’s Other Find” below), we’ve also known about echoes of the Genesis narrative in pre-Biblical Mesopotamian texts. A recently translated Old Babylonian (c. 1900–1700 B.C.E.) tablet has literally reshaped our vision of the Babylonian vessel used to weather the storm and builds bridges across the floodwaters dividing the Biblical and Mesopotamian accounts of the flood.

I bet this is grist for the Ancient Astronaut loopies' mill.


An ancient citadel from the Middle Bronze Age was discovered in Jerusalem, the article speculates it may have been used by the Jebusites:

www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/canaanite-fortress-discovered-in-the-city-of-david/

Excavations around the Gihon Spring in the City of David have uncovered a massive 3,800-year-old fortress. Called the “Spring Citadel” by archaeologists, the discovery is part of a 19-year excavation led by Professor Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa and Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority.


Then there are these textual finds from Qumran tefilim:

www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/dead-sea-scrolls/qumran-phylacteries-reveal-nine-new-dead-sea-scrolls/

The thousands of fragments of Biblical text that comprise the Dead Sea Scrolls have shed light on the origins of early Christian thought, the development of the Hebrew Bible and the history of Judaic beliefs from the third century B.C.E. to 70 C.E. Often considered the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century, the Dead Sea Scrolls have received intense academic scrutiny by archaeologists, religious scholars and epigraphers alike over the past 60 years. And yet nine small Dead Sea Scroll fragments managed to escape the attention of scholars—until now.


Megiddo was an important site in the Early Bronze Age, with a large temple:

www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/early-bronze-age-megiddos-great-temple-and-the-birth-of-urban-culture-in-the-levant/

The Early Bronze Age (EBA, 3,500-2,200 B.C.E.) produced the world’s first urban and literate societies, and by the end of the era, EBA society bore witness to the construction of the pyramids at Giza and the birth of the Akkadian Empire. In the first centuries of the Bronze Age (Early Bronze Age I [EB I], ca. 3,500-3,000 B.C.E.), Mesopotamian Uruk flourished into a monumental city, sparking what Gordon Childe controversially termed an “urban revolution” in Mesopotamia.

Things were different in the southern Levant. Scholars traditionally depict the EB I Levant as a village-level society, with cities first appearing in the early third millennium B.C.E. (Early Bronze Age II and III). However, monumental finds at Megiddo may change that picture.