JERUSALEM, Israel, March 3, 2006 — Following clues from the Bible's Old Testament, an Israeli archaeologist has uncovered what she believes could be the palace of the biblical King David.
While some scholars are sceptical that the foundation walls Eilat Mazar has discovered in the northern part of the most ancient area of Jerusalem, (known as the City of David), belong to the palace of the Jewish shepherd/poet/warrior/king, they acknowledge the importance of her find. According to a description in The New York Times it is a find that includes, "a major public building from around the 10th century B.C., with pottery shards that date to the time of David and Solomon and a government seal of an official mentioned in the book of Jeremiah."
Ms. Mazar has archaeology in her blood. Granddaughter of famed archaeologist Benjamin Mazar, second cousin to Amihai Mazar (a professor of archaeology at Hebrew University in Jerusalem) and widow of Yair Shoham, an archaeologist and epigraphist; Eilat spoke to her grandfather in 1995 (not long before he died) about her theory of where the palace might be found.
But her grandfather did more than simply listen to her theories, according to Ms. Mazar. He taught her how to use the Bible as a tool of her trade.
Writing in Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) magazine, January/February 2006, in an article titled, "Did I Find King David's Palace?" Ms. Mazar says, "one of the things I learned from my grandfather was how to relate to the biblical text: pore over it again and again, for it contains within it descriptions of genuine historical reality.
"It is not a simple matter to differentiate the layers of textual sources that have been piled one atop the other over generations; we don't always have the tools to do it. But it is clear that concealed within the biblical text are grains of detailed historical truth."
Studying the biblical description of 2 Samuel 5:17, Ms. Mazar used the clues found in the text to conclude there was "a high likelihood of finding remains from King David's palace," near a place previously excavated by British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon, who dug at the northern end of the City of David in the 1960s.
Writing in BAR, Ms. Mazar explains that the biblical passage, "describes David in the City of David going down, or descending, from his residence to the citadel or fortress. The citadel or fortress to which he descended was of course the Canaanite/Jebusite stronghold, the Fortress of Zion that he had conquered a short time earlier.
"It is clear from the topography of the City of David that David could have gone down to the citadel only from the north, as the city is surrounded by deep valleys on every other side."
The Washington Post describes the site's contemporary location as "down the slope from the Old City's Dung Gate," adding that it sits "on a narrow terrace at the edge of the Kidron Valley, which sheers away from the Old City walls, in a cliffside area the Bible describes as the seat of the kings of ancient Israel."
It took the archaeologist more than a decade to raise the funds to finance the dig that would test her theory.
"To be frank, it would take a certain amount of courage, as well as money, to support this excavation," writes Ms. Mazar in BAR. "My position, to put it mildly, had not received sweeping support from the archaeological community."
Those like Mazar who use the Bible to assist in archaeological discovery say it is right to do so, because it is the only document that dates to the period. But others consider the Bible to contain more myth than history.
She began excavations in February, 2005, sponsored by a wealthy American Jewish investor and an organization the Washington Post describes as, "a Jerusalem research institute that promotes policy to strengthen Israel's Jewish character."
Mazar writes in BAR that, "almost from the start, ancient remains, preserved beyond all expectations were unearthed." Within weeks, she had reportedly uncovered the remains of rooms and ritual baths dating to the time of Herod in the first century B.C, and eventually, the remains of a much older, "Large-Stone Structure" which Mazar describes as, "not just any public building, but a structure that was clearly the product of inspiration, imagination and considerable economic investment."
Amihai Mazar describes the find for the Times as, "something of a miracle," and if further quoted as saying, "what she found is fascinating, whatever it is."
In one room, Ms. Mazar also found a "bulla" or seal dating to the 6th century B.C., which bears the ancient Hebrew words translated, "Jehucal, son of Shelemiah, son of Shevi." Jehucal is mentioned in the biblical book of Jeremiah.
According to The New York Times, even those who remain unsure whether the find is indeed David's palace are "impressed by its likely importance."
Quoting Gabriel Barkay, an archaeologist from Bar-Ilan University, the Times article includes his statement; "this is a very significant discovery, given that Jerusalem as the capital of the united kingdom is very much unknown.
"This is one of the first greetings we have from the Jerusalem of David and Solomon, a period which has played a kind of hide-and-seek with archaeologists for the last century."
While only a small portion of the building's remains have been uncovered, Mazar says she hopes to continue the exposure of the Large-Stone Structure, and submits that the biblical narrative, "better explains the archaeology we have uncovered than any other hypothesis that has been put forward."
According to the Washington Post, the discovery is prompting new thinking among the archaeological community about many things, including, "whether the Bible can be used as a reliable map to archaeological discovery."
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