David's Palace

The City of David in Jerusalem, has been a topic of interest since the inception of archaeology. Recent excavations have revealed structures dating to the Iron Age, the time a supposed David lived. Archaeologist, Eilat Mazar, claims that the structure she has found is David’s palace. However, closer examination of the material culture does not provide definite proof of a palace. Scholars and other archaeologists are critical of Mazar’s claims. There is no proof that the structure belonged to David, however, there is no proof of the reversal either. Syro-Palestinian archaeologists have a large public following that other fields of archaeology do not. By associating biblical figures, like David, a more mainstream media takes notice due to the

To claim that “David’s Palace” has been discovered in Jerusalem is a unlikely, because the evidence is circumstantial and uncertain.

A small section of Jerusalem has been excavated where a stepped stone structure and a larger stone structure has been discovered. Eilat Mazar has excavated a structure which she claims is David’s Palace (Uziel 162). It is agreed that the structure is the base for a larger structure, however, the structure’s date is widely debated (Uziel 162). Pottery dating to the 10th century BCE has been found in the excavation, however, that does not provide information on the size or importance of the city during the time when Jerusalem was capital for David (Uziel 162). In addition to the 10th century pottery, Iron Age I pottery has been found that could date the structure to the 12th and 11th centuries BCE (Faust 119). The large stone structure is attached to the stepped stone structure which is massive enough to cover the entire excavation area, giving false hope to the idea that the structure is a palace (Faust

There is high interest in the area, yet, because of modern laws and use of the city, only small portions can be excavated. Jerusalem was the capital under David and Solomon, however, the idea that the city was large, and the center of kings is a modern conception (Uziel 168). The city was approximately 10 acres and housed around one thousand residents, making the city small, especially in comparison to other cities (Pioske 6). Jerusalem is younger compared to other sites, such as Megiddo or Jericho. Egyptian writing mentions the city as early as the 19th century BCE and around five centuries later, Jerusalem is believed to have been fortified by the Jebusite (Lawler 589). David is placed within the Iron Age and is associated with what is called the United Monarchy. Unfortunately, the lack of direct archaeological evidence for the United Monarchy and David is troublesome (Lawler 589). The lack of hard evidence for the existence of David and the size that Jerusalem likely was during the tenth century, make Mazar’s claim slightly outlandish. The Hebrew Bible claims that the City of David was a grand capital. Ignoring the issues of the Hebrew Bible as a historical source, there are earlier traditions and mentions of historical events, which can place the writers close to the period, but still not within the proper time (Uziel 164). There is still a gap between the stories of the Hebrew Bible and when they were written,