In the Footsteps of King David: Revelations from an Ancient Biblical City

by Yosef Garfinkel, Saar Ganor, Michael G. Hasel

Overview

The remarkable excavation of a previously unidentified city in Israel from the time of King David, shedding new light on the link between the bible and history

King David is a pivotal figure in the Bible, which tells his life story in detail and gives stirring accounts of his deeds, including the slaying of the Philistine giant Goliath and the founding of his capital in Jerusalem. But no certain archaeological finds from the period of his reign or of the kingdom he ruled over have ever been uncovered—until now.

In this groundbreaking account, the excavators of Khirbet Qeiyafa in the Valley of Elah, where the Bible says David fought Goliath, reveal how seven years of exhaustive investigation have uncovered a city dating to the time of David— the late eleventh and early tenth century BCE—surrounded by massive fortifications with impressive gates and a clear urban plan, as well as an abundance of finds that tell us much about the inhabitants. Discussing the link between the Bible, archaeology, and history In the Footsteps of King David explains the significance of these discoveries and how they shed new light on David’s kingdom. The topic is at the center of a controversy that has raged for decades, but these findings successfully challenge scholars disputing the historicity of the Bible and the chronology of the events recounted in it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500052013
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	07/24/2018
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	733,721
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Yosef Garfinkel is Yigael Yadin Professor for the Archaeology of the Land of Israel, Biblical Archaeology Department of the Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and head of the Berman Center for Biblical Archaeology.

Saar Ganor is an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority. He codirected the excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa.

Michael G. Hasel is an American archaeologist.

Editorial Reviews

05/14/2018
Was there a historical basis for the Bible’s account of the life of King David? Garfinkel (Dance at the Dawn of Agriculture), head of Hebrew University’s archaeology institute, and his colleagues Ganor and Hassel insist that there was, pointing to their discoveries while excavating the city of Khirbet Qeiyafa in Israel’s Elah Valley. While this volume accessibly details what was found, it is unlikely to sway many skeptics: the authors conclude that their finds, which include olive pits used for radiometric dating of the site and other artifacts (such as stone and pottery vessels—one boasting a rare inscription—and Egyptian scarabs) dating back to when David supposedly lived, have “provided archaeological evidence corroborating historical memories from the time of King David.” The parts of the book that are not detailing the archaeological findings summarize the sometimes-conflicting biblical tradition regarding David’s life and past archaeological study of the region; much space is devoted to condemning biblical minimalism (the view that the Bible is not a legitimate source of historical information) in ways that even open-minded readers are unlikely to find persuasive, for example, calling scholars’ questioning of the historicity of biblical writings about David “surprising” given his “centrality... in the biblical story.” A less biased and more cautious approach to the authors’ unquestionably remarkable finds would have served lay readers better. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"An armchair archaeologist’s delight."

Booklist

2018-04-30
Scholarly account of an important recent archaeological find in Israel.Garfinkel (Archaeology/Hebrew Univ.; Dance at the Dawn of Agriculture, 2003, etc.) takes the lead among a trio of authors involved with the project to excavate Khirbet Qeiyafa, a site in the Elah Valley of Israel. The site is set squarely in the area believed to have once constituted the Kingdom of Judah, and it has been dated to the late 11th/early 10th century B.C.E., making it contemporaneous to the life of King David. Khirbet Qeiyafa has yielded a number of fascinating and important finds, including an inscription that scholars have concluded is the oldest written example of the Hebrew language. Beyond historically meaningful discoveries such as these, however, the authors assert that Khirbet Qeiyafa has a great deal to teach regarding the life and times of ancient Judah and even about the historicity of biblical accounts regarding the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. The authors especially take issue with the "minimalist" school, which theorizes that the Hebrew Bible histories were written in the Persian or Hellenistic periods and largely fabricate or re-create a mythical history of the Israelites. Garfinkel and his colleagues argue that Khirbet Qeiyafa stands as evidence to the contrary and that the "excavations have thus provided archaeological evidence corroborating historical memories from the time of King David and have prompted renewed debate among scholars concerning the quantity and quality of historical information preserved in the Bible." The authors go so far as to assert that Khirbet Qeiyafa is in fact the biblical city known as Shaaraim, which is mentioned three times in the scriptural account. This is a worthwhile work on a number of counts. Though sometimes a bit technical, the book is a fascinating glimpse into the methods, rigors, and rewards of archaeology. On another level, the authors add to a larger conversation about the historicity of the Bible while describing a find of true significance.An engaging glimpse into the ancient past.

Kirkus Reviews