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New Excavation Dates Back to King Solomon

By: Aubrey Moulton

Eliat Mazar, Israeli Archaeologist, is claiming excavations recently conducted date back 3,000 years. This lends merit to the view that the Bible is not only a nice story but an authentic event. She states that the ramparts protecting Jerusalem date back to King Solomon and demonstrate that Jerusalem was a dominant city with a cohesive localized ruling system. Mazar maintains that the evidence indicates that Jerusalem had resources and manpower essential to put up the massive defenses.
However this detail is in doubt among numerous experts. Mazar believes that Hebrew Kings like David and Solomon ruled from Jerusalem in the 10th century B.C. There are other archaeologists who support the notion that the rule under King David was merely a story and that there wasn't a strong government during that time period. Mazar held a press conference from the University of Jerusalem and confirmed that her discovery is the "most significant construction we have from First Temple days in Israel."
She feels that Solomon, the son of King David, built the defenses surrounding the city. These are the structures recently brought to light. She is certain that this is the precise structure talked about in the Book of Kings in the Bible. She also feels certain that this wall exhibits the power of a centralized government because of the massive coordination a structure of that size would necessitate.
The fortifications also comprised a gatehouse and a long segment of wall that is approximately 70 meters in length and is situated right outside the present-day walls of Jerusalem's Old City. The fortifications are also near the Noble Sanctuary.
The Old Testament affirms that Solomon erected the original Jewish Temple on the very place, but the temple was subsequently raized by the Babylonians; then rebuilt and renovated courtesy of King Herod approximately two millennia ago. Yet after that the Romans destroyed it in 70 A.D., so the question remains if such a large piece could really be found. At this time, the compound contains a pair of crucial Islamic structures - the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque.
It isn't that Mazar was the only archaeologist to unearth the wall. It was unearthed starting in the 1860s and again in the 1980s. However, she asserts that her dig was the only comprehensive excavation and that it was the one to turn up compelling proof of the wall's age. Shards of pottery were charted along the wall and helped Mazar determine the estimated construction date.
But Mazars conclusions, as mentioned previously, are regarded with censure. Aren Maeir, a professor of archaeology from Bar Ilan University, requires that he be able to look at the evidence that the walls are as ancient as Mazar declares. He holds that there are ruins as far back as the 10th century in Jerusalem but claims that this ancient city was the center of a formidable centralized kingdom are a bit of a reach. Although some archaeologists feel that the story of King David and Solomon is just a story, there are others who believe it is actual fact. And so the debate continues.

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