The Summit Of The City Of David Excavations 2005-2008 Final Reports Volume I

From 2005 to 2008 archaeological excavations were carried out at the summit of the City of David under the directorship of Dr. Eilat Mazar on behalf of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  The excavations were conducted in the area of the City of David Archeological Park visitor’s center, managed by the Ir David Foundation. Unearthed were the impressive remains of fortifications and a massive royal structure, as well as large amounts of pottery, bullae, seals, ivories, figurines and arrowheads.  The finds range in date from the beginning of the Iron Age II (the 10th century BCE) until the Early Islamic period (the 11th century CE). This volume is the first in a series of final reports of the excavations at the summit of the City of David.  It presents the architectural remains of the Stepped Stone Structure of the palace of King David, built by the Phoenicians in the 10th century BCE; the collapse of a structure destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the poor construction built on top of it immediately following  its destruction; a section of Nehemiah’s city wall, including the Northern Tower, erected in the 5th century BCE; and the Persian, Babylonian and Iron Age II layers sealed beneath it, one on top of the other. These findings have dramatically altered previously held conceptions of the development of ancient Jerusalem and provide striking tangible evidence for its Biblical narratives.

Hard Cover
540 pages
Shoham – Academic Research and Publication, Jerusalem, 2015
Delivered from Israel