BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY:DAVID,BOY SHEPHERD,MUSICIAN,WARRIOR AND KING

	ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE BIBLE	RETURN TO HOME PAGE
	DAVID Bible Study Resource
WHAT	An extraordinary charismatic leader who rose from obscurity to become the first king of the twelve tribes of Israelites. There are no archaeological remains that can be linked directly to David.
WHERE	Throughout the land occupied by the twelve tribes of Israel - from Dan to Beersheba. Jerusalem and Hebron were his centers of administration.
WHEN	David's reign is given as circa 1004 - 965BC
BIBLE LINKS	1 Samuel 16 - 1 Kings 2; 1 Chronicles 11-29
INTERESTING WEBSITES SCROLL DOWN FOR IMAGES
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

		The Elah Valley. This is the traditional site of the confrontation between David and Goliath. The brook in which David found the stones for his sling is at the bottom right of the large hill that dominates the center of this photograph. Goliath, one of the Bible's great bullies BIBLE TOP TEN: VILLAINS

		The slingshot used by David was a basic weapon common among soldiers and herdsmen at the time. As the story of David and Goliath shows, it could inflict fatal damage if used skillfully. It was a cheap, efficient projectile weapon used in the same way as a bow and arrow. Since it was made of perishable materials such as wool or palm fiber rope, or leather, none have survived from ancient times. Excavations around Israelite cities usually unearth hundreds of round sling stones, ranging from 2-3inches (5 to 7.5 cm) in diameter. An adult man could fling a stone at 100-150miles per house (160-240km per hour). Tactics, the army, military equipment in the biblical period BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: WAR

		In this ivory plaque found at Megiddo, a harpist (third from left) plays before the throne of the King, just as David played the harp to soothe Saul's anxiety.

		This well in Gibeon may be the Pool of Gibeon mentioned in the fight between David's and Ishbosheth's twelve chosen men - 'Abner said to Joab "Let the young men come forward and have a contest before us." Joab said "Let them come forward." So they came forward and were counted as they passed by, twelve for Benjamin and Ishbaal (Ishbosheth) son of Saul, and twelve of the servants f David. Each grasped his opponent by the head, and thrust his sword in his opponent's side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.' For more on this story, see BIBLE PEOPLE: DAVID. The pool is about 35ft. deep, with a stairway leading down into a tunnel which gives on to a subterranean pool. This would have provided essential water, especially during a seige.

		A plan of the city of Jerusalem/Jebus at the time of David. Jebus, at the bottom right of drawing, was the original fortress captured by David. It lay on a rocky outcrop, with the valley falling away around it. The village attached to this fortress was to the north, and is shown in the drawing by the upper walled section - though this area was probably not walled until some time during the reign of David's son Solomon. It sat on a large expanse of rock, and had some buildings and a threshing floor - the rocky surface was suitable for threshing. See JERUSALEM for architectural models, ground plans and reconstructions of the Temple of Jerusalem through the centuries.

		A threshing floor. Each village or small town had its own threshing floor with grain storage facilities nearby - either above ground or hollowed out from the rock. At harvest time, the threshing floor was the scene of rituals and festivals celebrating the harvest. In a community that depended on grain for its survival, it was natural that threshing floors became sacred, as well as functional, areas.

		The Stepped Stone Structure - the only area in Jerusalem thought to date from the reign of King David, circa 10th century BC. Its strong foundations may have supported large stone walls which have since disappeared. The stones may have supported the walls of David's citadel, the fortress of Zion (2 Samuel 5:7-9) - though this point is hotly debated by archaeologists.

		There have been many elaborate reconstructions of the Ark of the Covenant (see bottom left) but in all probability the Ark was similar to the Shrine of Anubis found in the Tomb of Tutankhamun (see upper left). The Shrine in Tutankhamun's tomb was a portable wooden shrine covered with gold leaf, surmounted by an image of Anubis; the Ark was a portable wooden shrine covered with gold leaf, surmounted by two cherubim. The word 'cherubim' is probably related to the Assyrian word 'karabu', a protective spirit. In Assyria this spirit was represented as having a human head, the body of a lion, and wings. The Shrine of Anubis was found wrapped in cloth. When the Ark was carried, it was covered by some form of wrapping - animals skins and a blue cloth, to hide it from the eyes of the people around. It would have been wrapped like this when David accompanied it into Jerusalem. A short biography of David BIBLE PEOPLE: DAVID

	_______________________________________________________________________________________________ INTERESTING SITES - stories, pictures, reconstructions, information Was Bathsheba a victim? Or a very clever woman? You decide. WOMEN IN THE BIBLE: BATHSHEBA A short biography of David BIBLE PEOPLE: DAVID Bathsheba's story: the seduction (of whom?); the coup d'état; the plot BIBLE PEOPLE: BATHSHEBA Tactics, the army, military equipment in the biblical period BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: WAR A short biography of the clever son of David and Bathsheba BIBLE PEOPLE: SOLOMON Goliath, one of the Bible's great bullies BIBLE TOP TEN: VILLAINS David was a great believer in lateral thinking.... BIBLE TOP TEN: YOUNG PEOPLE: DAVID David's city, Uru-salem, perched like an eagle on a rock JERUSALEM

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ King David - Old Testament - Archaeology of The Bible - Bible Study Resource David, Boy Shepherd, Musician, Warrior and King