His study published in the journal Jerusalem Journal of ArcheologyHowever, many experts raised their eyebrows.
They believe that Garfinkel does not provide strong enough evidence for his theory, which is based on analyzes of five fortified cities scattered around Jerusalem.
According to the archaeologist, the cities can be dated to the beginning of the ninth century BC. – A date that puts the founding of cities two hundred years earlier than is supposed.
If Garfinkel is right, the scattered settlements were part of the Kingdom of Judah (Judea) and were built around the time when King David is believed to have ruled Israel.
In other words, he must have controlled a kingdom of considerable size—something many scholars over the years have questioned because there is little evidence of actual cities during King David’s reign.
Garfinkel based his theory in particular on the similarity between the buildings in the cities, suggesting that they were part of a unified network.
He also claims that the cities are also connected by a series of organized roads – another possible indication that they were once part of the same kingdom.
raises eyebrows
His findings were startling, because historically we know almost nothing about David other than what is written in the Bible.
Therefore, scholars are fiercely debating whether the biblical accounts of his great reign are true.
In the Bible, King David is described as a young shepherd who became famous after killing the giant Goliath.
He then became king over the tribes of Judah and later over the entire kingdom of Israel.
“Oversimplification”
Garfinkel’s research confirms the biblical interpretation of King David as a powerful ruler who controlled a vast kingdom.
But according to his colleagues, his theory is based on a simplistic analysis.
“I think it’s an oversimplification and it smooths out the details,” says Arin Meyer, an archaeologist at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. Times of Israel.
“There are a lot of small details that I don’t agree with, and there are generalizations over a long period of time that are problematic.”
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