Khirbet Qeiyafa

Khirbet Qeiyafa (Elah fortress), Western gate Khirbet Qeiyafa ( Elah Fortress ), recently proposed as the biblical Sha'arayim (English: Shaaraim ), is a 10th century Israelite royal fortress now an archaeological site overlooking the Elah Valley where, according to the Biblical account, David fought Goliath. It was a key location in the kingdom of Judah along the main road from Philistia and the Coastal Plain to the eastern Hill Country.

31°41′47″N 34°57′26″E  /  31.69639°N 34.95722°E  / 31.69639; 34.95722 Khirbet Qeiyafa ( Elah Fortress ) is the site of an ancient city overlooking the Elah Valley . The ruins of the fortress were uncovered in 2007, near the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh , 20 miles (32 km) from Jerusalem . It covers nearly 6 acres (2.4 ha) and is encircled by a 700-meter-long (2,300 ft) city wall constructed of stones weighing up to eight tons each. A number of archaeologists have claimed that it might be the biblical city of Sha'arayim or Neta'im and that it might contain the ruins of King David 's palace. Others are sceptical, and suggest it might represent either a Judahite or Canaanite fortress, doubting whether it was a Jewish settlement at all. " 'Proof' David slew Goliath found as Israeli archaeologists unearth 'oldest ever Hebrew text' " . Julia Fridman, 'Crying King David: Are the ruins found in Israel really his palace? ,' at Haaretz , 26 August 2013."Not all agree that the ruins found in Khirbet Qeiyafa are of the biblical town Shaarayim, let alone the palace of ancient Israel's most famous king."

The ruins of the fortress were uncovered in 2007, near the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh , 30 km (20 mi) from Jerusalem . It covers nearly 2.5 ha (6 acres) and is encircled by a 700-meter-long (2,300 ft) city wall constructed of stones weighing up to eight tons each. Excavations at site continued in subsequent years. A number of archaeologists, mainly Yosef Garfinkel and Saar Ganor , have claimed that it might be the biblical city of Sha'arayim , because of the two gates discovered on the site, or Neta'im and that the large building at the center is an administrative building dating to the reign of King David , where he might have lodged at some point. This is based on their conclusions that the site dates to the early Iron IIA, ca. 1025–975 BCE, a range which includes the biblical date for the Kingdom of David. Others suggest it might represent either a North Israelite, Philistine or Canaanite fortress, a claim rejected by the archaeological team that excavated the site. The team's conclusion that Khirbet Qeiyafa was a fortress of King David has been criticised. We cannot close this article without a comment on the sensational way in which the finds of Khirbet Qeiyafa have been communicated to both the scholarly community and the public. The idea that a single, spectacular finding can reverse the course of modern research and save the literal reading of the biblical text regarding the history of ancient Israel from critical scholarship is an old one. Its roots can be found in W.F. Albright's assault on the Wellhausen School in the early 20th century, an assault that biased archaeological, biblical and historical research for decades. This trend—in different guises—has resurfaced sporadically in recent years, with archaeology serving as a weapon to quell progress in critical scholarship. Khirbet Qeiyafa is the latest case in this genre of craving a cataclysmic defeat of critical modern scholarship by a miraculous archaeological discovery Julia Fridman, 'Crying King David: Are the ruins found in Israel really his palace? ,' at Haaretz , 26 August 2013."Not all agree that the ruins found in Khirbet Qeiyafa are of the biblical town Shaarayim, let alone the palace of ancient Israel's most famous king." http://qeiyafa.huji.ac.il/eshbaal2.asp Magee, M.D.

31°41′47″N 34°57′26″E  /  31.69639°N 34.95722°E  / 31.69639; 34.95722 Archaeological site in Israel This article is about the archaeological site. Khirbet Qeiyafa ( ), also known as Elah Fortress and in Hebrew as Horbat Qayafa ( ), is the site of an ancient fortress city overlooking the Elah Valley and dated to the first half of the 10th century BCE. The ruins of the fortress were uncovered in 2007, near the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh , 30 km (20 mi) from Jerusalem . It covers nearly 2.5 ha (6 acres) and is encircled by a 700-meter-long (2,300 ft) city wall constructed of stones weighing up to eight tons each. Excavations at site continued in subsequent years. A number of archaeologists, mainly the two excavators, Yosef Garfinkel and Saar Ganor , have claimed that it might be one of two biblical cities, either Sha'arayim , whose name they interpret as "Two Gates", because of the two gates discovered on the site, or Neta'im ; and that the large structure at the center is an administrative building dating to the reign of King David , where he might have lodged at some point. This is based on their conclusions that the site dates to the early Iron IIA , ca. 1025–975 BCE, a range which includes the biblical date for the biblical Kingdom of David. Others suggest it might represent either a North Israelite , Philistine , or Canaanite fortress, a claim rejected by the archaeological team that excavated the site. The team's conclusion that Khirbet Qeiyafa was a fortress of King David has been criticised by some scholars. Journal of Hebrew Scriptures . 17 (7). We cannot close this article without a comment on the sensational way in which the finds of Khirbet Qeiyafa have been communicated to both the scholarly community and the public. The idea that a single, spectacular finding can reverse the course of modern research and save the literal reading of the biblical text regarding the history of ancient Israel from critical scholarship is an old one. Its roots can be found in W.F. Albright 's assault on the Wellhausen School in the early 20th century, an assault that biased archaeological, biblical and historical research for decades. This trend—in different guises—has resurfaced sporadically in recent years, with archaeology serving as a weapon to quell progress in critical scholarship. Khirbet Qeiyafa is the latest case in this genre of craving a cataclysmic defeat of critical modern scholarship by a miraculous archaeological discovery Fridman, Julia. Crying King David: Are the ruins found in Israel really his palace? , at Haaretz , 26 August 2013.