JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli archaeologist says he has found the legendary citadel captured by King David
in his conquest of Jerusalem, rekindling a longstanding debate about using the Bible as a field guide to
identifying ancient ruins.
The claim by Eli Shukron, like many such claims in the field of biblical archaeology, has run into
criticism. It joins a string of announcements by Israeli archaeologists saying they have unearthed
palaces of the legendary biblical king, who is revered in Jewish religious tradition for establishing
Jerusalem as its central holy city — but who has long eluded historians looking for clear-cut evidence
of his existence and reign.
The present-day Israeli-Palestinian conflict is also wrapped up in the subject. The $10 million
excavation, made accessible to tourists last month, took place in an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem and
was financed by an organization that settles Jews in guarded homes in Arab areas of east Jerusalem in an
attempt to prevent the city from being divided. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem, captured by
Israel in 1967, as the capital of a future independent state.
Shukron, who excavated at the City of David archaeological site for nearly two decades, says he believes
strong evidence supports his theory.
“This is the citadel of King David, this is the Citadel of Zion, and this is what King David took from
the Jebusites,” said Shukron, who said he recently left Israel’s Antiquities Authority to work as a
lecturer and tour guide. “The whole site we can compare to the Bible perfectly.”
Most archaeologists in Israel do not dispute that King David was a historical figure, and a written
reference to the “House of David” was found in an archaeological site in northern Israel. But
archaeologists are divided on identifying Davidic sites in Jerusalem, which he is said to have made his
capital.
Shukron’s dig, which began in 1995, uncovered a massive fortification of five-ton stones stacked 21 feet
(6 meters) wide. Pottery shards helped date the fortification walls to be 3,800 years old. They are the
largest walls found in the region from before the time of King Herod, the ambitious builder who expanded
the Second Jewish Temple complex in Jerusalem almost 2,100 years ago. The fortification surrounded a
water spring and is thought to have protected the ancient city’s water source.
The fortification was built 800 years before King David would have captured it from its Jebusite rulers.
Shukron says the biblical story of David’s conquest of Jerusalem provides clues that point to this
particular fortification as David’s entry point into the city.
In the second Book of Samuel, David orders the capture of the walled city by entering it through the
water shaft. Shukron’s excavation uncovered a narrow shaft where spring water flowed into a carved pool,
thought to be where city inhabitants would gather to draw water. Excess water would have flowed out of
the walled city through another section of the shaft Shukron said he discovered — where he believes the
city was penetrated.
Shukron says no other structure in the area of ancient Jerusalem matches what David would have captured
to take the city. The biblical account names it the “Citadel of David” and the “Citadel of Zion.”
Ronny Reich, who was Shukron’s collaborator at the site until 2008, disagrees with the theory. He said
more broken pottery found from the 10th century BC, presumably King David’s reign, should have been
found if the fortification had been in use then.
Shukron said he only found two shards that date close to that time. He believes the reason he didn’t find
more is because the site was in continuous use and old pottery would have been cleared out by David’s
successors. Much larger quantities of shards found at the site date to about 100 years after King
David’s reign.
Reich said it was not possible to reach definitive conclusions about biblical connections without more
direct archaeological evidence.
“The connection between archaeology and the Bible has become very, very problematic in recent years,”
Reich said.
Critics say that some archaeologists are too eager to hold a spade in one hand and a Bible in the other
in a quest to verify the biblical narrative — either due to religious beliefs or to prove the Jewish
people’s historic ties to the land. But other respected Israeli archaeologists say recent finds match
the biblical account more than naysayers claim.
Shukron, a veteran archaeologist who has excavated a number of significant sites in Jerusalem, said he
drew his conclusions after nearly two decades exploring the ancient city.
“I know every little thing in the City of David. I didn’t see in any other place such a huge
fortification as this,” said Shukron.
The biblical connection to the site is emphasized at the City of David archaeological park, where the
“Spring Citadel” — the excavation’s official name — has been retrofitted for tourists, including a movie
projected on a screen in front of the fortification to illustrate how it may have looked 3,800 years
ago. The City of David — located in east Jerusalem — is one of the most popular tourist sites in the
holy city, with 500,000 tourists visiting last year.
“We open the Bible and we see how the archaeology and the Bible actually come together in this place,”
said Doron Spielman, vice president of the nonprofit Elad Foundation, which oversees the archaeological
park. He carried a softcover Bible in his hand as he ambled around the excavation.
The site has come under criticism because of the Elad Foundation’s nationalistic agenda. Most of the
foundation’s funding comes from private donations from Jews in the U.S. and U.K., and its activities
include purchasing Arab homes near the excavated areas and then helping Jews move in, sometimes under
heavy guard.
Critics say this political agenda should not mix with archaeology.