The story is known to many : the smaller , weaker David stands up to the giant warrior Goliath , and finally kills him with his sling . Now archeologists thinkthat they ’ve just excavate the massive institution to the entrance of the biblical city of Gath , Goliath ’s hometown and , during its heyday , the largest city in the neighborhood .
The urban center was onceone of fivePhilistine city - land – the others being Gaza , Ashkelon , Ashod , and Ekron – that existed in the same region as the mod solar day Gaza Strip . “ We knew that Philistine Gath in the 10th to 9th C [ BCE ] was a large city , perhaps the heavy in the land at that metre , ” Professor Aren Maeir , ofBar - Ilan Universityin Israel , who leads the archeological site of the city , toldLive Science . “ These monumental fortifications stress how prominent and mighty this urban center was . ”
purview of the Iron Age fortifications of the downcast city of Philistine Gath . Credit : Prof. Aren Maeir / Ackerman Family Bar - Ilan University Expedition .
The university has been excavating the city for decade , with this year marking the20thexpedition to Gath . The site is one of the largest ancient ruination mounds , or “ William Tell , ” in the whole of Israel , and has been engage almost continuously from around 5,000 BCE to the modern day . The last inhabitants of the site were a low Arab village that up and go forth in around 1948 . This means that the expanse is completely undeveloped and overt to excavation .
With the incredible size of the city and the references in the bible – notably when David fled from King Saul to the metropolis – it ’s mostly accepted that this must be the ancient land site of Gath . Ruled by the Philistines , they were in dispute with the neighboring Judaic kingdoms of Judah and Israel . This could explain why the city had such an impressive gate and monolithic fortifications , though even this was n’t enough to protect the metropolis when it was finally put under siege and lay to waste in 830 BCE .
But the find did n’t stop at the monolithic logic gate . The team has also uncovered a temple , grounds of iron smelting , and rest come to to potentially the early siege system in the worldly concern . lie in of a2.5 - klick - long , 8 - meter - wide oceanic abyss and towers , apparently even this could n’t halt the city ’s eventual wipeout . More interesting , perhaps , is the clayware that they found at the site , as it seems to have been influenced by their supposed enemies , showing elements of Israelite techniques .
As is often the suit , the relationship between the obviously war groups of people was far more complex and many-sided than both position simply view each other as enemies . Maeir suspects that the excavation of the gates will keep them plenty meddlesome for at least another few seasons in the field .
