Researchers with the Hebrew University (HU) and Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) discovered one of King David’s palaces located at the Biblical city of Shaarayim, near where David killed Goliath. This is the first time a building of this stature had been uncovered in Israel.
The site located Southwest of Jerusalem has been under excavation for seven years. This past year, the remains of two large buildings were discovered dating to the time of David — one being a palace.
The 1,000 sq metre palace, located at the high point of the city with a great view of the Mediterranean, was surrounded by numerous rooms housing such things as iron smelting and pottery imported from other countries. Researchers noted Shaarayim literally means two gates, and two gates were discovered at this excavation.
It appears after David set up his capital in Jerusalem, Shaarayim ended up as a major administrative centre. As a result of frequent visits to the city, David required a smaller palace for his stays
The second building, full of hundreds of large stone pots, confirmed the importance of this city. According to Professor Yossi Garfinkel of HU and Sa’ar Ganor of IAA, it was a “Royal Storehouse” and housed the tax collection arm for this administrative region.
“It was in this building the kingdom stored taxes it received in the form of agricultural produce collected from the residents of the different villages in the Judean Shephelah. Hundreds of large store jars were found at the site whose handles were stamped with an official seal as was customary in the Kingdom of Judah for centuries,” said the researchers.
Read: King David’s Palace was Uncovered in the Judean Shephelah
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