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State Formation in Judah: Biblical Tradition, Modern Historical Theories, and Radiometric Dates at Khirbet Qeiyafa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Yosef Garfinkel*
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Katharina Streit
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Saar Ganor
Affiliation:
Israel Antiquities Authority, Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
Michael G Hasel
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, Tennessee, USA
*
Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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During the past 30 yr, the biblical narrative relating to the establishment of a kingdom in Judah has been much debated. Were David and Solomon historical rulers of an urbanized state-level society in the early 10th century BC, or was this level of social development reached only at the end of the 8th century BC, 300 yr later? Recent excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa, the first early Judean city to be dated by radiocarbon, clearly indicate a well-planned, fortified city in Judah as early as the late 11th to early 10th centuries BC. This new data has far-reaching implications for archaeology, history, and biblical studies.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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