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| Israeli archaeologist Eli Shukron Photo: AP |
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Archaeologist claims to have found King David's Citadel
Skeptics question legitimacy of 'Bible archaeology' amidst rising concerns that digs escalate tension in eastern Jerusalem.
Associated Press
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.
 Israeli archaeologist Eli Shukron give a tour of what he claims to be King David's legendary citadel. (Photo: AP)
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.
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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.
 Photo: AP
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."
 Photo: AP
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 soft cover 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.
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