JERUSALEM —
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.”
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