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The home of Goliath: Archaeologists discover enormous ancient gate to the 'largest biblical city of its time' The home of Goliath: Archaeologists discover enormous ancient gate to the 'largest biblical city of its time'
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An ancient gate which may have marked the entrance to a biblical city home to the defeated giant Goliath has been discovered by archaeologists.An ancient gate which may have marked the entrance to a biblical city home to the defeated giant Goliath has been discovered by archaeologists.
The gate of Gath was found by researchers at Bar-Ilan University conducting excavations in the Tel Zafit national park, in the Judean foothills between Jerusalem and Ashkelon.The gate of Gath was found by researchers at Bar-Ilan University conducting excavations in the Tel Zafit national park, in the Judean foothills between Jerusalem and Ashkelon.
The city was occupied until about the ninth century BC, when it is said it was destroyed by Hazael, king of Damascus.The city was occupied until about the ninth century BC, when it is said it was destroyed by Hazael, king of Damascus.
Gath was ruled by the Philistines, regarded as enemies of the Israelites. It was also the home of Goliath, the giant Philistine warrior who the Israelite David defeated him with a slingshot. Gath was ruled by the Philistines, regarded as enemies of the Israelites. It was also the home of Goliath, the giant Philistine warrior who the Israelite David defeated with a slingshot.
© Ackerman Family Bar-Ilan University Expedition to Gath The story has become a popular allegory for an underdog situation in a contest during which a smaller, weaker opponent defeats a much bigger and stronger foe.© Ackerman Family Bar-Ilan University Expedition to Gath The story has become a popular allegory for an underdog situation in a contest during which a smaller, weaker opponent defeats a much bigger and stronger foe.
Professor Maeir, lead archaeologist of the excavation, said the gate is among the largest ever found in Israel and provides substantial evidence that Gath was once one of the most influential cities in the region, reports the Jerusalem Post. Professor Maeir, lead archaeologist for the excavation, told the Independent: "We have known for quite a few years that the city of Philistine Gath was one of, if not the largest, cities in the region during the Iron Age.
© Ackerman Family Bar-Ilan University Expedition to Gath “We knew that Philistine Gath in the 10th to ninth century [B.C.] was a large city, perhaps the largest in the land at that time,” the professor told Live Science. "With the new finds of the monumental fortifications and apparent city gate, we can now state quite clearly that this kingdom was in fact a powerful one.
“These monumental fortifications stress how large and mighty the city was.” "The gate of Gath is mentioned in the biblical story of David's escape from King Saul to King Achish of Gath.
As well as the gate, archaeologists uncovered a fortified wall with a temple and an iron production facility behind it. "It may very well be that this is the gate that the biblical author had in mind when this story was written."
The professor said King Hazael beseiged the site of the city before its destruction and the excavation team found evidence of this "siege system".
He said: "In fact, this is the earliest archaeological evidence in the entire world of a siege system."
The gate is reportedly among the largest ever found in Israel.
© Ackerman Family Bar-Ilan University Expedition to Gath The archaeologists also uncovered a fortified wall with a temple and an iron production facility behind it.