Prague theologians excavate on the site of the battle between David and Goliath

On 10-15 June 2011 a group of three teachers and five students from the Protestant Theological Faculty in Prague (PTF) took part in archaeological excavations in Chirbet Qeiyafa, the site of an Iron Age town in the Holy Land which is significant not only for archaeologists but also for biblical historians.

The Chirbet Qeiyafa site is next to the valley of Elah, where according to 1 Samuel the battle between David and Goliath took place. In the Bible account we read how after David slew Goliath the Israelites pursued the Philistines and "their dead were strewn along the road from Sha'arayim to Gath and Ecron". Could Chirbet Qeiyafa have been the biblical Israelite town of Sha'arayim, also mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament in connection with King David? The arguments in favour of this hypothesis include the archaeological and radiometric data that indicate a single-phase settlement in the early 10th century B.C.; the fact that no pig bones have been found there (unlike in nearby Philistine sites); and that it was unique for that period in having two gates (Sha'arayim means "two gates" in Hebrew). If this is the case, it would mean that the Israelite state at the time when King David is believed to have lived was more extensive and more highly developed than many historians have believed.

For the group from the PTF the expedition to Chirbet Qeiyafa and working on the archaeological excavations there under the direction of Professor Yosef Garfinkel from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem provided an opportunity to learn more about these issues relating to the history of Israel in the Iron Age, and also to experience at first hand the fascination of the Holy Land. As one of the students said, "It was my first visit to the Holy Land, but it certainly won't be my last".

The expedition was part of a PTF project on Judaea in the Iron Age which will continue with a seminar on "Biblical Archaeology and Old Testament Theology" in the winter semester 2011. On 24-27 October 2011 Professor Garfinkel himself will visit Prague and give several lectures, including " In the Footsteps of King David: the Chirbet Qeiyafa Expedition" at the PTF at 11 a.m. on 25 October.

Peter Stephens