During the summer, I noted Luke Chandler’s tantalizing comment about the discoveries at Khirbet Qeiyafa. He has now posted twice about the finds, including details and photos of a stable building for mules (?) and the discovery of several weapons. All of these are dated by the archaeologist to the early Iron IIa period, the time of David.
HT: Ferrell Jenkins
6 thoughts on “Summer 2010 Discoveries at Qeiyafa”
Hi Todd,
Are there similarities between the gates at Qeiyafa and the Orphel gate in Jerusalem? The use of large stones, with small stones packed between, can also be noted in Macalaster and Duncan's photos of the "Davidic wall" just west of the Large-Stone Structure in the city of David.
P.S. I don't know how that "r" got into Ophel.
ABChrysler – I can't answer without research and I'm not able to do that right now. I can say this: not many accept Mazar's identification of the Ophel structure as a gate.
If the water gate described in Nehemiah 3:26 is located near the Gihon Spring and the "Tower that lieth out" is the Spring tower, then verses 27 and 28 describe the "horse gate" in the wall of ophel. It is followed by the east gate in verse 29. Mazar's gate is ,so far, the only possibility. I wish she hadn't called it the Spring gate!
I meant to say I wish she hadn't called it the Water Gate!
Actually, Yosi Garfinkel has lectured (both in Israel and abroad) about a possible cultic corner that was found at the site. He notes possible "Massebahs", an interesting basalt object possibly similar to the later Judahite altars, and other stuff. I'm sure that more of this will appear in the near future as Yosi publishes things very quickly