ARCHAEOLOGY OF KING DAVID

November 24, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Mānoa Campus, Art Auditorium, ART BUILDING

BETWEEN THE BIBLICAL STORY AND HISTORY THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF KING DAVID, PROF. AVRAHAM FAUST, BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY The famed kingdom of David and Solomon – commonly referred to as the United Monarchy – is currently at the center of a heated debate. Until some 30 years ago there was a consensus that David and Solomon were historical figures who ruled over fairly large territories, but this is now questioned by many, some believing that these kings were no more than small chiefs who controlled a limited territory around Jerusalem, and others doubt their mere existence. Given the doubts surrounding the reliability of the biblical testimonies for this early period, the archaeological evidence came to the forefront, and all approaches rely on some lines of material evidence to support their position. The lecture will (1) critically review the arguments that were raised over the years, and especially those that led many to doubt the existence of the United Monarchy; (2) reexamine the drastic changes in settlement patterns and forms that reflect the emergence of a polity in the highlands of ancient Israel and its expansion to other regions, and the subsequent changes in various aspects of material culture; (3) synthesize the archaeological evidence with the core of the biblical description about the kingdom of David and Solomon, to reconstruct the political history of this formative period.


Ticket Information
FREE

Event Sponsor
RLAC , Mānoa Campus

More Information
ROBERT J LITTMAN, 8082268518, littman@hawaii.edu

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