How much do we know about the real King David and his kingdom? This well-known leader has been revered as one of the greatest kings throughout both Jewish and Christian history. However, the biblical narrative relating to the establishment of a kingdom that united Israel and Judah has been widely debated over the past 20 years.

Was David king over an important kingdom or was he simply leading a minor tribe? Outside of the Bible or the Torah, there have been few archaeological discoveries that link to the historical King David and his city - not even in Jerusalem. That is, until now.

Professor Garfinkle and his team were involved in archaeological excavations at a site south-west of Jerusalem from 2007 to 2013 that completely changed the state of evidence for a historical King David. In 2007, the name “Khirbet Qeiyafa” was still unknown both to professional archaeologists and to the public. The following year, the Khirbet Qeiyafa project became world-famous when the New York Times dedicated a full page to a description of the site, its excavation, and the preliminary results.

In the words of Professor Aren M. Maeir, Director of a major Philistine dig close to Khirbet Qeiyafa, “This is a new type of site that suddenly opens a window on an area where we have had almost nothing and requires us to rethink what was going on [during] that period. This is not a run-of-the-mill find.”

Recent excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa clearly indicate a well planned fortified city in Judah as early as the late 11th to early 10th centuries BC. This new data has far reaching implication for archaeology, history and biblical studies.

Professor Garfinkle's lecture will discuss current debates concerning King David and Khirbet Qeiyafa, and how the new archaeological data fits with the biblical tradition.