14 DAY TRIAL // In a recent paper in the journal Near Eastern Archeology, researchers with the Mississippi State University in the US announce the discovery of several artifacts that they say indicate that the biblical kings David and Solomon actually existed.
The artifacts in question, photos of which are available below, are six official clay seals dating back to ancient times. They were found at an archaeological site in southern Israel by researcher Jimmy Hardin and his colleagues.
Admittedly, these official clay seals do not display the portraits of the biblical kings or anything of the sorts. Still, the archaeologists who discovered them say that they support present-day tales about David, Solomon and their kingdoms.
The seals are a unique archaeological find
As detailed by the specialists behind this research project, the clay artifacts recovered at the Khirbet Summeily archaeological site in Israel served to seal official correspondence. In later times, such clay seals were replaced by wax ones.
Of the six ancient clay seals found in this corner of the world, just two still displayed complete impressions when discovered. Of the other four, partial impressions were documented on only a couple. Two of the seals were found to show no impressions whatsoever.
Interestingly enough, two of the seals show signs of having been exposed to fire. More precisely, researchers claim to have zoomed in on signs of blackening on them. Unfortunately, neither of the seals displays written messages.
To date the artifacts, researchers carefully analyzed their makeup and also looked at data concerning the history of clay pottery activities in the area. Eventually, the ancient seals were found to have been created sometime around the 10th century BC.
How the seals prove the existence of kings David and Solomon
Just in case some of you are not all that familiar with the Bible, kings David and Solomon are said to have ruled in Israel sometime in the 10th century BC. The thing is that, in this day and age, they are widely viewed as mythological figures.
Thus, plenty of scholars maintain that biblical stories starring king David and king Solomon are pure fiction. More precisely, it is said that there is no evidence to back up claims that the region allegedly ruled by these figures was actually home to a kingdom back in the 10th century BC.
Writing in the journal Near Eastern Archeology, researcher Jimmy Hardin and his colleagues argue that the discovery of these 6 official clay seals in southern Israel counts as evidence that, ages ago, a kingdom really did exist in the area.
Since no kingdom can exist without a king to rule over it, it's safe to assume that, contrary to what some claim, king David and king Solomon are not just mythological figures. On the contrary, it is possible that these two biblical characters are real ones.
“Our preliminary results indicated that this site is integrated into a political entity that is typified by elite activities, suggesting that a state was already being formed in the 10th century BC,” archaeologist Jimmy Hardin said in a statement.
“We are very positive that these bullae are associated with the Iron Age IIA, which we date to the 10th century BC, and which lends general support to the historical veracity of David and Solomon as recorded in the Hebrew biblical texts,” he added.
