Archaeologica.org

Did Eilat Mazar find king David’s palace? I would say not. To substantiate that claim she has to provide convincing evidence that 1) the walls indeed belong to one and the same building, 2) that the building dates to the 10th century BC, 3) that it functioned as a palace, and 4) that it was King David who put his throne there. I do not see how that can be done on the basis of the excavated remains.


Did Mazar uncover exciting remains in an area where nobody expected anything worthwhile anymore? Certainly. The cyclopaedic walls, the levelled MBA surface, the Iron I metallurgical industry, the decorated Iron II pottery, the Persian material underneath the tower – these finds will help us to fill in the blanks in Jerusalem’s history. I am eagerly looking forward to the final publication that Eilat Mazar, with her record of fast publication, surely will provide in the near future.