Archaeologica.org

Goliath's Hometown Was Destroyed 2,800 Years Ago. Now We Know How

Gath, the hometown of biblical giant Goliath, was destroyed by the Arameans. Now, researchers may have found where the conquerors broke through the Philistine defenses

“This is where we think the Arameans came through, and we are hoping to confirm this by finding nothing – it’s like Seinfeld doing archaeology,” jokes Chadwick, referring to an episode of the famous sitcom in which the titular character pitches a TV show about, well, nothing.

And indeed, where the ancient city wall should have continued, archaeologists have found mostly empty space. “There are no foundations, no brick walls, it’s like someone worked very hard to take something apart there,” Maeir notes. “It’s a supposition, we cannot fully prove it for now, but it’s a fair assumption.”