How Did King David Exist

One of the big questions surround biblical archaeology is that of, did all these characters, main or supporting, really exist? King David is widely regarded as one of the greatest rulers of ancient Israel. He is known for his melodic songs on the lyre and for killing Goliath with nothing but a slingshot and a stone. Despite all his supposed greatness, there is very little evidence to his actual existence. According to the New York Times, “The Bible is our only source of information about David. No ancient inscription mentions him. No archaeological discovery can be securely linked to him. The quest for the historical David, therefore, is primarily exegetical.” Without concrete historical evidence, all characters that are only known through the Torah must be viewed as made-up until

These seals were dated to the 10th century BCE, the same time as King David’s supposed rule. Dr. James Harden of Mississippi State University states, “The fact that these bullae came off of sealed written documents shows that this site – located out on the periphery of pretty much everything – is integrated at a level far beyond subsistence”, meaning that these seals are a big step in the right direction in proving David’s existence. Additionally, according to Phys.org, archaeologists have recently discovered a site that they believe to have been King David’s palace. The site is at Khirbet Qeiyafa, and it is a fortified city from around the supposed time of King David’s rule. There are no pig remains at the site, meaning it is likely Jewish because pigs are not kosher. However, many critics state that there is no definitive evidence that the palace was King David’s, it could have been any other King of the time, Jewish or not. In addition to King David, many other more minor characters are seen as simply speculation, with no archaeological evidence proving their