UofH archaeologists unearth fort in the Golan Heights dated to the time of biblical King David

An archaeological dig in the Golan Heights found ruins of the area’s oldest known fortified settlement that date back to between the 11th and 9th centuries B.C.E.  The dig’s co-director, Barak Tzin of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology and Israel Antiquities Authority, explains that they knew they were on to something very important after unearthing rare rock etchings on a large basalt stone showing two figures with raised arms and a statuette of a woman holding a musical instrument that looks like a drum. “The fort, which covered more than a quarter of an acre, is built of basalt borders and has walls measuring almost five feet thick,” noted Tzin. Researchers surmise that based on pottery shards and physical evidence, the newly discovered structure appears to date to the time of the biblical King David and may have been part of the enigmatic Aramean Kingdom of Geshur. READ MORE