Have archaeologists just unearthed stunning BIBLICAL PALACE once owned by King Solomon?
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed a huge palace in the ancient royal city of Gezer, Israel, which they are linking to the Biblical King Solomon.
The ruins of the ancient palace
The 3,000-year old ruins were found in the ancient city, which is situated between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
While the archaeologists behind the discovery were quick to stress evidence for who occupied the house is non-existent, there has been obvious links to King Solomon because of the timeframe.
The building dates back to the 10th century BC which is when the legendary king – who according to the Bible – led Israel and is largely credited with being the driving force behind Israel becoming a Jewish state.
Among the findings at the site included Philistine pottery, a goddess figurine known as Ashdod, several amulets and a baby’s rattle.
A sculpture of King Solomon in St Thibault church, Burgundy
It is thought that the temple was destroyed in 925BC by Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Sheshonk – who in the Bible is known as Shishaq.
According to the Bible, Shishaq attacked Gezer around the 10th century BC.
A mosaic of the legendary king in St. Mark's Basilica
Excavation co-director Professor Steve Ortiz, of the Tandy Museum of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary of Fort Worth, Texas, said that the palace was likely destroyed in one of Shisaq’s attacks.
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He said: “It appears that everything was cleaned out before the destruction. Perhaps they knew of the impending attack and removed most of the objects.”
Professor Ortiz added that the building is significantly larger than the majority of other residential buildings from the time.