Archaeologists Say They Found Town Where Future King David Took Refuge

The Fellowship  |  July 8, 2019

Did Israeli archaeologists just discover the biblical site of Ziklag? In the Bible, the future King David was given shelter in Ziklag by Philistine King Achish. The Times of Israel tells us more about what was uncovered at the site:

As attested in the books of Samuel, Ziklag, located between Kiryat Gat and Lachish, provided refuge to the future king David when he was on the run from King Saul. After his sojourn in Ziklag, David ascended the throne in Hebron…

For decades, Israeli archaeologists have sought the location of the elusive Ziklag, for which roughly a dozen sites have been suggested, without scholarly consensus. Those previous sites were largely dismissed due to lack of signs of settlement transitioning from Philistine cultural evidence to Israelite remains from the time of David, or due to lack of evidence of the widespread ruin wrought by the Amalekites, as described in the Hebrew Bible…

The joint IAA and Hebrew University press release said that after seven dig seasons that uncovered some 1,000 sq.m., the Israeli archaeologists found evidence of a Philistine-era settlement from the 12-11th centuries BCE, among which were massive stone structures and typical Philistine cultural artifacts, including stylized pottery in foundation deposits — good luck offerings laid beneath a building’s flooring.