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00:01Join me as I examine one of the Bible's most powerful and controversial figures, King David.
00:08He's known most famously as the young shepherd who slayed the giant Goliath,
00:12but his story and legacy reverberate beyond that single act.
00:16Some believe his kingship unified the people of Israel and produced the lineage that gave rise to Jesus Christ.
00:23Others believe David never lived at all.
00:26What's the real story? Was he man or myth?
00:30To find out, I'll take the path that David might have used to establish the city of Jerusalem,
00:37explore what it took to be a master shepherd,
00:39I know, I know, I'm trying to get on the other side of him,
00:41and gain privileged access to one of the world's most guarded archaeological sites.
00:46We're digging for the truth.
00:48It's not simple.
00:49It's not simple.
00:50And we're going to extremes to do it.
00:53Oh, that was awesome.
01:05The time, 3,000 years ago.
01:08The place, Jerusalem.
01:09According to the Bible, David, the king of the Israelites,
01:12founded a dynasty whose significance endures to this day.
01:16In Israel, on the flag of the country, we have the Magan David, the star of David.
01:21And Jerusalem itself is called the city of David.
01:24Hi, I'm Josh Bernstein.
01:25I've come back to the Holy Land to explore the legend and legacy of King David,
01:30and to hopefully determine if he was man, myth, or somewhere in between.
01:35The great sculptor, Michelangelo, carved the most famous image of the biblical king.
01:40But David's fame extends far beyond this single masterpiece.
01:45The story of David is, in fact, the center around which much of the biblical narrative is built.
01:50In Hebrew, David means beloved, and the name David appears more often in the Bible than any other, including Jesus.
01:58Today, his story remains etched in Western thought.
02:02The battle between David and Goliath has come to symbolize the struggle of the underdog,
02:07of all who rely on skill and faith to defeat oppression.
02:11King David's stature here is so legendary, Israel's finest and most famous hotel is named after him.
02:19And it sits on King David's street.
02:24To explore the truth about David, we have to start with a biblical tale that is both complex and contradictory.
02:32I'm meeting with my friend, Professor Israel Finkelstein,
02:35an Israeli archaeologist and biblical scholar, to better understand David's story.
02:40What I think is fascinating is King David is not a perfect man.
02:45He's a king, and he's an adulterer.
02:47He's also a warrior, someone who slaughters a lot of people.
02:50Well, everybody drops dead around him.
02:52He's not this ultimate monarch.
02:54He's a problematic guy.
02:56In a way, when you read the text, he's a mixed bag.
02:58How much of that story is true?
03:00The story as we read it today is an accumulation of many stories and many periods and many layers.
03:05You cannot read the story of King David as one story that reflects one era written by one author.
03:13Israel explains that most biblical historians believe, if David was real,
03:18that he would have lived around the 10th century B.C.
03:22But the bulk of his story wasn't written down until many centuries later.
03:26Can people find proof of King David today?
03:29Well, you can find proof of the 10th century, and then you should interpret the proof to see whether it
03:34fits.
03:34It's not only a matter of going with the Bible in one hand and the spade in the other hand,
03:38rushing to the field to find King David.
03:40Right.
03:40But that hasn't stopped people from trying.
03:43Jerusalem and its surroundings are some of the most excavated lands on the face of the earth.
03:48For two centuries, archaeologists have been finding significant evidence corroborating stories in the Bible.
03:54But they have yet to find proof of King David himself.
03:58Some of them believe artifacts may be found here, under Jerusalem's Temple Mount.
04:04But this is both sacred and hotly contested ground.
04:08In the late 1990s, the Muslim authorities who control part of the Temple Mount secretly hauled away 4,000 tons
04:16of ancient debris from the site.
04:18The purpose?
04:19To make way for new construction.
04:21But for many Israelis, this was an act of cultural vandalism.
04:25In Jerusalem, outraged archaeologists petitioned the government to commission an off-site salvage operation.
04:31It's taking place here, on the northeastern edge of Jerusalem, fewer than two miles from the Temple Mount.
04:38Israel has thousands of archaeological sites, but none holds more promise than the Temple Mount,
04:44which is where this pile and hundreds like it came from.
04:47Today, archaeologists and volunteers are sifting through this rubble stone by stone, pebble by pebble,
04:53looking for more information about Israel's past, and possibly evidence of King David himself.
04:59Let's go check it out.
05:03This is Sachi Zwayeg, archaeologist and co-founder of the Temple Mount salvage operation at Tsurim Valley National Park.
05:11So explain to me what exactly the process is.
05:14Yeah, okay.
05:15So outside, we have all the pile that has already been sifted with a special machine.
05:19And inside, we're actually doing a second sifting, a wet sifting.
05:23We soak all the material in water, and then we start collecting all the...
05:28Any artifacts?
05:29Anything which is not a natural stone, any man-made artifacts.
05:32Every bucket here is full of artifacts.
05:35Tsachi tells me they've found hundreds of artifacts.
05:38But this clay piece, inscribed with a priestly seal, stands out from the rest.
05:43It dates roughly to the end of Jerusalem's first temple period, around the 7th and 6th centuries B.C.
05:50It's the first object with Hebrew writing ever recovered from the Temple Mount.
05:55Anything here from the time of King David?
05:57We have pottery shards from the time of King David from the 10th century B.C.
06:01And this is probably a bowl.
06:02It may have been used in the temple itself.
06:04So perhaps something from King David himself can be found here.
06:08It doesn't say, David, can you put me to work and I can actually do some of this?
06:10Tsachi tells me the process is simple.
06:14Step one, grab a bucket of rubble.
06:16Okay.
06:17And then dump it out?
06:20Dump it over here.
06:21Slowly?
06:22Doesn't matter.
06:22No, it's fast.
06:23It's okay.
06:24Nice?
06:24Yeah.
06:27What?
06:28We just spread it out?
06:29Yeah, spread it around.
06:31Spread it around.
06:32And...
06:32Okay.
06:33Now spread.
06:34Yeah, spread.
06:34Yeah.
06:38And that's it.
06:40Step two, spray it clean.
06:42And while you're doing this, you're kind of looking, hoping, watching, thinking maybe
06:45you'll find something?
06:46Yeah, yeah, sure.
06:47Step three, search for artifacts.
06:49Pot shirts, coins, anything unusual.
06:52This?
06:52This is probably a work stone.
06:55Yeah.
06:56Well, you've got to have a good eye for what's significant.
06:59I'm looking for anything with a coin or an inscription.
07:02Yeah.
07:02Any inscription from the biblical period would, in fact, be priceless.
07:06And there's always a possibility.
07:08Other things?
07:08Yeah.
07:09All interesting finds are sorted, collected, and conserved after they leave this tent.
07:16What percentage of the debris have you guys gotten through?
07:19Maybe 30.
07:20Only 30%?
07:21It will take many years to finish it.
07:23In coming years, Zahi and his team hope to find artifacts with inscriptions dating to
07:28the 10th century B.C.
07:30No inscriptions on it, though.
07:32Among other things, they'd like to find anything that connects with King David and his noble
07:37lineage.
07:38That would be a very big deal.
07:40That was the case with this artifact.
07:43Known as the ivory pomegranate, it was discovered in 1979 in one of Israel's many antiquity shops.
07:50Traded on the private market for a decade, this ancient artifact was finally purchased by
07:55the Israel Museum, but it's the inscription on the artifact, not its age, that makes it
08:01so special.
08:03According to the text scratched on its surface, this is a relic from the Temple of Solomon,
08:08King David's son.
08:09It's the first of its kind ever found.
08:12At the time of its discovery, it was believed to be the closest physical link to David ever
08:18revealed.
08:19To find out more, I'm traveling nearly 40 miles northwest from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.
08:27I'm meeting Dr. Yuval Gorin, key archaeologist and scientist involved in testing the artifact's
08:33authenticity.
08:34Yuval explains that the real ivory pomegranate is kept under lock and key in the Israel Museum.
08:39So we'll be working with a replica to explore what goes into proving an object's legitimacy
08:44and worth.
08:45What do we do?
08:46Walk me through the process.
08:49The ideal thing is to start with a simple, the lowest magnification and then go on to
08:55the more detailed examinations.
08:57Yuval says before the pomegranate ever made it to him, it underwent inspections by other
09:02scholars.
09:03They used microscopes just like this one.
09:06Low magnification allowed the scientists to visually survey the artifact's inscription and
09:12its patina, a chemical residue that formed on the surface of the pomegranate over time.
09:16You're not just studying the surface, you're studying the patina on the surface, as well
09:21as the material stuck in the crevices.
09:23Yes.
09:23The pomegranate appeared to be authentic.
09:25Yeah, you really can see what's stuck in all the little crevices.
09:30Yes.
09:30Very well.
09:30Yuval's job, however, was to go beyond the previous testing.
09:34Then what did you do?
09:35We scraped tiny samples of it.
09:39Yuval took small scrapings of the patina from the ladders and examined them under a more powerful
09:45microscope.
09:46And this is the actual sample from the real pomegranate?
09:49Yes.
09:50In the museum?
09:50Yes.
09:51OK.
09:52And here we see a tiny bit of the patina.
09:55What did this tell you?
09:57Well, it looks like ancient sediment from the site.
10:00But this wasn't all Yuval saw.
10:04The problem is that together with it, we found artificial material.
10:09It's probably glue.
10:11To test the glue, Yuval had to break out the latest technology to reach maximum magnification,
10:16a scanning electron microscope.
10:18So, Yuval, what did you find then when you put this under the big guns?
10:22We found out that the patina by itself contained the glue.
10:26This by itself sheds a lot of doubt about the authenticity of the inscription.
10:31We can say beyond any reasonable doubt that this inscription is modern.
10:36It was an old pomegranate that had modern writing.
10:38It is most likely not authentic.
10:40The pomegranate is authentic, but the inscription is not.
10:43Gotcha.
10:43Some research suggests a third of all inscribed artifacts from the biblical era may be forgeries.
10:50Yuval and others believe it's a grave problem for archaeology.
10:54Somebody took something like that and added on it an inscription that makes it unique, very
10:59special, historically important.
11:02And could sell it for half a million dollars.
11:05Yes.
11:06$550,000 to be precise.
11:09Reportedly, that's what the Israel Museum paid to an anonymous dealer for the ivory pomegranate.
11:14Too bad the inscription was most likely faked.
11:17Which is an important point to recognize.
11:20When it comes to biblical archaeology, the stakes are very high.
11:24So buyer, beware.
11:29I'm in the Holy Land of Israel on the search for evidence of King David.
11:34Doesn't matter.
11:34No.
11:35So far I've learned there's a mountain of rubble left to sift through.
11:39There are also potentially falsified artifacts to throw a person off course.
11:44And then there's the Bible itself.
11:46The books of the Old Testament tell us most of what we know about King David and the ancient
11:51land from which he came.
11:53Before the 10th century BC, two powerful empires dominate the Near East.
11:59Between the two is the land of Canaan.
12:01It's a war zone.
12:02A loose confederacy of battling peoples and shifting allegiances.
12:06Two of the most powerful peoples, the Israelites and the Philistines, regularly clash swords over
12:11territorial claims.
12:13As a young boy, David appears in the middle of this conflict.
12:17In fact, he wins a decisive battle by killing a giant named Goliath, better known as Goliath.
12:24According to the first book of Samuel, David was born in Bethlehem.
12:28He was the youngest of eight sons and spent his early days tending sheep in the southern
12:33hill country of Judah.
12:34Perhaps we can get closer to David through his occupation.
12:38Shepherd.
12:40I'm traveling about 70 miles north, into the heart of the ancient northern kingdom of Israel,
12:45near the modern-day town of Megiddo.
12:48I've come here to meet Aryeh Behar, a modern-day sheep farmer.
12:53Nice to meet you.
12:54Nice to meet you.
12:56Aryeh manages more than 1,000 animals.
12:59Today, he has all the high-tech tools.
13:01But when he was a boy, he was an old-school herder.
13:04So, David, as a young boy, is a shepherd.
13:07Is that hard work?
13:09Very hard work.
13:10Why?
13:11They're just sheep.
13:12Yes.
13:12How hard can sheep be?
13:14Because the shepherd had to be with his sheep day and night, 24 hours a day.
13:21The shepherd had to be very clever and wise.
13:26Aryeh says sheep herding in modern Israel is tough.
13:29The land is dry and unforgiving.
13:32But David would have faced even greater challenges.
13:35Fierce predators, wolves, bears, even lions roamed the landscape.
13:39On top of that, he was working in the middle of a war zone.
13:43For David to survive, he had to learn how to fight.
13:48So, in some ways, David's time as a shepherd trained him to be a good warrior and king.
13:54Of course.
13:56Can you show me some tricks with the flock so I can get a feel for what David had to
14:00do?
14:01Okay.
14:01Yeah?
14:02All right.
14:03Wait, we got to turn to our flock.
14:05Let's go get our flock.
14:06Are you okay?
14:07Guys, calm down.
14:09Stay with us.
14:11It's okay.
14:12Oh, we're surrounded.
14:13Okay?
14:13Wait, they're over here, too.
14:15Hey, hey, hey.
14:16So, I guess where the flock wants to go, it can go.
14:20Sheep may not be the smartest creatures on the planet, but they sure know how to make
14:24a guy run.
14:26No, no, no, no.
14:27I know, I know.
14:28I'm trying to get on the other side of him.
14:29Stay, stay.
14:30Okay, there you go.
14:33No, they're coming away from us.
14:36It's not simple.
14:37It's not simple.
14:38Yeah.
14:40To do this right, the way David would have done it,
14:43Aria tells me I need at least one of two critical but simple tools, a stick or a rock.
14:49So, this is lesson one, flock control, how to get the sheep to go where you want them
14:56to go instead of where they want to go.
14:59Take a stone and throw it in front of them or wherever you don't want them to go.
15:09Just don't hit them.
15:11Your first steps as a shepherd.
15:13Yes.
15:14I am too old, but maybe you will be a king.
15:17Well.
15:18My time with Aria has got me thinking.
15:20I used to imagine the young David as a simple shepherd tending his flock.
15:24But now I see him as a cunning young warrior in the making.
15:28Next, I want to find out how David put his shepherding skills to the ultimate test.
15:35No story of David is more well-known than a famous victory he had near a city named Gat
15:41against a giant named Goliath.
15:43Perhaps evidence of David's existence can be found in the region of this famous battle.
15:49From Jerusalem, I'm traveling 35 miles southwest to modern-day Tel Esafi
15:55to meet archaeologist and professor Aaron Meyer.
15:58Maybe he can shed some light on the Philistines and their most famous warrior.
16:02Hi, Aaron.
16:03How you doing, Josh?
16:04Welcome to Gat.
16:05Thank you very much.
16:06Aaron tells me that since warring peoples took land as well as material goods from each
16:11other, archaeologists can't rely solely on artifacts such as pottery to distinguish
16:16between territorial zones.
16:19But Aaron explains archaeologists have been able to use biblical clues, topographical descriptions
16:25to determine that this site was the Philistine city of Gat, home of the giant Goliath.
16:31Okay, so help me understand this landscape through biblical eyes.
16:35All the way out in the background there, that's the Judean hills.
16:38That's where David and Saul came from.
16:40That's where the Judean heartland is.
16:43Okay.
16:43Where we're standing now and towards the west, that's Philistia.
16:47So we can use the Bible, to some degree, as a map, right?
16:51We can use the words of the Bible to help us find a region where the Philistines lived
16:56and where Gat, one of the five cities, may have existed.
16:59Mm-hmm.
16:59Absolutely.
17:00Why here?
17:00Aaron says this site was perfect in terms of available natural resources and its strategic
17:06location.
17:06So, in a sense, we're combining the interpretations we have from the Bible of the geography with
17:12the archaeological record here.
17:13Yes.
17:14And the two together say, this was God.
17:16Absolutely.
17:17Can you show me?
17:18Sure.
17:18Let's go in.
17:19All right.
17:21As we make our way through the dig site, Aaron points out we're walking past ruins that
17:25date back to the Iron Age, including David's time, the 10th century B.C.
17:31Right in this square here, we found something that can culturally relate to the Philistines
17:36and the story of Goliath, specifically.
17:38Now, if we look in this square here, you can see here the various levels, and each level
17:42here represents a different period.
17:44So, for example, this is the modern phase.
17:47This would be about the 8th century B.C.E.
17:50This would be about the 9th century B.C.E., and this would be the 10th century B.C.E.,
17:54more
17:54or less the time of David.
17:56Most fascinating, we found a shirt with an inscription.
18:00Ah, you've got something in your pocket.
18:02Exactly.
18:02I'm hiding it from you here.
18:04Okay.
18:05It's part of a bowl.
18:07Okay.
18:07Can I take a look at that?
18:08Absolutely.
18:09So, this is some sort of writing.
18:13Yeah, okay.
18:13I can't read that.
18:14Can you read that?
18:15Yeah.
18:15Well, we have a good suggestion of what it means.
18:17Our suggestion is it's two names.
18:19One is something of the sort of alwat.
18:22Okay.
18:22And the second one is something like walat.
18:25Alwat walat.
18:26What does that mean?
18:27Aaron says that alwat walat, when transliterated between languages, becomes goliat, or goliath.
18:34It tells us that the description of the battle between David and Goliath, and placing it in the 10th century
18:40B.C.E., as the biblical chronology does, has some authenticity from a historical point of view.
18:47Just because this says alwat, which could be Goliath, doesn't mean that this is the Goliath.
18:53It could have been like Joe, right?
18:54Absolutely.
18:54And everyone's named Joe.
18:55Well, this is not an inscription of the Goliath, but let's call it, it's an inscription of a Goliath.
19:02How many potsherds did you find with names on them?
19:05Very few.
19:06We have a few inscriptions.
19:07This is, even if this was not connected to Goliath, this would be a unique find.
19:11What about beyond pottery?
19:13Have bones been found here in God?
19:15Human bones?
19:16Yes, yes.
19:17Of giant stature?
19:18No, there are actually human bones and the size, which is very typical of that period.
19:24Nothing outstanding.
19:25Then beyond pottery and beyond the bones here, do we know where the battle itself took place?
19:31Based on the biblical text, if we go about 15 kilometers to the east, we can find the spot
19:37which fits in perfectly with the description of the battle.
19:39The Valley of Elah?
19:40Absolutely.
19:41Let's go there.
19:41Okay.
19:44I'm on a quest to find evidence of the Bible's most memorable king, King David.
19:49After sifting for artifacts on my own, I enlisted an expert.
19:54He showed me the remains of the Philistine city of Gat, and possible proof of someone named Goliath.
20:01Now, I'm off to explore the battle site itself.
20:05According to the Bible, the battle between David and Goliath took place in the Valley
20:09of Elah.
20:10Many experts have studied the biblical description of the valley and compared it to the topographic
20:15record here in Israel.
20:18Archaeologist and Professor Aaron Meyer says he knows the location of this valley, just under
20:2310 miles from the city of Gat.
20:27We're going up high to get the best view.
20:29There's the hill in the background there.
20:31Two hills over.
20:32Yes, exactly, where they have the trees on the top.
20:35And the Philistines were on one side, and the Israelites were on the other.
20:40And in the middle, where the highway is today, is the valley of Elah where the battle took place.
20:44Mm-hmm, exactly.
20:47According to the Bible, the contest between David and Goliath is the ultimate standoff
20:52between two of Canaan's warring peoples, the Israelites and the Philistines.
20:56At the start, the Philistines have the upper hand.
21:00Their fiercest warrior, Goliath, is an experienced fighter, heavily armed and huge.
21:07Over nine and a half feet in height, Goliath intimidates his opponents.
21:11For 40 days, he taunts the Israelites, daring anyone to face him one-on-one.
21:17David, just a young shepherd at the time, steps up to the Philistines' challenge.
21:22He refuses to wear armor, choosing instead to face the giant with a staff and a sling,
21:28homemade weapons of war.
21:30As the Bible tells it, David, with only five stones from a nearby stream, sets out to defeat the giant.
21:40The first shot, a direct hit, right between the eyes.
21:49After he slays Goliath, David cuts off his head.
21:54With this victory, David saves the Israelites from certain defeat.
22:02It's exciting to think that we're actually looking out over one of the most famous confrontations in biblical history.
22:08This is where David and Goliath met, somewhere right below us.
22:12Absolutely.
22:13That's pretty cool.
22:14The defeat of Goliath, somewhere in this valley, was David's first stop on his way from local hero to global
22:20legend.
22:22But could a simple stone have really slayed a mighty giant?
22:25To find out, I'm heading back to Jerusalem.
22:29This is Tsehena, who comes from Ethiopia.
22:32And this is Daniel, a local Israeli.
22:35Like the young shepherd David, they're both champion marksmen, familiar with using a sling to throw stones.
22:41Tsehena, good to see you.
22:42Daniel, how are you?
22:43How are you?
22:44So I've come for a lesson in how to use slings to understand whether or not a sling could actually
22:51kill a person.
22:52You want to kill Goliath.
22:53Exactly.
22:54I want to kill Goliath.
22:55So let's start with the actual sling itself.
22:58In terms of like the length, what's a good length for the rope?
23:03From here?
23:04Yeah.
23:04From here to here.
23:05Yeah.
23:06From your hand to your next, your far shoulder.
23:09Yeah.
23:09So now what about actually the throwing it?
23:11What's the technique?
23:12Daniel tells me there are two ways to launch a stone, overhead or sidearm.
23:17To take down a nine and a half foot giant, I should swing it overhead and give it some serious
23:23velocity.
23:23Yeah, you release here.
23:25Yeah, I release this one this here.
23:27So you can control the direction of the slingshot, more or less.
23:32Yeah.
23:34Of course, to properly test the destructive power of a sling, we need one critical component.
23:40Enter the giant.
23:43This is our Goliath, a clay head nine and a half feet above the ground.
23:48Now to battle.
23:50But honestly, if I do this, you guys should be really far away.
23:54But you need to be careful because it's very, very dangerous.
23:57Okay.
23:58Daniel gives me some final advice on how to wear and load the sling.
24:02And he reminds me that a good slinger can launch a stone at speeds up to 100 miles per hour.
24:07Okay.
24:07Kill somebody.
24:09Kill yourself.
24:10Yeah.
24:10Okay.
24:11You should probably get out of the way.
24:17Sorry.
24:18I hooked that one.
24:20Yeah.
24:23Clearly, I'm not the best warrior on this team.
24:26So here, Daniel, why don't you keep going?
24:28Take turns.
24:33That was close.
24:35I wouldn't want to face you on a battlefield.
24:38See that throw?
24:39It's like 10 pounds of rock coming right at you.
24:44Damn.
24:44That was a good one.
24:45We didn't kill him, but I think we nicked him.
24:48He went for the jugular.
24:50But I think this would actually classify as a flesh wound.
24:53So let's put our giant back up.
24:59I'll try again.
25:02You think he's going to hit him?
25:04Yes.
25:04I don't know.
25:05If he doesn't, I think you can go finish him off.
25:09Whoa.
25:10You hit him in the ribs.
25:11He's a tough giant.
25:12Finish him off.
25:14Watching these guys, it becomes clear David might have picked the ultimate weapon.
25:18Oh, that was awesome.
25:21Look at that.
25:22I think it was the competitive cross-action.
25:26I think we're going to have to watch the slow motion instant replay on that one.
25:32I think it's safe to say that our giant is dead.
25:37Perhaps David could have killed Goliath with one precision hit, just as the Bible reports.
25:43So I think you're both named David now.
25:45Thank you very much, Daniel.
25:46Thank you very much.
25:47And I'm a second.
25:48Thank you very, very much.
25:49That was exciting.
25:50We killed our giant.
25:51He's dead.
25:52And another part of the biblical story rings true.
25:58I'm traveling through Israel, trying to determine if the Bible's King David was man or myth.
26:04So far, I've seen evidence that suggests parts of David's story could be true.
26:08There could have been a Philistine giant named Goliath.
26:11And David could have killed him with a single stone.
26:14Wow.
26:15That was awesome.
26:17But what of David's story after the battle?
26:22The Bible tells us the prophet Samuel goes to Jesse of Bethlehem to anoint a king of Israel among his
26:28sons.
26:29It's David who was chosen.
26:32But there's no joy for the young man.
26:35His victory over Goliath and the other victories that followed have unleashed the envy of Saul, the first king of
26:42the Israelites.
26:44Forced to go on the run, he quickly goes underground.
26:48According to the Bible, his hideout is the cave of Adu-Lam.
26:53Could traces of this cave still exist?
26:55I'm traveling west from Jerusalem into the heart of ancient Israel.
27:00I want to see if there's any evidence of the place in which the Bible says David wrote some of
27:05the most famous psalms.
27:07I've re-enlisted the help of archaeologist and professor Aaron Meyer.
27:11As I learned earlier, Aaron's an expert at placing ancient biblical sites on the modern landscape.
27:17Wherever you go in this area, you can find caves on any slope, on any mountain.
27:22Look at how big this is.
27:23And it only keeps on going.
27:25Well, let's see how far it goes.
27:27Aaron tells me this cave is just one of many in a network known as the Adu-Lam system.
27:33David might have sought refuge from King Saul in this very cave, or a similar one in the surrounding region.
27:39Well, in the book of Samuel, we have the description of how David is escaped from King Saul's court.
27:46We know that King David and his band hid out in this area.
27:49And in the description, in this cave, or caves, hundreds of warriors managed to hide out.
27:55And the size of this cave would be a good illustration of the type of cave that David and his
28:01band of warriors would be hiding out in.
28:03So, again, we're looking to the modern landscape for parallels with the biblical description.
28:08Let's keep going.
28:08Okay, let's do it.
28:10This is so cool.
28:12And from the outside, you never would know this was here.
28:15Okay, now here we're going to have to start crawling.
28:17Ah, sounds like fun.
28:19Aaron explains that this part of the cave system was created after David's time.
28:24But there's always the chance that back then, someone with the right tools could have carved an intricate tunnel system
28:29like this,
28:30complete with trap doors and emergency exits.
28:33Sure.
28:33So people actually lived here?
28:35Well, they lived here.
28:36They hid out here.
28:37It was someplace to go when you had to hide from your enemies.
28:42Aaron says no archaeological proof has yet linked David to this cave or any other.
28:48But the presence of these types of caves suggests the possibility that this part of David's tale may also be
28:54based on truth.
28:55The story of David and a cave of Adullam is not something made up by somebody who did not know
29:02this region very well.
29:04According to the Bible, David continues to elude King Saul.
29:09With each victory over his enemies, David's power grows.
29:14Eventually, he's crowned the king of the Israelites and given this promise from God.
29:20Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever.
29:25Remarkably, possible evidence of David's bloodline, if not the divine promise, has been found.
29:30I'm traveling 150 miles north to Tel Dan in the Upper Galilee to examine a truly remarkable find.
29:39For the past two centuries, most of the evidence pointing to King David has been geographical, not archaeological.
29:46But here at Tel Dan in the summer of 1993, a discovery was made that changed everything.
29:54Biblical archaeologist Ifat Taharani Suseli and I examine the grounds at Tel Dan.
30:00She says that this site has been excavated extensively for the past 40 years.
30:05So Dan was a fortified city?
30:07Dan was a well-fortified city, yes.
30:09It had a three-gates complex that actually surrounded the town and protected it from invaders.
30:17Ifat explains that in the 10th century B.C., Dan was the northernmost point of the Israelite kingdom.
30:22It's location was prime for enemy attack.
30:25So by the 9th century B.C., the city and its leaders were protected by a well-designed system of
30:31gates and walls.
30:33Welcome, Josh, to the outermost gate of Tel Dan.
30:36This is it here.
30:37The fortifications of Tel Dan are certainly impressive.
30:40But I've come here to see something else.
30:43So tell me the story of this discovery.
30:45Yes, it was during the excavation of...
30:49Ifat explains that a surveyor stumbled upon something amazing while sweeping the stones of one of Don's external buildings.
30:56And what'd she find?
30:57And here is a replica of what she found.
31:01Oh.
31:02Yes.
31:04Can we pick it up?
31:05Yes, of course.
31:07All right.
31:08Yeah, this is actually the most important artifact that was found in Israel so far.
31:14And this language is written in what?
31:16In Aramaic.
31:17Archaic Aramaic.
31:18Okay.
31:18Dated to the 9th century B.C.E.
31:20So the most important part of it is which line?
31:23Line number nine.
31:24This line here?
31:25This line here.
31:26Okay.
31:28House of David.
31:29Beit David.
31:31David.
31:32David.
31:32And this is the first reference we have to David anywhere outside the Bible.
31:36House of David.
31:37House of David.
31:38It talks about his dynasty, the dynasty that he founded in the 10th century.
31:42We hear about this dynasty during the 9th century in regard to the Israelite kingdom.
31:47These letters change the entire history of archaeology in Israel.
31:52The real artifact is so important that today it remains under the constant care of the Israel
31:58Museum.
31:59Ifat tells me most experts believe the stela doesn't point to just any David, but indirectly
32:04to King David himself, as this was a man of tremendous wealth and power.
32:10Only the most influential leaders of ancient times were called by name in reference to
32:14the kingdoms they created.
32:16And since no other ancient inscriptions have been found with the full phrase House of David,
32:22the Tel Don Stela could be the first proof of the Davidic dynasty itself.
32:26Has this been authenticated?
32:28Yes.
32:28It was checked by geologists, by historians, by archaeologists.
32:32So there is no doubt about the authenticity of this inscription.
32:35So people who in the past may have said, well, we're not sure he's a real person, when this
32:41was found, the hunt began all over again.
32:44That's true, because now there is no doubt we are talking about a historical figure.
32:48Yeah.
32:48A figure named David actually existed.
32:52The Bible tells us that once David is crowned king, he sets his sights on conquest.
32:58His target, one of the few remaining independent territories in the land of Canaan.
33:04Its heavily defended stronghold is called Jebus, home to the Jebusite tribe.
33:09Today, it's called Jerusalem.
33:12But for David to conquer the city, he must first find a way to enter the fortified castle
33:17called Zion.
33:19Others have tried and failed, but David and his nephew Joab are determined to succeed.
33:25I'm heading back to Jerusalem to find out how.
33:28Outside the walls of the Old City, there's a region today called the City of David.
33:33Some experts believe it's the place where the Bible says David eventually established
33:37his capital.
33:39Today, it's a tourist site, run by the Ir David Foundation, a non-profit organization
33:44dedicated to the research and preservation of King David's legacy.
33:48Doron Spielman is its director of development.
33:50He tells me the City of David isn't just a tourist destination, it's a hotbed for archaeology.
33:55Excavations today are taking place in four sites throughout the city, two of which deal
33:59directly with the time period of David.
34:02Doron takes me to see what David might have faced when he and his armies arrived at the
34:06fortifications of Jebus.
34:08This was a 12-story building, supporting along an entire hill, a massive superstructure at
34:14the top of the hill, which was the Jebusite stronghold.
34:17Can we take a closer look?
34:18Let's go inside.
34:22The second book of Samuel mentions that when David approached the city, the ruling Jebusites
34:27mocked him.
34:28Their walls, they said, were impenetrable.
34:31You will not get in here.
34:33Even the blind and lame can ward you off.
34:38Doron and others believe these ruins are the remains of those mighty Jebusite walls, mentioned
34:43in the Bible as part of the fortress of Zion.
34:45This is now known as the stepstone structure.
34:49And Doron tells me it's the largest pre-Davidic ruin ever found in Israel.
34:54It dates to 1800 BC.
34:56And so somehow David manages to get inside this wall.
35:01He does.
35:02In fact, the Bible relates an obscure line.
35:05The day that David conquers the Jebusites, he says with his own words, he who conquers the
35:09Jebusites grabs onto the tzinor.
35:12Tzinor.
35:13Tzinor is an obscure Israeli word.
35:15Doron explains that tzinor is thought to mean water shaft or pipe.
35:19Do you want to see it?
35:21I would love to see it.
35:21Follow me.
35:22Okay.
35:23We set out to explore one of the city's underground waterways.
35:27This is Warren's shaft.
35:29It was discovered in the 1800s by a British explorer of the same name.
35:33Good thing I brought some flashlights.
35:35Doron says this tunnel is more than 200 feet long.
35:45It was once thought to be the secret path that David and his army took to get under the Jebusite
35:50walls.
35:52But recent dating proved that this tunnel wouldn't have been usable until the 8th century BC,
35:57two centuries after David needed it.
36:00Today, though, it's our pathway to a remarkable new find.
36:04So if David wanted to sneak into the city, well, it might not have been this exact route.
36:10It was very much like this.
36:12Absolutely.
36:13Narrow and wet.
36:15Doron reassures me there's a point to all this getting wet.
36:18But to find it, we'll have to keep going.
36:23We now know that parts of David's biblical tale are supported by modern discoveries and
36:28theories.
36:29David could have killed Goliath with a simple yet deadly ancient weapon.
36:32Wow, that was awesome!
36:35Evidence of a powerful Davidic dynasty, a house of David, has been found.
36:40And David could have invaded Jebus from underground.
36:44I'm still at the City of David with director Doron Spielman, trying to find out exactly how.
36:50Doron says from here on out, we will connect with more tunnels and rooms recently discovered
36:55by City of David archaeologists.
36:57These date to around 1800 B.C., definitely usable in David's time.
37:03Okay, so this is the way he actually went.
37:05Exactly.
37:06Doron tells me the core of Jebusite, Jerusalem, is above us.
37:11Now, we're deep within the bedrock.
37:14Well, just in front of us, the dry road, as soon as he landed, he must have had one heck
37:19of a battle.
37:24So we're out.
37:25Doron says we're now standing in the reservoir of what used to be Jerusalem's only freshwater
37:30source, the Gihon Spring.
37:32It was the source of life for the Jebusites, and they would have fought to the death to
37:37protect it.
37:38So they didn't expect anyone to come this way.
37:40They didn't.
37:40In fact, we know for 850 years before David, this was considered the most secure place in
37:45the city.
37:46Doron shows me the rest of the route he believes David took from here straight into the heart
37:51of Jebus.
37:52This, he claims, was the only way in.
37:56Now, for the entire battle of the city, for David and his troops in the mission to conquer
38:01Jerusalem, this was the last leg.
38:03David's cunning and brilliance really plays forth here.
38:07Right here?
38:07Right here.
38:08Instead of going over the walls like every army had tried for 800 years before him, David
38:13goes beneath the city walls to achieve his final goal.
38:17He would have had to have scaled up ropes, fighting the entire way into the city.
38:21This is what it took to conquer Jerusalem.
38:25And once he got in, he was basically, well, not home free, but at least inside the wall
38:29and able to do battle from within.
38:31He's, in fact, managed to do a commando raid 3,000 years ago.
38:35Doron says this is yet another part of the biblical tale that seems to match the physical
38:40landscape.
38:41David could have conquered Jebus and established Jerusalem via an existing waterway.
38:45But what next?
38:47The Bible tells us that David unites the feuding tribes of Israel under his rule.
38:52It becomes the first united kingdom of Israel.
38:55And its success is vital to the future history of both Christians and Jews.
39:00According to the Bible, he initiates a series of ambitious pursuits.
39:05Expands the existing citadel, wages war on any enemy who threatens his state, and lays the
39:11groundwork for a magnificent palace.
39:14And now, after two centuries of digging in Israel, archaeologists may have found physical proof
39:19of one of David's final achievements, a 10th century BC palace fit for a king.
39:26At another site within the city of David, chief archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar has agreed to show me around.
39:32She tells me this excavation is one of the most important digs in progress today.
39:37But the site has compelling potential.
39:41Great potential.
39:42You know, right?
39:42But this is what the issue is.
39:44Yes.
39:44Is that this could prove that King David actually lived.
39:47Yes, this is one of the, you know, main points in the history of Jerusalem.
39:51Eilat conducted the first phase of her research here in 2005.
39:56Just recently, with the help of the Shalem Center in Jerusalem, she secured funds to launch
40:01this full-scale excavation.
40:04Eilat tells me this dig is still in its infancy.
40:07So far, only 20% of the area here has been explored.
40:11I'm amazed.
40:12In all my travels, I've never seen a dig site with so much activity going on.
40:18Today, more than 70 people are taking part.
40:20This is great.
40:22I didn't expect it to be so busy.
40:24We've got people above us.
40:25We've got people digging over here.
40:26Eilat says that at this site in 2005, she uncovered parts of a 100-foot section of wall
40:32that she dates to the 10th century BC.
40:35Can we go in and take a look?
40:37Sure.
40:37And see what else is here?
40:38This way?
40:39Yes.
40:40Okay.
40:40Eilat believes the dig here may one day provide the clearest evidence to support the theory
40:45that Jerusalem was a major city at the time of David.
40:49This runs counter to claims made by other archaeologists, that in the 10th century BC,
40:54Jerusalem was simply a hill country village, and King David, an unimpressive leader of a
41:00poor rural town.
41:01Such a construction and such a major, an overcome of this very steep bedrock and all kinds of
41:09cavities all around.
41:10Whoever built this area needs to have a very highly skilled ability of construction.
41:15Otherwise, they wouldn't have overcome it.
41:18Eilat tells me what she has uncovered is part of a large Phoenician-style public building.
41:23This could be a vital clue.
41:26According to the Bible, one of King David's allies was a Phoenician king named Hiram of
41:31Tyre.
41:33The Bible says that Hiram sent messengers along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons
41:39to build King David's palace.
41:42Eilat says this location and the craftsmanship she's uncovering appear to match the biblical
41:48story.
41:49It was something that shows a great ability of the ruler that was here at the same time.
41:56Determination and ability, centralization of qualities.
42:01It has to be a very strong ruler, whoever it was.
42:05Probably, most probably King David.
42:06Okay.
42:07More research and tests are needed to prove whether this site contains the remains of King
42:12David's palace or, as Eilat's skeptics argue, maybe more remains from the Jebusite fortress
42:17of Zion, or another remarkable building never written about in the history books, but one
42:22thing's for sure.
42:23Everybody agrees if you're talking about a very monumental construction, whatever it
42:27is, right?
42:28Okay.
42:28This is unquestionable.
42:30What is it that you would love to find here that would definitively say King David lived
42:35here?
42:36Well, this is the King David's residence, nice to have you with us.
42:39Something that says that King David slept here, King David ruled here.
42:43Well, it's always nice to have something written.
42:46Now the area speaks, and we only document, and then we can make interpretations of everything.
42:53The interpretations can be argued, the facts cannot.
42:57Today, 80% of the site remains to be excavated.
43:01In time, Eilat says, the research will speak for itself.
43:05But for now, she and her crew will just keep digging.
43:08Eilat, if you find anything that says King David ruled here, King David slept here, will
43:13you give me a call?
43:15Immediately.
43:16Okay.
43:17While some people believe the story of King David is simply a legend, more and more people
43:22are changing their minds.
43:27In the near future, even more proof may be revealed, showing us the greatness, political strength,
43:38and historical influence of Israel's most famous warrior and ruler, King David.
43:59How many people believe the story of King David just focused on this?
44:00Build a belt that was står for no?
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