Further excavations will reveal whether it is really six chambers and whether there are other gates. Archaeologists estimate that 200,000 tons of rock were hewn, moved and used in the construction of these fortifications.Ī four-chambered gate, 10.5 meters across, is the dominant feature of the massive fortifications. The city wall is four meters wide, constructed with casemates. Surrounded by a 700 meter-long massive city wall, the fortress was built with megalithic stones - some weighing four to five tons. Nearly 600 square meters of the Elah Fortress have so far been unearthed. It is thought to have been a major strategic checkpoint guarding the main road from Philistia and the Coastal Plain to Jerusalem, which was just a day's walk away. Excavations began on the site in June 2008.Ĭomprising 23 dunams, the Elah Fortress (Khirbet Qeiyafa) was situated on the border between Philistia and the Kingdom of Judea (5 kilometers south of current day Bet Shemesh.). Archaeologists say that it was clearly written as a deliberate message by a trained scribe.ĭating to the 10th century B.C.E., the Elah Fortress is the earliest known fortified city of the biblical period in Israel. This may indicate that this is a legal text that could provide insights into Hebrew law, society and beliefs. While the inscription has yet to be deciphered, initial interpretation indicates the text was part of a letter and contains the roots of the words "judge", "slave" and "king". It is hoped the text inscribed on the 'Qeiyafa Ostracon' will serve as an anchor in our understanding of the development of all alphabetic scripts.
3,000 years ago – predating the Dead Sea Scrolls by approximately a millennium, and placing it earlier than the famed Gezer Calendar.
Silver and the Brennan Foundation.Ĭarbon-14 dating of organic material found with the ostracon, administered by Oxford University, along with pottery analysis dates this inscription to the time of King David ca. The excavations and analysis are also being supported by J.B. Yosef Garfinkel, the Yigal Yadin Professor of Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his partner Saar Ganur, in partnership with Foundation Stone, a non-profit educational organization which works to provide a contemporary voice to ancient stories. The ostracon was found lying on the floor inside a building near the city gate of the site, known as the Elah Fortress at Khirbet Qeiyafa.Įxcavations are being led by Prof. and was found at excavations of a 10th century B.C.E. The ostracon (pottery shard inscribed with writing in ink) comprises five lines of text divided by black lines and measures 15 x 15 cm.
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