Numismatic and History Discussion Forums > Biblical & Judean Coins Discussion Forum

proof of First Temple's existance

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Robert_Brenchley:
It's undoubtedly true that there's a fair bit of revisionist history about these days, saying basically that pre-exilic Israel didn't exist. I think it goes far too far, but I also think it's an understandable and perhaps inevitable reaction to the traditional picture of the Old Testament accounts as historical! I regard them as essentially propagandistic, and there are parts which I do think are completely unhistorical, but I find it impossible to understand post-exilic Israel without a pre-exilic Israel, even if it wasn't exactly as Samuel and Kings describe it. Then there's the archaeological evidence, which again isn't anything like as good as 19th Century archaeologists claimed, but which undoubtedly exists.

PeterD:
I had the good fortune to work in Jerusalem for a few weeks about 5 years ago. I managed to pick up quite a good guide book - not the usual tourist rubbish. The maps below come from that book. The first dates up to about 1000 BC, the second to Solomon in 965 and the other two are self-explanatory. Interestingly, the city has moved slowly north over the centuries.

PeterD:
maps 3 and 4

Ibex-coins:
Peter,
Your point is a good one.  Where the ancient city of David we think lies has never been had many opportunities for Archaeological digs due to the fact that it lies below (or we think it lies below) an arab village that is heavily populated.  The stepped structure that Zam refers to is one of the few opportunities archaeologists have had to peer below this village.  

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