Archeologists discover 'Solomon's Palace' in Israel; Finding supports Old Testament Bible accounts

Archeologists excavated a grand prehistoric structure dating back to King Solomon's era which affirmed Old Testament accounts of Israel.

The building, which the excavation team called "Solomon's Palace," is reportedly 3,000 years old and was discovered in the royal city of Gezer. No evidence was found if an Israelite king lived there but it was built in the 10th century B.C.E., the time when King Solomon was famous for his immense wealth and stable governance of Israel and Judah.

The team also excavated a layer of Philistine bichrome pottery which attested to the presence of Philistines living in the area, as stated in biblical accounts.

It was alluded to the Bible verses 2 Samuel 5:25 and 1 Chronicles 14:16. The Old Testament verses said the city was connected with the Philistines in King David's time until he drove them out.

The team also unearthed a fragment of an Ashdod figurine, a figure believed to represent an Aegean goddess. It was also linked to Philistine evidence from other excavation sites like Ashdod, Timna, Ekron and Ashkelon.

The excavation was a partly done by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary researchers who sends archaeologists to the Gezer site.

The Seminary's Tel Gezer Project website stated that the "purpose of the project is to reexamine previous results in the context of newly excavated and published material. Emphasis will be placed on ancient Gezer during the Iron Age."

Dr. Sam Wolff, an archaeologist employed by the Israel Antiquities Authority, warned people against connecting biblical texts to the excavation's new finds.

In an interview with Haaretz, he said, "Our 10th century date is tentative, pending further study of the ceramic assemblage and the results of carbon 14 analyses. Others may claim that the pottery we are calling 10th century is in fact 9th century."