The debate between the minimalists and the maximalists Was there a united monarchy of Israel of David and Solomon? Or were Israel and Judah always separate kingdoms?

The existence of a unified monarchy under Kings David and Solomon as described in the Bible has been the subject of ongoing debate among archaeologists and biblical scholars. The question revolves around whether there was a large, centralized kingdom in the 10th century BCE, as the Bible describes, or whether the process of unification and state formation occurred later.

Israel Finkelstein’s “Low Chronology” theory argues that the archaeological evidence for a substantial, centralized kingdom does not appear until the 9th century BCE, which is later than the traditional biblical dates for David and Solomon. This would imply that if David and Solomon did exist, their kingdoms may have been smaller and less centralized than the Bible suggests.

However, other archaeologists and scholars argue for a “High Chronology,” suggesting that there is enough evidence to support the existence of a unified monarchy in the 10th century BCE, consistent with the biblical narrative.