Introduction and history of the research:
Khirbet Qeiyafa is an archaeological site located atop a hill in the Shephelah region, on the northern border of the Elah Valley. Built at the start of the Iron IIA period (beginning of the 10th century BCE), the tel measures around 23 dunams. The site was first discovered in the 1860s by the French scholar Victor Guérin. However, he, as well as later researchers, did not identify any impressive remains at the site and the site was largely dismissed until the 21st century. In 2005, archaeologist Saar Ganor surveyed the site and began advancing an excavation project there. In the years 2007-2013 the site was excavated by a joint expedition from the Hebrew University and the Israeli Antiquities Authority, headed by Yosef Garfinkel and Saar Ganor.
Findings from the excavations reveal that Qeiyafa is a one-period site which was settled ca.1015-969 BCE (per the higher chronology) or 1010-936 BCE (per the lower chronology), and was then destroyed and abandoned. A small part of the site was resettled for a short time at the end of Persian period or the beginning of the Hellenistic period (end of the 4th century-beginning of the 3rd century BCE) and was then abandoned once again. During the Ottoman era a farm was built on the site, but that too was eventually abandoned. Aside from the settlement strata, the excavators found ceramic artifacts and coins from various eras, including the Middle Bronze II (1620-1550 BCE) and the Hasmonean era (2nd century BCE-mid-1st Century BCE).
The site during the Iron IIA period:
Over the course of its short period of activity during the Iron IIA, the site served as a city surrounded by a massive wall featuring two gates, a unique feature in Iron Age cities in the Land of Israel. There were dozens of various structures within the city. Inside the site, many pottery vessels were found, most notably more than 70 jar handles with ‘finger-impressions’. Other notable findings include two unique ostraca, one with an inscription which mentions, among other things, the terms ‘judged’, ‘and he served’ and ‘king’. The second ostracon features the name ‘Eshbaal ben Beda’. Other findings include stone grinding tools, an agate bead, a flint blade, iron swords, a bronze axe and arrowheads, a ceramic statuette head, a few small, portable shrines, and more. The findings from the excavations suggest that the site had the characteristics of an administration center belonging to an organized political entity.
The name of the site:
Based on the location of Qeiyafa and findings from the excavations, several different theories were raised as to the biblical identification of the site: (1) Several scholars, among them the heads of the expedition, suggested identifying the site with the biblical city of Shaarayim, mentioned in the Bible as an Israelite city near the Land of the Philistines (Joshua 15:36; 1 Samuel 17:52; 1 Chronicles 4:31). (2) Other scholars suggested identifying the city with the Philistine settlement of Gob (2 Samuel 21:18-19). (3) A third suggestion is identifying the site as the location of Saul’s military encampment on the eve of the battle against Goliath and the Philistines, referred to in the Bible as a ‘circle’ (1 Samuel 17:20). (4) Another suggestion is identifying the city as an unknown Canaanite city that is not mentioned in any source known to us. (5) A fifth suggestion is identifying the city with the Judahite city of Netaim, which is mentioned in the Bible with regards to one of the Judahite kings or the United Monarchy (1 Chronicles 4:23).
The site during the Persian and Hellenistic periods:
The site was resettled at the end of the Persian period-early Hellenistic period (end of the 4th century-beginning of the 3rd century) . The Iron Age city wall was rebuilt and one of the gates became part of one of the buildings. Apart from houses and other facilities, a number of administrative buildings were also found at the site. The locals were likely Judahites. Among the findings from this period may be counted: A Persian coin, Ptolemaic coin, Attic pottery candles (from Attica in Greece), animal statuettes, cosmetic tools, signet rings and more. Three more ostraca were discovered as well, of them, one likely carries the name ‘ben Akaviah’. After a short period of activity, the site was abandoned once again circa the first half of the 3rd century BCE.
Sources:
Fantalkin A. and Finkelstein I., ‘The Date of Abandonment and Territorial Affiliation of Khirbet Qeiyafa: An Update’, TA 44 (2017), pp. 53-60.
Galil G., ‘The First Decade of the Rule of David at Jerusalem and His Ties to the Philistines in Light of Archaeological and Epigraphic Findings from Khirbet Qeiyafa-Netaim’, in: Baruch A. et al (eds.), New Studies on Jerusalem 16 (2011), pp. 21-71 [Hebrew]
Garfinkel Y. and Ganor S., Khirbet Qeiyafa Vol. 1: Excavation Report 2007-2008, Jerusalem 2009.
Garfinkel Y. and others, Khirbet Qeiyafa Vol. 4: Excavation Report 2009-2013: Art, Cult and, Epigraphy, Jerusalem 2018.
Levin Y., ‘Where Did David Take Goliath’s Head?’, in: Dietrich W. and others (eds.), The Books of Samuel: Stories – History – Reception, Leuven – Paris – Bristol, CT 2016, pp. 371-383.