An Israeli archaeologist says he found the legendary citadel captured by King David. The conquest allowed David to establish Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is wrapped up in the discovery. Archaeologist Eli Shukron found the citadel in east Jerusalem in a predominately Arab neighborhood.
The Elad Foundation, an organization that strives to prevent the city from being divided, financed the discovery. Arabs want that land as the capital for a future Palestinian state.
The site also rekindles the debate about using the Bible as a field guide to identify ancient ruins.
“For many people the Bible is a dusty book sitting on a shelf in some room in your home. But here we actually see stories of the Bible matching the archaeology in its place,” Doron Spielman, vice president of City of David Foundation, said. “We can open up the pages of the Bible and literally they come alive for us from the very stones in this location.”
The excavation cost $10 million and is now open to tourists.
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