Fortified City of Ancient Judah

This dig season, get involved in an archaeological project that could soon change the way scholars think about the history of Iron Age Judah. Admittedly, not many people know about Khirbet Qeiyafa, an Iron Age II site strategically nestled in the foothills between Jerusalem and the coastal plain. Yet Qeiyafa, at nearly 35 acres, was twice as large as Biblical Lachish and over three times larger than nearby Beth Shemesh. Given its size, scholars believe that Qeiyafa may have been mentioned in Neo-Assyrian cuneiform documents, as well as in the famous Lachish ostraca. It is also possible that the legendary battle between David and the Philistine giant Goliath took place nearby.

Limited excavation at the site in 2007 by archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem revealed a massive 13-foot wide casemate fortification wall, still preserved in places to a height of nearly 10 feet! The team also began uncovering traces of the city’s monumental gate that was built with stones weighing up to five tons. There is little question that Khirbet Qeiyafa, positioned to guard the major route connecting the coastal plain and the hill country, must have been an important fortified settlement of the Biblical kingdom of Judah.

This summer, Professor Yosef Garfinkel leads the Hebrew University team on a quest to uncover the full extent of the massive fortifications that protected the site. They also hope to map the dimensions of the city’s main gateway and dig deeper into the casemate rooms of the city wall.

Project volunteers will stay at the Ramot Shapira Hostel in the nearby village of Beth Mier. Participants will live in air-conditioned rooms with three to four roommates.