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Philistine city of Gath a lot more powerful than thought, archaeologists suggest
Powerful fortifications newly uncovered by Israeli archaeologists suggest the kingdoms of Saul, David may not have been quite as powerful as thought.
An aerial view of the lower neighborhoods of the Philistine city of Gath.
An aerial view of the lower neighborhoods of the Philistine city of Gath. / Photo by Griffin Aerial Imaging
By Nir Hasson
Published 03:08 04.08.15
The fortifications and entrance gate to the Philistine city of Gath have been uncovered - and portray a different geopolitical picture of the biblical era, that isn't in favor of the kingdoms of David and Solomon.

Tel Zafit, a dig in the Judean hills, is a multilayered site stretching from the early Bronze Age to the Arab village that was there until 1948. One of the more interesting layers being uncovered by Bar-Ilan University archaeologists is that of the Philistine city of Gath, which is notorious for confrontations with the ancient Israelites.

ancient Philistine altar - 26072011
The ancient Philistine altar at the Tel Tzafit archaeological site. /
Gath’s zenith was during the period of the kingdoms of David and Solomon in the 10th century B.C.E., when it was the largest of five Philistine cities.


Finally finding the wall

The archaeological team, headed by Prof. Aren Maeir, has been digging at the site for some 20 years. Many findings from this period have been uncovered, including a ritual altar, remains of buildings, an iron production facility, and thousands of pottery shards.

Still, until recently, fortifications had only been discovered in the northern part of the tel. As a result, although the city was undoubtedly big and important, it was impossible to define it as an exceptionally large metropolis.

During this year’s digging season, which ended a few weeks ago, the team started digging at a new site at the bottom of the tel, not far from where the altar was discovered.

Nearly immediately, almost at ground level, the base of a broad fortification wall was discovered. Further excavations revealed 30 meters (98 feet) of wall and evidence of a guard tower, as well as remains that may suggest the existence of a large city gate.

Finding the wall in this part of the city makes it the largest known city during this period in the Land of Israel. Prof. Maeir estimates its size to be 500 dunams (124 acres), while Jerusalem during this period was 120 dunams – similar to other cities like Megiddo and Be’er Sheva.

A kingdom divided

This discovery has considerable, decisive importance in the argument that has stirred the Israeli archaeological world for two decades, on the question of the existence and character of the united kingdom.

Supporters of the maximalist school assert that the biblical description of the united Israelite kingdom under David and Solomon matches archaeological findings, and that it was a small power that controlled the country’s mountains, plains and north.

The minimalists counter that it was a small principality that controlled a limited area in the mountains, whose capital Jerusalem was nothing more than an overgrown village.

In recent years, the dig at Khirbet Kaifa (next to Tel Zafit), where a team found a fortified Judahite city from the 10th century B.C.E., backed up the maximalists. That discovery suggested that the kingdom extended at least as far as Kaifa.

The discovery of the fortifications in lower Gath and its implications regarding the size of the enemy Philistine city shed new light on the geopolitical situation in the region.

According to Maeir, the discovery of Gath as a huge, fortified city on the border of Judea during an extended period, without any signs of destruction as a result of a war with Judea, proves the Philistines controlled the Judean plain. Because Khirbet Kaifa existed for a relatively short period – about 30 years – it is likely the remnant of a failure of the Israelite kingdom to spread westward and not a sign of its power.

“The Judean kingdom is supposed to be big, important and strong,” says Maeir. “But it turns out there is a very big city on its western border. For years, I claimed Gath was a big city, but they countered that it has no lower city, and if it has one it is not fortified. After finding a huge fortification, it’s clearly the most important city of the 10th and ninth centuries.”

Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, who oversaw the Kaifa dig, does not rule out this explanation. However, he also notes “we know there were border conflicts throughout this period, but it’s a fact that Judea managed to build Kaifa as an exceptionally fortified city, with eight-ton stones – and when Kaifa fell, they built Beit Shemesh.”

Gath’s gate is mentioned in 2 Samuel 1:20, when David escaped from King Saul to the King of Gath, Achish. The Philistine city was destroyed by Hazael, King of Aram Damascus, who besieged and destroyed the site in around 830 B.C.E.

Maeir says the destruction of Gath was a dramatic event that changed the regional balance of power, enabling the rise of an independent Judean kingdom in the eighth century B.C.E.
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Live Science

http://m.livescience.com/51737-goliath-city-gates-uncovered-israel.html/

LiveScience

Goliath Gates: Entrance to Famous Biblical Metropolis Uncovered
by Tia Ghose, Senior Writer
Date: 04 August 2015 Time: 10:00 AM ET

biblical city of gath
A recent excavation in Israel has uncovered the historic fortifications and monumental gate of a Biblical-era city called Gath.
CREDIT: Prof. Aren Maeir, Director, Ackerman Family Bar-Ilan University Expedition to Gath
A massive gate unearthed in Israel may have marked the entrance to a biblical city that, at its heyday, was the biggest metropolis in the region.
The town, called Gath, was occupied until the ninth century B.C. In biblical accounts, the Philistines — the mortal enemies of the Israelites — ruled the city. The Old Testament also describes Gath as the home of Goliath, the giant warrior whom the Israelite King David felled with a slingshot.
The new findings reveal just how impressive the ancient Philistine city once was, said lead archaeologist of the current excavation, Aren Maeir, of Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

"We knew that Philistine Gath in the 10th to ninth century [B.C.] was a large city, perhaps the largest in the land at that time," Maeir told Live Science in an email. "These monumental fortifications stress how large and mighty this city was." [The Holy Land: 7 Amazing Archaeological Finds]
Ancient site
The gates were uncovered in Tell es-Safi, which was occupied almost continuously for nearly 5,000 years, until the Arab village at the site was left in 1948, Maeir said. Though archaeologists have been excavating at the site since 1899, it wasn't until the past few decades that they realized how massive the Iron Age remains really were.
Both the impressive settlement size and mentions in biblical accounts suggest to scholars that the site is the historic city of Gath, which was ruled by the Philistines, who lived next to the Jewish kingdoms of Judah and Israel. Most scholars think that Gath was besieged and laid to waste by Hazael, King of Aram Damascus, in 830 B.C., Maeir said.
The team was digging trenches to look for the ancient city's fortifications when they found the top surface of a monumental gate and fortifications. Because the remaining walls are so massive, it may take several seasons to fully uncover them, Maeir said. So far, only the top surface of the structures are visible, but based on the size and shape of the stones used to make them, the city walls must have been quite large. The mighty fortifications would have formed a rather imposing boundary that prevented the Kingdom of Judah from expanding westward, he added.
The team also found ironworks and a Philistine temple near the monumental gate, with some pottery and other finds typically associated with Philistine culture. Though the pottery represents a distinctive Philistine style, it also shows elements of Israelite technique, suggesting the cultures did influence each other in ways unrelated to war.
"This mirrors the intense and multifaceted connections that existed between the Philistines and their neighbors," Maeir said. Though the Philistines were often seen as the absolute enemies of the Israelites and Judahites, he added, in reality, "it was much more complex."
Follow Tia Ghose on Twitterand Google+. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.


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I think this is very exciting from an archeological , historical & muti religious stand point.
And certainly, answers the question,(or could, unless covered up), about GIANTS.