There has been a debate running among archaeologists and historians over whether King David was a small tribal leader over just a small region of the land at the time, or if he was the king of a serious country.

A recent discovery, made just last week, practically in my backyard, has reignited the debate. Archaeologists just discovered in the Kaifa Ruins, located in the Elah Valley (right outside Bet Shemesh) some utensils used for worship. These vessels are seemingly the first such vessels discovered from the time period of King David. Among the discovered vessels are two that are small models of the Temple that seem to match the description of Solomon's Temple, the first Beit Hamikdash, from Tanakh.

Those who are of the minimalist belief, think David and Shlomo were just rulers over some small villages, seem to be on the ropes with the recent discovery. This discovery is considered proof that they were rulers over a large area, while some take the middle ground and say at least the area was significant and was a regional empire containing the Elah Valley area and Jerusalem. Their big question is how reliable the description in Tanakh is. (source: Haaretz)

I don't care much for the debate about how large David's empire was, but I always find such discoverie fascinating, especially when they are right around Bet Shemesh...

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