Was the Bible Right?
c. 9th century BCE·Divided Kingdom·Artifact

Tel Dan Stele: the 'House of David'

Scripture: 2 Samuel 7; 2 Kings 8–9

Basalt fragments of the Tel Dan Stele with its Aramaic inscription, Israel Museum
Basalt fragments of the Tel Dan Stele with its Aramaic inscription, Israel Museum · Photo: Oren Rozen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

The claim

The Bible presents David as the founder of Judah's royal dynasty. Critics once argued he was a legendary figure.

What archaeology found

Fragments of an Aramaic victory stele found at Tel Dan in 1993 and 1994 by Avraham Biran's team. The author, probably Hazael of Aram-Damascus, claims to have killed a king of Israel and a king of the 'House of David' (bytdwd). It is now in the Israel Museum.

Sources

  1. Avraham Biran and Joseph Naveh, An Aramaic Stele Fragment from Tel Dan, Israel Exploration Journal 43 (1993)
  2. Avraham Biran and Joseph Naveh, The Tel Dan Inscription: A New Fragment, Israel Exploration Journal 45 (1995)

Verdict history

  • SupportedInitial verdict.