128 BE1WEENTEXTANDAIl.TIFACrInJulyof 1993 a fragmentof~lstelainscribedinAramaicwasdiscov-
eredinthegatecomplexatTel Dan.Thoughdatingtotheninthcentury
B.e.E" thisimpOl1antinscriptionforthefirsttimeprovidessolidarchaeo-
logicalevidencethata kingnamedDaviddidinfactexisl.Thoughdating
lalerthanthedategiventoaunitedmonarchy,thisliteraryevidencehas
very real historical implications denied by the so-called "minimalist
school."That thisDavid didandsaidwhatis recordedintheBibleis,
however,anentirelydifferentissue. When this inscription is added to
othersmentioningkings,suchastheMeshaStela'sreferencetoOmri,a
majorcriterionforstateformation,namely,theexistenceofkingsorcen-
tralizedleaders/rulersofsomesort,seemsfirmlyestablished.
DozensofsitesinIsraelconl<liningtenth-centuryB.C.E.remainshave
nowbeenidentified.30Someofthemostimportant,ifnotcontroversial,
includeHazar,Megiddo,Gezer,Lachish,Samaria,Dan,andTelRehovin
theJordanValley. Thecrucial issue hereisthedateofsomeofthese
remains.WhilemaS[archaeologistswhohavecaredenoughtovoicean
opinion(Dever,Slager,Mazar,Holladay,amongthem)datetheseremains
tothetenthcentury,others,notablyFinkelstein,havearguedforaninth-
centurydateformuchofthecontroversialmaterial.Thismaterialincludes
massivearchitecturalfortificationremainsatGezer,Lachish,Megidclo,and
I-Iazor.Otherremainsincludewhathavebeendescribedas"palaces"at
suchsitesas MegiddoandLachish. Ifthe:.elemain:.dulurnuuttube
tenthcenturyindate,theywillofferstrongarchaeologicalevidencefor
sometypeofcentralized/administrativeorganizationduringthisperiod.
Muchofthismaterial---especiallythegateremains-isverysimilar,consti-
tutingwhatarchaeologistscall"monumemalarchitecture."31Withoutany
texts,thematerialremainswouldsuggestthatsuchmassiveconstructions
founelallupanddownthecountryfromthesametimeperiod would
haverequiredresources,cooperation,andorganizationnormallyassoci-
atedwithsomeformofstatehood.Inotherwords,ifDavidandSolomon
werenotknownfromthebiblicaltexts,someonelikethemwouldhave
10 beinvented.
Crucialtothisdebateisatypeofcerami<:remainscalled "hand-
burnished" pottery.Ceramic analyses are complicated affairsthat only
expertsarecompetent 10 discuss.Sufficeittosayherethatthispotteryis
oftenfoundinthedestructiondebrisofthemonumemalbuildingsreferred
CCOlr.t1iz;uionintheIron 11 A-U(C:I.10Cl0-7S013.C.E.),"inLevy.Arc!Jaeo!o8.yo!SodcIY.373.
t:lblcI.
jQSeeespeciallyLarryG.Herr."The[ron 11 Period:EmergingNations,"BA 60 (1997),
114-83.
31 SeeeSiX-'(;iallyDever,RrxelllAn.:b(l(}ofogicfI/Discoveries, 124~57.