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3 months ago
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An artifact described as one of the most important archaeological finds of all time will soon be on display in the US.
The Tel Dan Stele, a stone inscribed with ancient Hebrew, is the earliest known archaeological evidence of the existence of King David, a king of ancient Israel.
The monument fragment is being sent loaned from The Israel Museum to Oklahoma's Herbert W. Armstrong College from September 22 through November 25 as part the 'Kingdom of David and Solomon Discovered' exhibit.
The Tel Dan Stele, discovered in 1993, is set to be on display at a college in Oklahoma starting this month
Exhibit curator Brad Macdonald said: 'This is a colossal honor for Oklahoma and the Armstrong Foundation.
'This artifact provides an extraordinary snapshot into biblical history and is possibly Israel's most important archaeological discovery ever.
'This is only the second time the stele has been to America.'
The Tel Dan Stele was discovered in 1993 and carbon dating puts its creation somewhere in the late ninth century BC.
The large rock features several lines of text describing the victory of an Aramean king over a 'king of the House of David.'
The writings corroborate passages from the Hebrew Bible.
For centuries, scholars had either dismissed King David as mythological figures, or disputed the era in which they ruled over the Israelites, as told in the Bible.
'The discovery of the stele caused an earthquake in the archaeological community,' Macdonald said.
'It vanquished the common belief that King David was a fictional character and bolstered the credibility of the Bible as a valuable historical source.
'This is just one reason that it is one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever found.'
Archaeologists believe the stone slab confirms the existence of King David who is said to have been a shepherd boy who became Israel's third and most crucial king around 1000 BC when he united all the tribes of Israel under a single monarch
The large rock dates to the late ninth century BC and features several lines of text describing the victory of an Aramean king over a 'king of the House of David'
David is said to have been a shepherd boy who became Israel's third and most crucial king around 1000 BC when he united all the tribes of Israel under a single monarch.
The Bible also states that Mary, Jesus's mother, was a descended of David's son Nathan.
David was the first king of a united Israel and the founder of a dynasty, according to the Old Testament's Books of Samuel.
However, the most popular Biblical story is about David defeating the giant Goliath using only a stone and a sling.
