Archaeologists believe they may have discovered the ruins of a palace belonging to biblical King David.
The ruins, known as Khirbet Qeiyafa, were discovered 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem and includes a 10,000-square-foot fortified dwelling that archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said dates back to about 1000 B.C. Garfinkel led the seven-year dig with Saar Ganor of Israel's Antiquities Authority.
"Khirbet Qeiyafa is the best example exposed to date of a fortified city from the time of King David," said Garfinkel.
Khirbet Qeiyifa is believed to be the site where the Biblical battle between David and Goliath took place and Garfinkel suggests that David himself would have used the site.
Garfinkel's team also found a storeroom about 15 feet long, possibly used as site to collect taxes from the kingdom.
Garfinkel said his team found artifacts used by Judeans - the subjects of King David, and saw no trace of pig remains. Pork is forbidden under Jewish dietary laws. Archaeologist believe that site was likely decimated in 980 BC during a battle with the Philistines.
"The time of David was the first time that a large portion of this area was united by one monarch," said Garfinkel. "It was not a peaceful era."
Critics believe that the site could have belonged to other kingdoms of the area. While the consensus among most scholars is that no definitive physical proof of the existence of King David has been found, the Israeli Antiques Authority stands behind their discovery.
"This is the only site in which organic material was found, including olive seeds, that can be carbon-14 dated," said a rep for the Israeli Antiques Authority to the Times of Israel.