Archaeologists have found the biblical city Neta

Professor Gershon Galil from the Faculty of Biblical Studies, University of Haifa identified the ancient town of Khirbet Keyafa as biblical Neta, which is mentioned in Chronicles.

Khirbet Keyafa - a provincial town in the Valley of Elah. Now there are carried out archaeological excavations, which is headed by Professor Yosef Garfinkel and Saar Ganor. The researchers dated the ancient settlement of the beginning of X century BC - the time the reign of King David. Prof. Galil recently deciphered ancient inscription in Hebrew, which is found during the excavation of Khirbet Keyafa and which also dates from the X century BC. This inscription, according to the researchers, evidence of high cultural development of the city, write "Version".

Genealogy of the "house of Judah", dated to the same period (X century BC), written in 1 st Chronicles. In the last verses of the genealogy of this kind that there are two cities: "These sons of Shiloh were workers who were doing things out of clay. They lived in cities and Neta Gedera. They lived in these cities and worked for the king" (4:23).

"Residents Netaima were potters. They served the king and lived in an important administrative center near the border with the land of the Philistines" - said Prof. Galil. City Gederah once identified the researcher A. Alt (A. Alt), who came to the conclusion that this Khirbet Gudrayya (Khirbet Gudraya). However, Neta, which is mentioned in the Bible only once, so far historians have not been determined.

American scholar and archaeologist Dr. William Albright (William Albright) has suggested that Neta - a city of Khirbet al-Nuveyti (Khirbet En-Nuweiti '), which is also located near the Valley of Elah. In his conclusions, he relied on the phonetic similarity between these two names. However, archaeological research Khirbet al-Nuveyti showed that the city in the Iron Age had not yet exist: he appeared and flourished in the Hellenistic and Roman-Byzantine periods.

Findings of Professor Galil is based on proximity Khirbet Keyafa to the biblical city Gederathite - Khirbet Gudrayya. And archaeological finds, including the massive fortifications dating from the end of the reign of King David, indicate that the city was at that time an important administrative center. In addition, Galil believes that his theory is supported by and located near the town of Khirbet Keyafa Khirbet al-Nuveyti - here he partly agrees with Albright, who pointed to the phonetic similarity of names.

"Archaeological discoveries made on this site, the most ancient inscription in Hebrew and biblical texts, which indicate that members of the tribe of Judah, lived in the city and were in the service of the king - all these data confirm that Khirbet Keyafa is Neta. In addition, the existence of a fortified city, an important administrative center on the periphery of the kingdom, shows the conflict that erupted between Israel and the Philistines, after King David triumphed over the house of Saul and all the Israeli labor were united under his leadership. This is another proof of the existence of a large and the powerful kingdom of David ", - noted the Galilee.