Israeli Archaeological Team Finds Gate of Biblical City, Home to Goliath

The head of an archaeological excavation in Israel has reported the recent finding of a major biblical city that was considered a metropolis at its time in the ninth century B.C.

The Bar-Ilan University in Israel has announced that it has discovered the entry gate that leads to the ancient city of Gath from the ninth century B.C., when it was occupied by the Philistines.

The city also served as the biblical home to Goliath, a Philistine warrior who was defeated by the much smaller David. 

Aren Maeir, the lead archaeologist of the excavation of Gath, told LiveScience that the discovery of the ancient city is a major part to Middle Eastern history.

"We knew that Philistine Gath in the 10th to ninth century [B.C.] was a large city, perhaps the largest in the land at that time," Maeir told Live Science. "These monumental fortifications stress how large and mighty this city was."

As The Daily Mail reports, Maier added on the excavation team's blog that the recent find, if it proves to be the city of Gath, could be "quite astounding."

"'It appears we have located a monumental city gate of the lower city of Gath," Maeir wrote, adding "We still have to do a lot of cleaning, defining, digging and measuring to do, but it appears that there are really good chances we have truly landed on quite an astounding find."

"Many lines of megalithic stone are appearing, with nice corners, features and even mud bricks," the lead archaeologist continues, adding "While we are quite far from fully understanding this architectural complex, it is getting more and more impressive."