October-December 2003
Volume 6 Number 4.2

King David's Lost Tomb and Treasure

King David�s tomb is a major issue that must no longer be ignored. It could become the capital issue which offers the �final solution� for Jerusalem�and the world.

by Gary Arvidson

We are on a mission of discovery. We are going where no one has gone for nearly 2000 years. It has been 3,000 years from the time David conquered the Jebusite Hill and renamed it the City of David in 1000 BCE. This is high adventure. Can you imagine a greater thrill than discovering King David�s Lost Tomb?

The quest for the lost royal tombs of Israel�s kings inspired prominent theories by the French archaeologist, Clermont-Ganneau. He proposed and defended his views in a number of articles, the most comprehensive being in 1897. Cermont-Ganneau was so totally convinced of these ideas that his fullest report began with the words:

...the discovery of the royal necropolis, where David and most of his successors were buried, constitutes beyond any doubt the capital problem of Hebrew Archaeology� (Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, August 13, 1897 quoted in Simons 1952:213.)

This claim becomes more understandable in context of the French archaeologist�s conviction: �...that these tombs would be found packed with treasures...� (ibid.). But there is more. This hypothesis was so intriguing to many, that it was finally tested (in two locations). But the problem was never solved.

Raymond Weill conducted excavations in 1913-14 in an effort to test this hypothesis. The results consummated in discovering eight tombs designated as T1-T8. Then came the discovery of T9, a ninth tomb, found in a more southerly location just 10 years later. There is still more. As archaeologists realize today, this did not solve the continuing mystery about King David�s Lost Tomb. Dr. Jan Josef Simons analyzed this problem succinctly:

Nobody has ever found the necropolis of biblical Jerusalem, nor even a group of tombs large enough to point out where the dead of that city were preferably laid to rest (Simons 1952:213.)

When examining the above, consider the implications and possible consequences. It is the curious comments by Josephus about massive riches and treasure buried with David, that stirs the imagination. Was Josephus accurate and truthful? Did he lie? or was he misinformed? Is much of this wealth still hidden? Without verification, we are left in the dark. This situation has led to past expeditions. I argue that armed with modern technology and scholarly advances in archaeological excavation methods and techniques that it is time for another search. Dr. Jan Josef Simons said:

     The conviction that somewhere on the little SE Hill the tombs of David and his successors during three centuries were awaiting discovery, has more than once been the decisive inducement for undertaking an excavation at Jerusalem, or at any rate for selecting this hill as a field of operations. (Simons 1952:213.)

In one way, archaeologists are skeptical. But in another way, some recognize that buried treasure in King David�s Tomb is a likely possibility. Josephus has been repeatedly verified for accuracy. The latest major episode is with the foundation of a Temple discovered in Samaria. It was built as a duplicate of the original Jerusalem Temple. Once it is established that David�s tomb could not be T1, then the way is open to proceed with further investigation of possibilities about its actual location. We may now sit on the cusp of one of the greater discoveries in the last 3000 years. It only takes permission, money, commitment, and the willingness to move forward. Therefore, the enclosed exhibits have been supplied. But realize they are only an abbreviated introduction to the present possibility of locating the ancient tomb.

If David�s tomb were discovered in our day, it would go a long way toward authenticating Jewish claims about Jerusalem. Read the critical editorial by Mortimer Zuckerman entitled The Truth in Ancient Stones published in the U.S. News & World Report in the July 3, 1995 issue (Zuckerman 1995:64). It reveals the massive importance of a potential discovery like this. Yes, King David�s tomb is a major issue that must no longer be ignored. It could become the capital issue which offers the �final solution� for Jerusalem�and the world. 

What must be concluded about a potential search? Is it politically expedient? Is it feasible? Can this effort be used to help promote peace in a trouble-torn world? All we can hope to achieve for now is to bring these questions to light. Scientific inquiry should provide the rest.

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