Tel Arad - : The Citadel of David

Is it possible that Tel Arad is the Citadel & Tabernacle of David?

And in 'The Archaeology of the land of Israel' on page 230 it was stated that "At Arad was found for the first time a king's sanctuary of that type, the like of which was surely to be found at the other royal border centers" On the same page he said that "The cultic artifacts of the Arad temple are basically identical, therefore, to those of the Solomonic Temple and of the Tabernacle.." Yet the details of this came on page 232 as it was stated that "The description of the Tabernacle is, therefore, a precise depiction of the Arad shrine in all of its details, including the measurements with one difference: in contrast to the broad room at Arad, the Tabernacle is described as a long room with its entrance on one of the short sides. It is probable that this detail influenced the Solomonic Temple, in the light of which the Tabernacle was now being viewed."

The fact that the site existed in the time of David, is the first king's sanctuary, and by dimensional structure considered a tabernacle were all very good signs from the leading archaeologist in the 60's. These points made a strong case to us that this was the Tabernacle of David. In addition, Mr. Aharoni stated on page 4 of the 'Arad Inscriptions' that "we have here a rich and unique treasure, that up to now has no equal in all of Eretz-Israel. Its importance lies not only in the variety of inscriptions-- including political, administrative, and religious documents -- but also in their varied dates. On the citadel mound of Arad, six fortresses from the period of the monarchy were unearthed, and on top of them were remains of fortresses from the Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, and early Arab periods." The times of the citadel's reconstruction showed clear collation with many biblical and historical sources. The citadel wasn't just at King David's and his son Solomon's time. But it existed through all of the kings of Judah til the fall to Babylon, and was rebuilt in the time of Nehemiah & Ezra (of the Persian Empire), the Maccabeans (which is the Hellenistic), and from Harod's to Josephus' time (of the Roman empire). For more view the history of the Citadel.

The fact that the citadel existed in the historian Flavius Josephus' time we consider very important. In the 'Arad Inscriptions' on page 4 Mr. Aharoni gives a description of the area of the upper hill citadel and the lower hill city, saying that "The citadel mound of Arad, where the ostraca were found, occupies the southeast edge of the ridge which, in the shape of a horseshoe, surrounds the Early Bronze Age city. A city wall was built along the watershed of the horseshoe and was continued across the open end so as to encircle the town completely." This description clearly described the description made by the Book of Josephus in chapter 5 'The description of Jerusalem'; pg 552 which stated, "The city was built upon two hills which are opposite to one another, and have a valley to divide them asunder; at which valley the corresponding rows of houses on both hills end. Of these hills, that which contains the upper city is much higher, and in length more direct. Accordingly, it was called the "Citadel," by king David; he was the father of that Solomon who built this temple at the first; but it is by us called the "Upper Market-place." But the other hill, which was called "Acra," and sustains the lower city, is of the shape of a moon when she is horned; over-against this was a third hill, but naturally lower than Acra, and parted formerly from the other by a broad valley." Therefore the Tel Arad lower hill site's description fit that of Josephus records of the Citadel of David. For more information Search in Google keyword "House of Yahweh".