Zev Radovan

With his hands seemingly tied in front of him, this bearded man, dating to the tenth-ninth century B.C.E., was discovered by Shiloh during his excavation of the City of David. The object probably once adorned a ceramic cult stand and was found along with other items from this period, including a bronze fist, perhaps that of a god. Though conceding that these objects can be deemed luxury items, Steiner nonetheless believes that tenth-century B.C.E. Jerusalem was not a capital city and asserts that the United Monarchy (the Kingdom of David and Solomon) “is not an historical fact,” a conclusion that many scholars believe is wrong.