ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND BIBLICAL POTTERY

[ 16 November 2005 ]

Isreali archaeologists have unearthed evidence suggesting the Biblical story of David slaying the Philistine giant Goliath actually took place, Associated Press reports today.

A shard of pottery unearthed in a decade-old dig in southern Israel carried an inscription in early Semitic style spelling "Alwat and "Wlt," likely Philistine renderings of the name Goliath, said Aren Maeir, who directed the excavation.

"This is a groundbreaking find," Maeir said of the rust-colored ceramic. "Here we have very nice evidence the name Goliath appearing in the Bible in the context of the story of David and Goliath is not some later literary creation."

The Biblical story of the epic Philistine giant's defeat at the hands of a much smaller David, who went on to become king of Israel, has long been a popular metaphor for the triumph of good over evil against all odds, AP reports.