🧿 Large Stone Structure

The Large Stone Structure is the name given to a set of archaeological remains interpreted by the excavator, Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar, as being part of a single large public building in the City of David, presumably the oldest settlement core of Jerusalem. Mazar tentatively dated the findings to the tenth to ninth century BCE. Mazar chose this particular name for the structure because of its proximity to another site known as the Stepped Stone Structure. Mazar announced the discovery on 4 August 2005, and stated that she believed it may be the remains of King David's palace as recorded in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)’s Book of Samuel II. The interpretation of the remains as those of a single building, the suggested date, and the association with King David, have been challenged by other archaeologists. The excavation was sponsored by the Shalem Center, a Jerusalem-based research institute founded in 1994.