Israeli archaeologists found remnants of Gath. Photo: Bar-Ilan University.

JNS.org – Israeli archaeologists at Bar-Ilan University have discovered an entrance gate and other remnants of the Philistine city of Gath, which was mentioned in the Bible as the home of the giant Goliath, who fought and lost against the man who later became King David.

Professor Aren Maeir and his colleagues conducted the excavations in the Tel Zafit national park, which is located between Ashkelon and Jerusalem. Gath was destroyed in 830 BCE by Hazael, the king of Damascus.

The gate is the largest of its kind to be discovered in Israel, according to Maeir, who said that fact substantiates the theory that Gath was once a very influential city.

Other items discovered in the same excavation included a temple, an iron production facility, and other buildings.