A section of the newly discovered wall at the Timna copper mines in southern Israel. Photo: Dr. Erez Ben-Yosef.

JNS.org – An ancient wall dating back to the 10th century BCE excavated at an archaeological dig in southern Israel may lend credence to the biblical story of King David’s great battle against the Edomite tribe.

At the Timna copper mines antiquities site in the Arava desert region, researchers discovered a well-fortified wall that once ran for hundreds of meters and stood at least five meters (16.5 feet) tall. Many sling stones were discovered next to the edifice, which may be evidence of the clash mentioned in Samuel 8:13.

“Today, we are discovering more and more evidence of a concentrated, hierarchical society that interacted extensively with its neighbors, which matches up with texts from the Bible and other sources,” said Dr. Erez Ben-Yosef of Tel Aviv University, who headed the team that uncovered the wall.

“We have plenty of archaeological proof to determine that the miners who worked the Timna mines weren’t humble slaves, as had been assumed, but rather expert miners who oversaw the complex, demanding work by apprentices,” he added.