Bringing King David and King Solomon to Life

David is one of the Bible’s best-known personalities. He was a dynamic leader who, as the Bible describes it, reigned over a truly monumental kingdom. He expanded Israel’s territory from near the Euphrates River in the north to the “Brook of Egypt” in the south.

His son Solomon inherited a kingdom unmatched in power and wealth. He established and commanded a first-class navy and expanded the empire further north. His crowning achievement was constructing a temple inlaid with billions of dollars’ worth of gold.

This remarkable age of the united monarchy truly was Israel’s golden era.

Within the world of archaeology, however, biblical minimalists have belittled and ignored all evidence pointing to the monumental nature of this kingdom. Yet the amount of such evidence—scientific proof of the biblical description of David and Solomon’s kingdom—is growing all the time. In the last 18 years especially, archaeologists have discovered a multitude of structures, inscriptions and artifacts that bring the ancient kingdom of David and Solomon to life.

Astonishingly, no one has ever assembled the many historical and archaeological proofs to tell the full story that science reveals of the grandiosity of Israel’s 10th-century b.c. empire.

Until now.

The Armstrong International Cultural Foundation is bringing that evidence together in a new archaeological exhibition: “Kingdom of David and Solomon Discovered.” For nearly 11 months beginning on February 26, the exhibit will be open to the public at Armstrong Auditorium in Edmond, Oklahoma.

This display will immerse visitors into Israel’s united monarchy, showcasing over three dozen artifacts from 10th-century b.c. biblical Israel. It will mark the world premiere of the Ophel pithos inscription and a selection of artifacts discovered by Dr. Eilat Mazar in the City of David. It will feature elements of monumental Jerusalem, including a Phoenician-style capital discovered there.

This unique collection of iron, pottery, stone and textiles will appear alongside life-size monumental wall reconstructions, virtual reality tours, video presentations and original illustrations and artwork selections.

“The team has worked incredibly hard and has marshaled every resource at our disposal to create the greatest, most important, most sensational exhibit possible,” exhibit curator Brad Macdonald told the Trumpet. “The horrific October 7 attacks and the global groundswell of hostility toward Israel show how important it is to share Israel’s unique history and heritage. We’ve built a time machine. Guests will leave this crazy, chaotic world behind for a moment and travel 3,000 years back in time to enter the world of David and Solomon. It will be epic.”

This is the foundation’s third archaeological exhibit. From 2012 to 2015, it hosted “Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered.” In 2018–2019 came “Seals of Isaiah and King Hezekiah Discovered,” which won Oklahoma Tourism’s 2020 award for Outstanding Temporary Exhibit.

This exhibit will be the biggest yet. Foundation chairman Gerald Flurry said, “This wasn’t a simple task, but I believe our more than 60 years of involvement with Jerusalem’s archaeology has been preparing us for this project.”