Archaeologists to excavate the site of the battle between David and Goliath

As reported by Chippy Yan in The Epoch Times, March 3, 2012 (updated March 8, 2012):

An international archaeological dig will begin this summer at the city of Azekah in Israel, the location of the legendary battle between David and Goliath.

This famous biblical story describes a shepherd’s youngest son, David, who goes into battle for his Jewish kingdom and miraculously defeats the giant Philistine warrior Goliath.

Through this excavation, named the Lautenschläger Azekah Expedition, the archaeologists are aiming for a deeper understanding of the city to “shed light on some of the most intriguing riddles in its history throughout the second and first millennia BCE,” according to the project’s website.

Azekah was a prosperous city and historically held a strategic location, located on the western border of the ancient Jewish kingdom, next to the Philistine lands. It was conquered twice by Middle Eastern groups and now lies destroyed.

Although the collaboration is mainly between Israeli and German universities, numerous other universities around the world have joined the project, such as Duke University in the United States. Students can receive academic credit for participating, and even amateurs may participate in this effort...

...The first part of the dig will last from July 15 to Aug. 24.

For the biblical account of David and Goliath, see I Samuel 17.