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TODD BOLEN/BIBLEPLACES.COM

CITY LIVING. Stone preserves better than fabric. Archaeologists have uncovered some Iron Age monumental structures, including remains of six-chambered gates at Hazor, Megiddo (shown here), and Gezer. These “Solomonic” gates were originally connected to the building activities of King Solomon (1 Kings 9:15). However, later archaeological work called into question whether these should indeed be dated to the tenth century BCE or to the time of King Omri, a century later. If, however, the United Monarchy emerged from a nomadic background, there is no need to reconstruct a kingdom characterized by only monumental remains.