Exposing David's Ziklag: a case for Khirbet al-Ra'i

According to the Bible, Ziklag was David's base of operations prior to his rise to power before moving to Hebron, where he became the Judahite monarch (1 Sam 27, 2 Sam 2:1-3). David served as a vassal to the Philistines during his one year and four months stay at Ziklag in Philistine territory (1 Sam 27:6-7). Identifying Ziklag's modern correlate is of great importance because it will supplement the biblical portrayal of this time period, and especially the nature and location of Ziklag. Twelve sites have been proposed as Ziklag, including the latest, Khirbet al-Ra'i, an identication that was proposed by the directors of the ongoing archeological project at the site...