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EDMOND-Two Herbert W. Armstrong College (AC) representatives have helped unearth walls in a royal complex believed to have been built by the biblical King Solomon over 3,000 years ago in ancient Jerusalem.

Brent Nagtegaal, AC graduate and instructor of archaeology, and senior Harley Breth lived in an apartment in Jerusalem and walked 35 minutes each day to and from the dig site at the foot of the Temple Mount, directly opposite the Mount of Olives. The young men spent eight weeks in Jerusalem November 19 to January 14, where they volunteered on the important archaeological excavation and worked closely with prominent archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar.

The project, headed by Dr. Mazar and conducted under the auspices of Hebrew University, revealed a section of a 10th century BCE city wall in ancient Jerusalem in the area known as the Ophel, between the southern wall of the Temple Mount and the City of David. Mazar, who has received international press coverage about the project, believes the wall, approximately 76 yards long and 6.5 yards high, was built by King Solomon.

According to Mazar, “A comparison of this latest finding with city walls and gates from the period of the First Temple, as well as pottery found at the site, enable us to postulate with a great degree of assurance that the wall is that which was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem in the latter part of the 10th century BCE.”

“This is the first time that a structure from that time has been found that may correlate with written descriptions of Solomon’s building in Jerusalem,” she added. “The Bible tells us that Solomon built—with the assistance of the Phoenicians, who were outstanding builders—the temple and his new palace and surrounded them with a city, most probably connected to the more ancient wall of the City of David.” Mazar cited 1 Kings 3:1, which says Solomon “made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.”>

For Nagtegaal, this was the third time he has lived in the Holy City. Two years after he started his liberal arts education at Armstrong College in 2004, the college renewed its working relationship with Dr. Mazar. Nagtegaal was among the first of the student volunteers to work at the palace of King David excavation site. After returning to Israel in the summer of 2007 to participate in the next phase of the dig, Nagtegaal stayed in Jerusalem for a year, gaining experience in the field. He returned to Edmond in 2008 and subsequently began teaching Biblical Archaeology at Armstrong College.

 “After a year hiatus from excavating, I was chomping at the bit to return to Jerusalem and continue digging in the ancient royal quarter, and this excavation didn’t disappoint!” Nagtegaal said.

This was Breth’s first experience traveling outside North America. The opportunity to live and work in the city was “one of the most exciting times of my life,” he said. Breth kept up with his studies at Armstrong College via online courses during the eight-week stint, but his archaeology studies proved the most exciting.

“Brent Nagtegaal was actually my instructor for Biblical Archaeology class. I was not expecting to have the chance to test out my knowledge hands-on during the same semester, but this trip provided the perfect opportunity,” he said. “When I arrived on the dig as a green, fresh student, I had my instructor with prior hands-on experience right there to train me from beginning to end.”

Nagtegaal hopes to return to Jerusalem with more AC student volunteers when the next phase of the City of David excavations begins.

Herbert W. Armstrong College is a privately supported co-educational institution offering courses in theology, liberal arts, and applied arts and sciences. The college is located in North Edmond at 14400 South Bryant Avenue, between Waterloo and Simmons Road. For more information call (405) 285-6000 or log on to www.hwacollege.org.

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