Solomon's Temple and palace: new archaeological discoveries

For thousands of years much discussion has been devoted to understanding the biblical text that describes Solomon's palace and the Temple. Each generation attempts to understand this description according to the information available at the time. In recent years new discoveries at Khirbet Qeiyafa in the Valley of Elah and Motza near Jerusalem have shed light on the architecture of temples in the Kingdom of Judah. These finds, dating from the 10th and 9th centuries, have created a revolution in our understanding of the text describing royal architecture built by King Solomon in Jerusalem in the same period. One striking feature of the royal buildings is the decoration on the doorways with a number of interlocking frames. Another feature is the way he roof beams are organized in groups of three. In Greek and Roman temples these are called "triglyphs". It appears that these two elements were in fact present in the façades of both Solomon's palace and the Temple.