Besides slaying Goliath, David, (flourished c. 1000 BCE), was known for being the second king of ancient Israel. He founded the Judaean dynasty and united all the tribes of Israel under a single monarch. His son Solomon expanded the empire that David built. David is an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The primary evidence for David’s career consists of several chapters in the books 1 and 2 Samuel in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). The Psalms are also attributed to him, a tribute to his legendary skill as a poet and hymnodist. Material evidence for his reign, while a matter of intense debate among scholars, is scant. Some scholars claim to have discovered artifacts that corroborate the biblical account of David’s kingdom. Others assert that the archaeological record strongly suggests that David was not the grand ruler of a rising kingdom but merely a gifted tribal leader of a pastoral, rather than urban, society.
A fragment from a stone stele mentioning the “House of David” (a reference to his political dynasty) was inscribed more than a century after the traditional date of his reign and is not accepted by all scholars. The following article is largely drawn from the biblical account of David’s reign.