The Biblical account describes David ruling over a united Israelite kingdom that included not only his native Judah, but also the ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel. The Bible further claims that David and his successor Solomon built a vast empire stretching from the Sinai to the Euphrates. Archaeological research since the 20th century has shown that this empire’s capital, Jerusalem, was merely a small hill village at the time these events purportedly occurred. Nevertheless, discoveries like the Tel Dan Stele provide extra-Biblical evidence for the historical existence of a “House of David” dynasty shortly after this period.