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A mountaintop in the center of the walled old city. it is a storied place, layered with spiritual meaning and now dominated by the golden dome and a muslim mosque. but just a short walk away outside the city walls a picture is emerging of the ancient and humble beginnings of jerusalem, which the bible says was founded by solomon's father, david. >> the city of david was a rather small settlement, hardly can be termed as a city. most probably unfortified. but it was here somewhere. >> reporter: we met doron ben ami, an israeli archaeologist who leads a team digging for evidence of the original ...

Discovered by accident in the 19th century when an archaeologist was walking his dog, this massive network of caves and tunnels is known as solomon's quarries. >> is this a natural cave? >> no, not at all. >> reporter: the quarry once provided building materials for some of the greatest construction projects in the city. >> so what is this great big gaping hole here? >> actually, what you see here is the shape of cut of a big stone that used it in the second temple. we can see today in the western wall. >> reporter: the secretive freemasons even believe the stones mined here were used to build...

Their sacred building on the same spot, on the same hill. >> reporter: even though evidence of the temple or the man himself hasn't been found, most scholars believe there was a solomon. >> but not the larger than life solomon in the hebrew bible did not exist. he did not rule a vast kingdom. he did not build a huge capital city in jerusalem. he was not a nationally or internationally known figure. >> reporter: even though the wisdom of solomon is legendary, it turns out like his father he had flaws too. >> his government is inflated. he runs it according to corve, according with forced labor....

>> and each victor would build on top of their vanquished foe, providing finkelstein and his crew with an abundance of evidence from 1200 to 700 b.c. >> so we're talking about what, 500 years -- >> 500 years. >> the turbulent period of king david and king solomon as well as their heirs. >> in these 500 years there were four major destruction layers at megiddo because of big wars. >> reporter: the wars brought turmoil. >> rioting broke out. >> reporter: think of america in the 1960s. and at times like these amid the unrest and confusion there are always a few distinctive voice that's capture th...

Before he was assassinated. >> like anybody, i would like to live a long life. >> martin luther king saying that just before he died as if it was a premonition. i mean, you must have thought of that a lot. >> well, of course i've thought of that a lot. i thought that he understood that his transition was at hand. he understood that it might even be a violent transition. >> and i've seen the promised land. i may not get there with you, but i want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land! >> next -- from jericho to jerusalem, david and goliath, king solomon and the q...