King Solomon’s Mines

In a previous post we reported on the copper mines that have been excavated in Jordan.

On November 23, 2010, the NOVA program on PBS will be on:

Quest for Solomon’s Mines — Archeologists seek the truth about the Bible’s most famous king and his legendary riches.” The Program Description states: Countless treasure-seekers have set off in search of King Solomon’s mines, trekking through burning deserts and scaling the forbidding mountains of Africa and the Levant, inspired by the Bible’s account of splendid temples and palaces adorned in glittering gold and copper. Yet to date, the evidence that has claimed to support the existence of Solomon and other early kings in the Bible has been highly controversial. In fact, so little physical evidence of the kings who ruled Israel and Edom has been found that many contend that they are no more real than King Arthur. In the summer of 2010, NOVA and National Geographic embarked on two cutting-edge field investigations that illuminate the legend of Solomon and reveal the source of the great wealth that powered the first mighty biblical kingdoms. These groundbreaking expeditions expose important new clues buried in the pockmarked desert of Jordan, including ancient remnants of an industrial-scale copper mine and a 3,000-year-old message with the words “slave,” “king,” and “judge.”

According to the Biblical text in 1 Kings, Solomon’s Temple had many bronze vessels, such as the Altar, the two giant columns Yachin and Boaz, the bronze Sea and ten smaller basins. See this image from our new Image Library:

Reconstruction of Solomon's Temple - © Leen Ritmeyer

HT: Joe Lauer

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