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Jeremy Zipple / PBS / Nova
Thomas Levy, an anthropologist from the University of California at San Diego, gazes upward from an ancient copper-smelting site that may correspond with the fabled mines of King Solomon. Levy says the environment is so miserable that the workers would have to be "either slaves — or undergrads."
Did King David and Solomon actually exist? The long-running debate over the accuracy of biblical accounts is resurfacing on TV and in print.
David is one of the best-known figures in Jewish scriptures -- thanks to his stone-slinging victory over the giant Goliath, his divine selection as king of the Israelites, his purported authorship of the Book of Psalms, and of course his linkage to Christian and Muslim tradition. His son, Solomon, was described as the builder of the first Jewish Temple, famed for his wisdom and wealth but also for his failings.
The biblical stories raise a huge question for archaeologists: If these guys were so famous, why did they leave virtually no trace on the region's historical record? Some experts suggested that the real-life David and Solomon were, at best, minor figures in the ancient Middle East whose reputations grew in the centuries that followed. According to these experts, the Jerusalem of the 10th century B.C. was little more than a hill-country village, and nothing like the glittering city described in the Books of Chronicles.
This is why there's been such a buzz over a few pieces of evidence that have emerged in recent years:
- An inscription on a stone monument found at Israel's Tel Dan archaeological site has been dated to the 9th century B.C. and appears to refer to a royal "House of David," although that interpretation has been disputed.
- Another inscription, found on a pottery sherd from the 10th century B.C., represents the earliest-known example of Hebrew writing. The inscription's similarity to biblical texts suggests that at least some parts of the Bible really do go back to David's day.
- The Israeli site where that shard was found, Khirbet Qeiyafa, appears to have been a fortified city taking in about six acres of area. Archaeologists found hundreds of bones from cattle, goats, sheep and fish -- but no pig bones, which led them to claim that this was a Judean rather than a Philistine settlement.
- Researchers have also found the remains of a huge copper-mining operation in Jordan that could have gone back to the 10th century B.C. and provided Solomon with his wealth.
Such trails of evidence are the focus of "Quest for King Solomon's Mines," premiering tonight on PBS public-TV stations; as well as "Kings of Controversy," National Geographic's cover story for the December issue.
The TV show, which is a joint production for National Geographic and the "Nova" documentary unit, focuses on the copper mining operation in Jordan. That excavation, led by anthropologist Thomas Levy of the University of California at San Diego and Jordanian archaeologist Mohammad Najjar, has turned up ancient copper-smelting equipment and a huge ancient cemetery -- as well as carbon-dating samples that suggest the site was at its peak during Solomon's reign. The evidence also suggests that the operation was disrupted at the end of the 10th century, just as described in the Bible.
Skeptics say that carbon dating isn't precise enough to confirm whether the copper-smelting site was controlled by the biblical Solomon or by a later local dynasty. And in an interview, Levy acknowledged that the evidence collected so far could not conclusively link Solomon to the lucrative copper trade.
"To be honest, we can't put our finger on it yet," he told me. "We have to do more digging."
But Levy said the copper mining site holds ample evidence that local authorities rather than the Egyptians or Assyrians were in control of the operation. What's more, the scale and complexity of the work that needed to be done -- including the maintenance of a huge force of slave laborers -- would be beyond the organizational capability of hill-country villagers.
"There were state-level societies living in southern Jordan at the time," he said.
When Levy began this work, he didn't set out to prove that David and Solomon actually existed. "I'm an anthropologist," he told me. "I'm not a biblical scholar. The way that I excavate is how prehistorians work. ... I didn't really have an ax to grind in that debate."
In light of the recent discoveries, however, Levy has come around to the view that "we need to re-examine the relationship between all the historical texts," including the Bible.
"It's an important resource that we shouldn't neglect," he said.
Levy and his colleagues detail their point of view in the September issue of the journal Antiquity. "We used the biblical archaeology experience in Jordan as an example of how you could do this anywhere in the world," he said. For example, he said, Icelandic sagas could be useful for untangling Scandinavian archaeology, or the Mahabharata could shed light on the ancient history of India.
How much historical truth do you think ancient texts contain? Watch "Quest for King Solomon's Mines," read the National Geographic article, and feel free to let me know what you think in your comments below.
Check out this UCSD news release and this project website for more information about Levy's efforts, including the campaign to have Khirbat en-Nahas and the ancient mining and metallurgy district declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Levy also plays a leading role in the Center of Interdisciplinary Science for Art, Architecture and Archaeology.
Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page or following @b0yle on Twitter. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
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Now radio carbon dating isn't accurate again? Seems their was another church that said it didn't believe in it at all. More sensationalism. Trying to hold the publics' attention again with these "unproved facts".
Well, it's more that there's some uncertainty about the dating technique ... plus or minus 40 years, which happens to be just the gap scientists are trying to nail down.
Strange how they are trying to verify the Old Testament, but when is comes to the New Testament, it seems this same group tries to disprove any found evidence validating the life of Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, Joseph, etc....
It is almost as if they recently started a mission to "verify" the Old Testament in an attempt to validate that Palestine was an Hebrew enclave before any Arabs settled in the vast region.
As Jesus stated, "I am the new Covenant". How can a Christian allow a group to act in a violent and biased manner not conducive with the New Testament -towards the Palestinians and others - based upon the same groups believe only in the Old Testament.
Umm it couldnt be because of the fact that they are studying old Jewish cultures, and the fact that the old testament is derived from the Torrah, and Judaism is the oldest of the Abrahamic faiths, could it?
Just for the brief moment I doubted my will to respond to AP-1097554 and his: "they" when come to New Testament had all excuses in the world not to prove it as whole truth and nothing but the truth (just opposite to the OT). And answer is always the same They stands for Jews (and whole bunch of "them" supporting "pro-Israeli science" (in such view NT equals Christian and OT equals Jewish, newer mind fact that this is absolutely anti-scientific or false stand, built on the church dogmatic ground, defined just by ideology and on the f arrest side from native evangelic teachings). Sorry, but whole story, NT and OT is part, or come from the same spring: Jewish people and their history. Only decades, even century later the change is come, followed by other values but as is today "in the name of the NT Christ" which is of course, non-Jewish.
Interesting finds... I, for one, am a believer that ancient texts provide some of the best information for archaeology-- like the discovery of the historical Troy, a city long held to be myth by scholars. I hope they keep at it. I would really like a more detailed, accurate archaeological overview of "mystery" sites like Puma Punku and the ruins at Baalbek (the ruins UNDER the roman temples, specifically).
Real science never tries to prove a hypothesis; it tries to disprove it. That said, it is a complete waste of time to look for a king named Solomon. The individual in question was named historically for the Temple which was constructed, by Phoenicians, under his reign (possibly) which was the Temple Sol-Amon (Temple of the Sun and Moon). It is not uncommon for oral traditions to bed in this way, which in no way should imply that they are not a hugely valuable resource for true historians. The legendary design of the Temple Sol-Amon would confirm that it was Phoenician, in that it was designed to capture the rising Venus before sunrise (in latin: Lucifer, the Light Bearer). The Temple Sol-Amon was certainly no temple to Yahweh. Respectfully submitted by one who bothers to inform them self.
You should find better ways to inform yourself. Phoenician was a Semitic language; 'Sol' and 'Mon' were definitely not the words for "Sun" and "Moon." One dictionary lists the Phoenician word for "Sun" as CMC (the Phoenician writing system, like that of Hebrew and Arabic, had no vowel letters; I believe the C stands for a voiceless alveopalatal fricative, similar to the sound of English 'sh'), and the word for "Moon" as YRH (with a dot over the H, which I believe refers to a voiceless pharyngeal fricative, a sound which English lacks). So if there were a temple of the Sun and Moon, I suppose it would have been named something like CMC W YRH (W being my guess as to the Phoenician word for "and").
You can never "prove" anything. On the other hand, it is actually quite hard to truly disprove anything, either. I guess that's why we scientists get paid the "big bucks".
But you can never prove a hypothesis to be true.
Piece of glass = shard; piece of pottery = sherd.
Thanks, I do sometimes have trouble with that one. Will fix.
these people didn't need to dig holes in the ground to prove these prophets existed. :)
Here is an article about an interesting program on Middle Eastern archeology. It does not surprise me that crowd of haters uses this as an opportunity to conduct its never ending attack on Jews, Judaism, and Israel. Neither does it surprise me that they cast themselves as the victim of persecution by the very people they attack. The Tanach is an anthology of books which can be read in the light of many differing interpretations. If archeologists find it helpful to what they do, good for them. If historians do, good for them too. If the viewing public chooses to see programs on PBS and the National Geographic channel, I say enjoy. Let the haters continue to stain their souls with their time dishonored attacks on the Jewish people, religion, and the State of Israel. We have endured, flourish, and will be around long after our current detractors are at most, an obscure footnote in history. Am Yisrael Chai.
Who is attacking who? Debating is only an oral argument for their opinion. You are going to politely throw anti-semetic here? This is an archeological article and deserves the respect for the valuable information that it put forth to the layman so we all can learn. Educated people know when people are talking crap and treat it like such (even from both sides). Take out the stupid and sensitive and get to the facts only. Please! Oh I forgot...you are a regular.
I hope they keep digging...10th century BC was a long time ago....just what historical record will exist of this time , 3000 years from now. Maybe we will be forgotten or just a small blip or footnote about the past 100 years. "Oh yeah, it was a time of upheaval and bad air, but they got through it"...
Wow, copper for brass and bronze and a smelter next to the mines, how do they know it was worked by slaves? Plenty of people work in bad climates to earn a living doing hard work. The natives of southwest U. S. had turquoise mines near Baker CA., talk about hard, hot work. Man is a creature of opportunity and settles where the opportunities are, whether it is tracking reindeer across the frozen north or mining and smelting in the desert.
Yes, the assumption is that these folks were slaves ... but I'll have to delve more fully into the research to find out why they think that, other than that it was a hellish place to work.
I wonder what they used for fuel. Smelting is an energy intensive procedure and at one time there were forests covering those landforms. I think that we sometimes presume that the region has always been arid, and forget about the legendary cedars of Lebananon, and of course, the rest of the region as well.
Perhaps there is a cautionary tale about resources and their use. Removing the trees not only exposes the land but much atmospheric humidity is a result of nearby forests and shrubs which produce huge amounts of moisture due to transpiration. The combined triple threat whammy of wood harvesting for materials, fuel and the grazing habits of local herds of goats and sheep would have collapsed the watertables, exposed topsoils and reduced regional atmospheric moisture.
Well, I guess ancient texts can give clues - like it did with ancient Troy - but does the clue prove the accuracy of the ancient text? Besides, maybe psychics should be employed to find ancient sites? But then that might prove the accuracy of psychics!
Hey, archaeology is supposed to be fun! Those who hover around hoping to prove a particular faith spoil the joy of discovery. They already know, LOL.
I have a couple of issues with the assumptions underlying modern "Bible" archeoligy.
1. We assume the Israelites of the 10th Century BCE were illiterate. Why? Writing had been around for at least 2,000 years before that date and appears to have been invented in the region the Hebrews claimed for their original homeland (Mesopotamia). If they were indeed illiterate at that time it would make them the only major group in the region that was. It does not make sense in light of the high nature of the surrounding civilizations (Egyptian, Phoenecian, Hittite, Old Babylonian, etc) that the crossroads of those civilizations would not also be a highly developed and organized society.
2. The Bible - as a text - is subjected to a level of critical rigor that is not brought to bear on any other ancient text and yet its stability and survivability is historically beyond question. Without regard to its spiritual ramifications, historically it has routinely proven itself to be an accurate window into the world of the late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age in the Middle East. Its description of places, customs and names has proven accurate time and again.
As for specific archeological proof coming from Jerusalem consider that the wonder is not that we find so little but that we have found so much. Jerusalem has been continuously occupied for over four thousand years alternating from village to large city numerous times during that period. It has been destroyed several times, including once down to the foundations. As a continuously and currently occupied archeological site the locations available for examination are limited and yet now we have the remains of great structures from the time of the kings being found. We may never find a plaque that says "My name is David. I was king here and my son was Solomon." but within ten years there will no longer be any doubt that in the 10th century BCE Jerusalem was the capital city of a sophisticated civilization that enjoyed contacts with a multitude of other civilizations and a great degree of wealth and prestige. Exactly what the Bible describes.
Yes they are real and they are exactly the people the Bible says they were.
Good one AP. From cover to cover the Bible is truth from the heart of God.
I have some discomfort with modern "Biblical" archeological assumptions.
1. It is assumed that the Inhabitants of Jerusalem in the 10th century BCE were illiterate. Why? Writing had been invented at least 4,000 years before that in the very region the Hebrews claimed for their ancestral homeland - Mesopotamia. In ancient Israel they were surrounded by several thriving civilizations - Old Babylonian, Phoenecian, Egyptian and the remains of the Hittite civilization, all of whom were literate and highly so. If these Israelites were illiterate it would make them the only major population group in the entire region who was. It does not seem reasonable that the crossroads of so many major advanced civilizations would not itself have a certain level of sophistication.
2. The Bible is not trustworthy as a historical document. Really? First this critical approach was set in stone in the middle of the 19th century as an assumption that no ancient civilization could be trusted to record their history in the way we do. Since that time literally thousands of documents from multiple civilizations in the Middle East have been found and translated that provide differing viewpoints of the same stories the Bible records. We have also discovered ancient libraries that allow us to know that not only could these ancient civilizations be trusted to tell their stories but the stories we have received in the Bible are largely unchanged from the 1st century BCE/CE. So far every attempt to prove the Bible wrong has either failed outright or been the subject of bad dating - modern scholars insist on pegging the Exodus to the 1200's BCE when the Bible clearly and unequivicably places it in the mid 1400's BCE. Hmm "large swaths of destruction missing from 1200's BCE Israel - the Bible must be wrong." "Every city mentioned in Bible as destroyed, actually destroyed in 1400's BCE - too early for Exodus Bible must be wrong." Our assumptions create the error.
3. Lastly consider the nature of the archeological area we are examining. This region has been a battle ground of civilizations for the past 4,000 years at least. Most of the sites in question have been continuously occupied and remain so. Ownership disputes and current political issues make digging in certain areas impossible or at least highly impractical. Many towns, including Jerusalem, have alternated between village and major city several times and many at one time or another were destroyed to the foundations. The wonder is not that we find so little, but that we find anything at all. And yet what have we found? In Jerusalem we are now finding impressive stone work dating from the 10th century BCE which shows that this city was an important city for a centralized and wealthy government which was on par as a civilization with those surrounding it. We may never find a plaque that says "My name is David. I was king here and my son is Solomon." but at the current rate of discoveries we will soon know with reasonable certainty that the kingly city the Bible describes existed as described.
I like to share my ideas here. Does anyone know, that where our soul goes after death? or Can anyone prove it, whether it goes to Hades or Heaven or to some planets? or Does anyone know how Jesus healed many people during his reign(Through God is Known, but by what means)?....I assure, that no one even know answers to such question. So, similarly is the biblical history. Our duty is to be as in bible's new testament and moreover to follow the teaching of Jesus. We are not going to be enriched by Golds or Diamonds by finding historical or researching in Middle Eastern archeology. Just blindly Believe Jesus and don't think more till your death. Researching and thinking doesn't give any benefit or add more credit to Christianity. Just it degrades the faith. Let it be as such as presently in NIV Bible. Finally, no one know where our soul goes after death, so how can you predict the soul of the past.
I like to share my ideas here. Does anyone know, that where our soul goes after death? or Can anyone prove it, whether it goes to Hades or Heaven or to some planets? or Does anyone know how Jesus healed many people during his reign(Through God is Known, but by what means)?....I assure, that no one even know answers to such question. So, similarly is the biblical history. Our duty is to be as in bible's new testament and moreover to follow the teaching of Jesus. We are not going to be enriched by Golds or Diamonds by finding historical or researching in Middle Eastern archeology. Just blindly Believe Jesus and don't think more till your death. Researching and thinking doesn't give any benefit or add more credit to Christianity. Just it degrades the faith. Let it be as such as presently in NIV Bible. Finally, no one know where our soul goes after death, so how can you predict the soul of the past.
Interesting article. I'm in the camp of those who believe we'll never know for sure. Too many details are lost to the sands of time, as it were. But we learn so much by looking, and the Bible is a good starting point for pursuit of archaeology in the time and place.
There's so many more stories and archaeological pursuits at www.biblicalarchaeology.org, the site of Biblical Archaeology Review or at archaeology.com, the site of Archaeology magazine.
KING SOLOMONS MINES ARE REAL !!! Allan Quatermaine proved that to us. All Jokes aside, It comes down to blind faith faith. You can argue all day and night about these topics, but itll accomplish nothing but a head ach. It all comes down to What YOU feel is right and blind faith.