Modern Research
Modern Research
An archaeological delegation of Tel Aviv University headed by Prof. Erez Ben-Yosef refuted an almost 50-year-old scientific consensus that ascribed the King Solomon Mines to the Egyptian kingdom. Prof. Erez Ben-Yosef proves that the activity in the copper mines peaked in the 10th century B.C.E, in other words in the era of Kings David and Solomon. Thus, the delegation proved the existence of the mines and the copper industry in the area and were able to attribute them to the era of King Solomon.
An additional discovery of the Ben-Yosef delegation was in regard to the camel and it caused a stir both in Israel and abroad. The oldest remains ever found in Israel of a domesticated camel were discovered in Timna. This was the first time the camel was used as a pack animal, and the archaeological evidence places the discovery in the end of the 10th century B.C.E.
Due to the desert climate and the extreme aridity, preservation of the archaeological finds in Timna is extraordinary and includes extremely rare discoveries: pieces of fabric representing the attire of people who worked in the area, food remains that tell us of nutrient components that came from afar (fish from the Mediterranean Sea, grapes, pomegranates, figs and more) and remains of animals that accompanied the miners and helped in the production of copper.
In the framework of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University and Bar Ilan University’s groundbreaking research, the archaeologists revealed the Argaman (Purple) Fabric – pieces of woven fabric dyed in the royal color purple from the era of King David and King Solomon:
“King Solomon made for himself the carriage; he made it of wood from Lebanon. Its posts he made of silver, its base of gold. Its seat was upholstered with purple, its interior inlaid with love, Daughters of Jerusalem…”
Song of Songs 2 (9-10)
Direct Carbon-14 dating determined that the findings are dated around the year 1000 B.C.E. – during the biblical timeframe of King David and King Solomon in Jerusalem.