Quest For King Solomon's Mines: Featuring Eminent Archaeologist Thomas E. Levy

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It's a Saturday night, and yes, I'm watching NOVA on PBS. I almost couldn't help myself after a colleague sent me the information for the Quest For King Solomon's Mines (follow this link for the full video) on NOVA. Many scholars today question whether King Solomon was a king at all, as no evidence has ever been found by archaeologists, until now.

Mining shafts have been found deep in the deserts of Jordan along with skeletal remains suspected to be Solomon's miners. Could these be the men who held the wealth the Bible chronicles in their hands? Watch and see.

NOVA does a wonderful job in this program, outlining the history of King Solomon, his gold and copper mines, and whether we will ever know the truth about his existence.

Article Blurb via University of California

A new television documentary featuring the work of University of California, San Diego, archaeologist Thomas E. Levy proves that extensive copper production took place in Jordan during what is believed to be the Biblical era of David and Solomon — suggesting that there is some historical veracity to the Hebrew Bible’s (Old Testament) portrayal of their kingdom and that of neighboring Edom in southern Jordan.

A related and newly edited book by Levy — as well as a scholarly paper that appeared last month in a British journal — also advocate for a new high-tech “pragmatic” approach for carrying out historical archaeology in the Levant region of the Middle East, coupled with high precision radiocarbon dating, to ensure objectivity in a discipline fraught with emotional prejudice.

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Ancient Wall in Jerusalem Discovered: Built By King Solomon

A team of archaeologists led by Dr. Eilat Mazar from the Hebrew University, discovered an ancient wall that they believe was built by King Solomon. The reasoning was that the engineering it took to construct the wall, as well as the condition, gives people in Jerusalem much hope that it could, in fact, be authentic.

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear of these discoveries in Jerusalem is if they are real or fakes? Over the years, several of the displays found with ancient inscriptions hinting their connection with Solomon's temple have almost all been deemed fakes. I'll let all of you be the judges. Leave me a comment about your thoughts and interpretations.