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Archeologists 'find King Solomon's mines'
heraldsun.com ^ | 10/29/2008

Posted on 10/28/2008 5:24:34 PM PDT by BuckeyeTexan

IN a discovery straight out of an Indiana Jones movie, archeologists believe they have uncovered one of the lost mines of King Solomon.

The vast copper mine lies in an arid valley in modern-day Jordan and was created in the 10th century BC - around the time Solomon is believed to have ruled over the ancient Hebrews.

The mines are enormous and would have generated a huge income for the king, who is famed for bringing extraordinary wealth and stability to the newly united kingdom of Israel and Judah.

The announcement will reopen the debate about how much of the Old Testament is myth and how much is history.

According to the Bible, Solomon was the third king of Israel.

The son of King David, he was renowned for his wisdom, the size of his harem and the splendour of his kingdom.

During his reign, he is said to have accumulated a huge fortune from mining and trading, some of which was spent on building the grand temple and opulent palace of Jerusalem.

Archeologists and treasure-hunters have searched for the mines for more than a century since the best-selling Victorian novel, King Solomon's Mines by H Rider Haggard, which claimed they could hold a treasure of gold and diamonds.

But now it seems the real version could have been closer to home, supplying the king with copper. The mine was found in a desolate region south of the Dead Sea in southern Jordan in an area called Khirbat en-Nahas, which in Arabic means "ruins of copper".

The region was known in the Old Testament as the Kingdom of Edom.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: archaeology; godsgravesglyphs; history; israel; kingsolomon; oldtestament; religion; solomon

1 posted on 10/28/2008 5:24:36 PM PDT by BuckeyeTexan
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To: BuckeyeTexan

An excellent post. As one who finds biblical archeology fascinating, I also find it unfortunate that it ocurrs in such a screwed-up part of the world.


2 posted on 10/28/2008 5:29:04 PM PDT by VR-21
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To: SunkenCiv

yeah, a repost.


3 posted on 10/28/2008 5:30:37 PM PDT by xcamel (Conservatives start smart, and get rich, liberals start rich, and get stupid.)
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To: VR-21

What an ironic post you have here!

If this part of the world had not been so “screwed up” throughout history, it wouldn’t be so facinating!


4 posted on 10/28/2008 5:34:57 PM PDT by G Larry (BarackÂ’s character has been molded by extremists)
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To: G Larry
If this part of the world had not been so “screwed up” throughout history, it wouldn’t be so facinating!

God's plan isn't at all obvious.

5 posted on 10/28/2008 5:40:01 PM PDT by FatherofFive (Islam is an EVIL like no other, and must be ERADICATED)
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To: G Larry

That’s a good point. Mine was that the turbulence that exists there presently probably prevents many wonderful discoveries.


6 posted on 10/28/2008 5:41:30 PM PDT by VR-21
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To: BuckeyeTexan

The Bible is True. Archeology again shows that to be the case.


7 posted on 10/28/2008 5:44:23 PM PDT by vpintheak (Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked. Prov. 25:26)
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To: BuckeyeTexan
IN a discovery straight out of an Indiana Jones movie

Actually, it's straight out of an H. Rider Haggard novel...


8 posted on 10/28/2008 5:54:52 PM PDT by GreenLanternCorps (No Surrender, No Retreat!!! Only one candidate will win the war, and it's not Barack Obama!)
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To: BuckeyeTexan

“The announcement will reopen the debate about how much of the Old Testament is myth and how much is history.”

I’ll give them a clue: it’s ALL history.


9 posted on 10/28/2008 5:56:32 PM PDT by beethovenfan (If Islam is the solution, the "problem" must be freedom.)
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To: VR-21

I've been told that there are untold riches laying beneath the surface --- in Afghanistan, due to it being on the North end of being [geologically] rammed by the subcontinent [India]. Lots of force in that scenario, bringing about the conditions under which many forms of gem stone are created.

A great many gems have already been found or (shallowly) mined there. This has been so for many centuries. Dig in the right place, but dig deeper, and a fellow could trade 'em in for having a really fine time in Dubai, including having room service bring the finest Maine lobster and some of that Iranian caviar.

10 posted on 10/28/2008 5:59:09 PM PDT by BlueDragon ( a handgun is best used for fighting one's way to a RIFLE)
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To: beethovenfan

Yes but the dating schemes and the sequencing of various Biblical narratives is a bit of a hairball. Read Immanuel Velikovsky’s “Ages in Chaos”.


11 posted on 10/28/2008 6:00:25 PM PDT by Yollopoliuhqui
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To: BuckeyeTexan

The great secret of mining is that it is the only 100% correlation in economics: when nations mine, they prosper; when they stopped mining, they declined.

The reason is both because a nation needs considerable strength to mine, and that mining creates an economic ripple effect strengthening a nation’s economy.

Ironically, it is almost unheard of for a prospector who discovers a mine to become wealthy. Everybody else benefits, but prospectors don’t.


12 posted on 10/28/2008 6:04:25 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

Interesting Biblical Hebrew tie-ins Edom is the land where Esau settled and the name is related to the Hebrew word for red- A close reader of the Bible might have predicted that the red metal that was essential to the bronze age would have been found there.


13 posted on 10/28/2008 6:30:59 PM PDT by Yaacov
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To: beethovenfan

I’ve seen some film by Paul Maier who is a Bible historian. He has many books. http://books.google.com/books?as_auth=Paul+L+Maier&source=an&sa=X&oi=book_group&resnum=4&ct=title&cad=author-navigational


14 posted on 10/28/2008 6:39:47 PM PDT by Conservativegreatgrandma
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To: xcamel; Fred Nerks; Berosus

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·

 
Gods
Graves
Glyphs
Cripes, you denied me the joy of pointing that out. Buzzkill! ;') Thanks xcamel.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

· Google · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology magazine · Biblical Archaeology Society ·
· Mirabilis · Texas AM Anthropology News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo ·
· History or Science & Nature Podcasts · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·


15 posted on 10/28/2008 6:45:30 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_______Profile finally updated Saturday, October 11, 2008 !!!)
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To: BuckeyeTexan

Actually, it was an Allan Quartermain movie...


16 posted on 10/28/2008 6:48:24 PM PDT by Tanniker Smith (Teachers open the door. It's up to you to enter. Before the late bell. When I close the door.)
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To: BuckeyeTexan
bump to the top

An Appeal to Grass Roots America Part 1!

YES WE CAN! WE CAN WIN! WE MUST WIN!


17 posted on 10/28/2008 7:34:29 PM PDT by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: BuckeyeTexan

How do they know they were King Solomon’s mines? The only mention of a nation or people is that Egyptian artifacts were found. They may be calling them King Solomon’s mines to facilitate future funding.


18 posted on 10/28/2008 7:56:47 PM PDT by FFranco
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy
Ironically, it is almost unheard of for a prospector who discovers a mine to become wealthy.

Really? Kind of sad.

19 posted on 10/28/2008 8:26:45 PM PDT by AndyTheBear (Disastrous social experimentation is the opiate of elitist snobs.)
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To: FFranco
How do they know they were King Solomon’s mines?

Good question. Initial news stories on academic discoveries are to be taken with a grain of salt. And from what little I know about archeology, there is often a lot of guess work based on arbitrary smatterings of data here and there.

Fortunately for some things there are some pretty good written records. For instance, there simply isn't any good reason to not believe there was a very wealthy Hebrew King named Solomon, except for people who have an irrational bias against the Hebrew Bible.

20 posted on 10/28/2008 8:37:04 PM PDT by AndyTheBear (Disastrous social experimentation is the opiate of elitist snobs.)
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