Treasure hunters have been looking for King Solomon’s famous gold mines and reputed treasures for centuries. They never found them. In a place called Khirbat en-Nahas which translates to ruins of copper, archaeological excavations had started in the 1970s. So far, the site had been dated to the seventh century B.C., but new finds have shown that the mines had been used a long time before that and definitely in the 10th century B.C.
The archaeologists used carbon dating methods and finds of Egyptian art from the 10th century to date human presence in the times of King Solomon. The site is situated in the modern Kingdom of Jordan and in the ancient kingdom of Edom which was a subject vassal state to Israel under the expansionist politics pursued by King Solomon. Copper was a highly valued trade good and as much worth to any tyrant who controlled it then as to a modern Chinese dictator.
The treasure hunters have been misled by the myths of gold surrounding that ancient king who governed the united kingdom of Israel and Judea which he had previously reunited by brute force. But more such mines should be situated nearer to the heartland of the kingdom of King Solomon because a single mine would make him rich but wouldn't account for the fabulous wealth with which he commonly is attributed.
Very little is known of the historical King Solomon. All that is known derives from a single story in the Bible. It is probable that he was mentioned in dispatches during his lifetime in the libraries of other kingdoms. So far, nobody has figured out what his name in other languages would have been. He must have been a great and powerful king, as later storytellers invented myth upon myth attached to his name.
A later collection of common sayings and quotes was given his name to make it more important. Poetry was assigned to him as well for the same reason. He is reputed to have had 700 wives and 300 concubines, add the mythical queen of Sheba to arrive at 1001, the magical number for never ending. All these anecdotal tales were later collected and hodgepodged into one story which found place in a story book collection of fairy-tales called the Bible.
He must have been very rich, as he rebuilt Jerusalem after the war he started and fought; he erected the legendary first temple containing the mythical arch of the covenant. Such riches could not have come from a single copper mine alone. King Solomon kept busy annexing neighbouring kingdoms and more metal mines should be found in the surrounding countries as he didn't go to the expense for the scenery. If one would take the Bible by its word, a plan of expansion could probably be extracted, giving an order of preference by which the Kingdom of Israel followed its imperialistic designs and how it acquired strategic resources.
But no matter how much archaeological evidence there is or will be, the Bible will remain a pretty collection of stories contributed to by many writers and collected by humans over centuries; edited and re-edited by many editors, it always served their political aims.
Further reading
The Star Puzzle of Bethlehem
Palimpsest: Ancient Recycling Method
Cologne Cathedral: Shrine of The Magi
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