The study, which began in 1997, strongly indicates King Solomon was not a rich king of Israel, but rather a feared and powerful Egyptian Pharaoh.
The three major Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — say King Solomon, the Supreme Ruler of the Jews from 970 to 931 BC, was a wealthy king of Israel.
According to the Bible, King Solomon’s gold mines helped him accumulate 500 tons of pure gold wealth amounting to more than £2.3 trillion.
“Every year King Solomon received over twenty-five tons of gold, 14 in addition to the taxes paid by the traders and merchants. The kings of Arabia and the governors of the Israelite districts also brought him silver and gold.
“King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king in the world. They all consulted him, to hear the wisdom that God had given him. Each of them brought Solomon gifts—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This continued year after year.”
But now historians claim the Biblical account is entirely fictional; the Old Testament King’s story has been misinterpreted, they add, arguing King Solomon was in fact an Egyptian Pharaoh.
Ralph Ellis, a British historian who spent 20 years researching King Solomon in a bid to uncover his hidden wealth, says finding his lost mines is “about as likely as taking a dip in the Fountain of Youth”.
Though Ellis believes the wealth never existed, he acknowledges there was still a “grain of historical truth” to the story saying King Solomon’s wealth may in fact be in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
“According to the Bible, King Solomon was staggeringly wealthy. Yet successive generations of theologians and archaeologists have scoured the Holy Land looking for his capital city, palace, temple and wealth without any success.
“There comes a point when we either have to accept that the biblical account is entirely fictional, or that we may be looking in the wrong location and for the wrong things. My research suggests that there is a factual basis for the story of Solomon and his riches, but that it was heavily amended and obscured by biblical scribes.
“A wealthy and powerful Israelite dynasty did exist, just as the Bible claims, but they were not simply Israelite kings and their capital city was not at Jerusalem.”
Ellis noted many archaeologists may be disappointed to hear the findings of his research, but he believes if his theory is true, Pharaoh Solomon’s wealth must be included in the artefacts from the era at the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo.
Not being able to find something doesn't make it untrue.
For hundreds of years, people have disbelieved in Noah's Ark. Looks like it was found years ago and never made mainstream until recently.
Thank you for your post.
or Troy, or a bunch of cities in the bible that were accounted as fictional and then found lately under the sand.
I did not find anything definitive in the post to convince me that king Solomon did not exist. But wait a minute, what about the palace of Solomon where he housed the ark and such, wasn't that building in Jerusalem?
have a nice day