Wednesday, May 05, 2021

Solomon's shipping empire disputed

NOT A SHIPPING MAGNATE AFTER ALL? King Solomon's mines in Spain? Not likely, experts say (Owen Jarus, Live Science).
A maritime archaeologist has put forward a bold theory — that King Solomon, a king of Israel who controlled a vast amount of wealth according to the Hebrew Bible, financed Phoenician mining expeditions to Spain. However, archaeologists and historians not involved with the researcher's work are skeptical.

Sean Kingsley, director of the Wreck Watch consultancy company, published his theory recently in Wreckwatch Magazine, a publication that he edits, putting forward several arguments to support this idea. His arguments range from Phoenician mining operations along rivers, to biblical names at areas associated with mining, to passages in the Hebrew Bible that seem to link Solomon to both the seafaring Phoenicians and a potential Spanish city known for its mineral wealth in the Hebrew Bible.

[...]

It seems the first round goes to the skeptics. But Dr. Kingsley is still planning to publish an article and a book on his hypothesis. Well see. The subject is outside my expertise and I have no opinion one way or the other.

Background here. Cross-file under marine (maritime, underwater) archaeology.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.