Sheba

QUEEN OF SHEBA AND BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP 31
of the idea that ancient Judah and Israel were indeed in Palestine have
fastened on to peripheral evidence to prove the major point.
One suggestion is that the First Temple and much more might still be
uncovered; for instance, a long-lost volcano may exist under the Dead Sea
and thus support the stories of the Burning Bush, the Exodus, and the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - all associated with volcanic activity.
Exaggerated claims have been made of several discoveries. Ancient
inscriptions were unvocalized and are therefore almost impossible to
decipher accurately. The word slm can mean ‘reward’, ‘spark’,
‘completeness’, ‘peace’, ‘good health,’ or it can be a greeting in Canaanite;
but enthusiastic biblical researchers, eager to prove the city existed by that
name in ancient times, have translated it from the Hebrew word for
Jerusalem. In the case of the Jerusalem Siloam water tunnel (see below) an
unvocalized inscription has been ambitiously translated as “this tunnel was
dug in the reign of King Hezekiah” but an inspection of the inscription
reveals no personal name, and the inscription on a hidden ledge is a piece
of graffiti not a public announcement.
Popular writers often have a greater influence on public perceptions
than academics. Werner Keller’s The Bible as History – Archaeology
Confirms the Book of Books has sold millions of copies worldwide,
translated into many languages since its publication in 1956. The New
York Times commented: “There is an atmosphere of excitement about this
book that is contagious. It does not contain a single boring page.” In
chapter 20, Solomon the Copper King, Keller begins by quoting seven
passages from the book of Kings; three of them refer to the immense gold
trade, three to Solomon’s cavalry force, and one to his oriental trading fleet.
Keller, then, discusses the 1938-40 archaeological excavation of Tell el-
Kheleifeh (Ezion-geber), a fortified port on the Gulf of Aqaba, active from
about the tenth to the fourth centuries B.C.E., where substantial amounts of
copper, not gold, were refined. Neighboring Sinai was the site of several
copper mines. Gold came from Hijaz, Sheba, Ethiopia, and the Egyptian
Red Sea coast. Although there is no evidence that links Tell el-Kheleifeh
with Solomon, Keller, after enthusing about the thrill of finding the site,
anoints Solomon as the Copper King when all traditions attest to his
association with gold.
Jerusalem, as stated earlier, is Palestine’s greatest archaeological
disappointment. Solomon allegedly constructed a number of very large
public buildings in a hilltop area. This arrangement was common in the
ancient world, and the best known example is the Acropolis complex in