Bible Archeology Discoveries

Sheba Shard
Discovered: Jerusalem
From: (c. 10th century BC)
Current Home: Jerusalem

The connection between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba is controversial. However, the Bible’s First Book of Kings and the Second Book of Chronicles do document her visit to the king with gold, precious stones and camels carrying spices.

A large pottery jug was discovered fewer than 300 meters from the site of the Temple as part of the Ophel excavations in Jerusalem. On the neck of the jugs was engraved an inscription that dated to the time of Solomon by the late Dr. Eilat Mazar. The clay urn contained incense, demonstrating a link between King Solomon’s Israel and the Kingdom of Sheba. The inscription was identified as having been written in the Canaanite script, a script from which the ancient Hebrew script that was used in the days of the First Temple developed.

The urns provide evidence of the extensive commercial and cultural ties that existed between Israel under King Solomon and the Kingdom of Sheba. At the same time that the urn was dated, the kingdom of Sheba flourished, based in large part on the cultivation and marketing of perfume and incense plants. The Shebaites developed advanced methods of dams and irrigation of fields growing the bushes from which they produced perfumes and incense ingredients. From the descriptions in the Bible, it can be understood that King Solomon controlled the trade routes in the Negev through which the Shebaite camel caravans passed, loaded with perfumes and incense plants, on their way to the Mediterranean ports for export.

And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug-trees and precious stones.
And the king made of the almug-trees pillars for the house of Jehovah, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for the singers: there came no such almug-trees, nor were seen, unto this day.
And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.
1 Kings 10:10-13

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Notable Finds

Much of what is described in Bible text is lost to history, requiring readers to assume the historicity of the scriptures.

However, many of the places and events described in the Old and New Testaments are periodically corroborated by archeological finds.

Some finds simply help us to better understand things from the ancient world. However, others provide important evidence as to the truth of scripture regarding things about which there had previously been skepticism.

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