Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Toto · 08-03-2011, 02:21 PM

The Fool’s Gold of Ophir by Steven Weitzman, the author of Solomon: the Lure of Wisdom (or via: amazon.co.uk)

Quote:

One of the explorers who thought he had figured out the source of Solomon’s wealth was none other than Christopher Columbus, though of course he is better known today for other discoveries. We know from Columbus’ writings that he studied the Bible and other ancient sources like Josephus for clues about the location of Ophir and Tarshish, which he assumed were the same place, and from such sources he surmised that Ophir was an island located in India or China, perhaps an island that Marco Polo had learned of during his journey to China, an island once called Cipango and what we now know as Japan. In contrast to Marco Polo, however, Columbus realized he did not need to travel east to find it. Since by his day it was known that the world was round, he reasoned that it would take him much less time to reach Ophir and Tarshish if he traveled west—just a few weeks rather than the three-year round trip traveled by Solomon’s ships.

. . .

Whether Columbus had actually found Ophir and Tarshish was much debated by scholars at the time. Some were convinced that he had, but others began looking elsewhere. It was during this period, for example, that a Spanish expedition led by Alvaro de Mendaña, a nephew of the Peruvian viceroy, discovered what they took to be the source of Solomon’s gold on a chain of islands not far from what is now New Guinea--islands known to this day as the Solomon Islands. For their part, the Portuguese extended the search into Africa, a location suggested by the similarity of the name Africa itself to Ophir, while the English extended the search to places like Arabia, East Africa, and India.

The search to find Solomon’s gold is thus much older than modern biblical studies or archaeology, developing as Europe began to extend out into the rest of the world in the early modern period. What happened in the nineteenth century, though, is that this biblical treasure hunt took on a more scientific character as the disciple of archaeology began to emerge. A telling episode is an expedition in 1871 led by a German geologist named Karl Mauch who believed he found the source of Solomon’s gold at the Great Zimbabwe, ruins he mistook as the remnants of the kingdom ruled by the Queen of Sheba. Mauch had been following in the footsteps of the Portuguese, but what distinguished his quest from theirs was its scientific nature; his analysis was informed by recent excavation of Phoenician sites, by ethnography, by comparative linguistics. The archaeological quest for Solomon would persist into the twentieth century, continued, among others, by Nelson Glueck, who believed he found the source of Solomon’s wealth not in some remote island but in the copper mines of the southern Negev desert.

...

...the quest for the source of Solomon’s gold has long involved a strange mix of erudition and gullibility continuing into our present age of scholarship.

Minimalist · 08-03-2011, 07:00 PM

You'd think that before looking for Solomon's "gold" someone would make an effort to look for Solomon himself.

There is no historical or archaeological reference to him at all.

mountainman · 08-03-2011, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minimalist

You'd think that before looking for Solomon's "gold" someone would make an effort to look for Solomon himself.

There is no historical or archaeological reference to him at all.

FeS2

Quote:

The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the formula FeS2. This mineral's metallic luster and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold because of its resemblance to gold.

aeebee50 · 08-03-2011, 08:15 PM

I am glad he made four trips looking for a trade route.

Doug Shaver · 08-04-2011, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minimalist

There is no historical or archaeological reference to him at all.

Most people in those days thought a biblical reference was as good as any other reference. Lots of people still think so, and it is not transparently obvious that they're wrong.

Minimalist · 08-04-2011, 06:00 PM

All that is missing is archaeological evidence of his city.

You'd think that would be a giveaway but, as you say Doug, some people believe anything written in the big book of fables.

Tristan Scott · 08-04-2011, 06:26 PM

So does this mean he was a ring knocker?

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

08-03-2011, 07:00 PM	#2
Minimalist Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,808	You'd think that before looking for Solomon's "gold" someone would make an effort to look for Solomon himself. There is no historical or archaeological reference to him at all.

08-03-2011, 08:15 PM	#4
aeebee50 Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 5,810	I am glad he made four trips looking for a trade route.

08-04-2011, 06:00 PM	#6
Minimalist Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,808	All that is missing is archaeological evidence of his city. You'd think that would be a giveaway but, as you say Doug, some people believe anything written in the big book of fables.

08-04-2011, 06:26 PM	#7
Tristan Scott Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Southwest USA Posts: 4,093	So does this mean he was a ring knocker?

Freethought & Rationalism Archive

The archives are read only.