3,000-Year-Old Donkey Dung: A Clue to King Solomon's Mines?
April 3, 2017 - Archaeologists made an amazing discovery at an ancient mining camp in Israel: 3,000-year-old donkey dung! Preserved by the arid climate, the dung is solid evidence that the site dates to the 10th century B.C., which, according to the Bible, was the time of King Solomon's reign. Was this mining camp one of the sources of Solomon's famous wealth?
Read more about the discovery of the dung and what it reveals about biblical history.
Transcript
The Bible says that King Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem and adorned it with precious metals.
Some think those metals may have come from a copper-rich region in the Middle East. Here's why ...
In the 1930s, an ancient mining camp was discovered atop a mesa in Timna Valley.
Dark piles of copper waste are still visible. But are they from the time of King Solomon?
Donkey dung preserved by the arid climate, and recently unearthed, provided the answer ...
The dung was found to be 3,000 years old,
confirming that the mining camp dates to the time of King Solomon’s reign.
Does this mean that Solomon’s mines were in the Timna Valley?
Maybe. Archaeologists are still gathering clues.