Did the Bible’s King Solomon Really Exist?

The six-chambered gross astatine Megiddo, astir apt built by King Solomon. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY 2.0, Ian Scott

In the Bible, King Solomon was the affluent monarch who ruled implicit Israel astir 3,000 years ago. While galore scholars contiguous judge helium successful information existed, others stay skeptical. The question is if determination is really immoderate archaeological grounds that sheds airy connected Solomon’s beingness and his expected wealth.

The occupation of Solomon’s historicity

The cardinal situation successful determining whether Solomon truly existed is that nary modern oregon near-contemporary inscription has been recovered that mentions him. If specified an inscription were ever discovered, it would single-handedly resoluteness the debate.

In the lack of specified wide evidence, however tin we measure this issue? How tin we find whether King Solomon apt existed, beyond the grounds of the Bible? One logical method is to comparison what the Bible says astir Solomon’s activities arsenic king with the archaeological record. We tin absorption specifically connected large-scale undertakings—the benignant of projects astir apt to person near traces that past today.

Solomon’s prosperous kingdom

One straightforward assertion successful the Bible’s relationship of Solomon’s reign is that the colonisation of Israel grew significantly. In a summary of Solomon’s rule, 1 Kings 4:20 states:

“The radical of Judah and Israel were arsenic galore arsenic the soil connected the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.”

The 2nd portion of this statement falls extracurricular the scope of archaeology. The archetypal part, however, is thing we mightiness expect to find reflected successful the archaeological record. So, what does archaeology reveal?

Excavations bespeak that the colonisation of past Israel accrued sharply astatine the opening of Iron Age IIA, astir 1000 BC. This corresponds intimately to the play erstwhile Solomon is traditionally thought to person ruled.

Construction projects

The Bible besides makes circumstantial claims astir Solomon’s operation activities. For example, 1 Kings 9:15 states that helium built up, oregon fortified, the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer, which stretched from northbound to southbound crossed the past territory of Israel.

Archaeologists person recovered that each 3 cities were so fortified astir the aforesaid time, astatine the commencement of Iron Age IIA. Moreover, each metropolis was fortified with a distinctive six-chambered gate—an antithetic plan that was utilized identically successful each 3 locations. This powerfully supports the thought that a azygous king commissioned the fortifications, arsenic the Bible describes, suggesting that Solomon whitethorn so person existed.

The grounds is adjacent much striking considering that the Israelite territory had already been divided betwixt the confederate Kingdom of Judah and the bluish Kingdom of Israel by the ninth period BC. The information that these 3 cities were fortified successful the aforesaid mode indicates that a azygous ruler whitethorn person exercised authorization implicit some kingdoms astatine the time.

Solomon’s wealth

Contents of Megiddo metallic hoard 5034. Credit: Ivgeni Ostrovski / Israel Antiquities Authority

A cardinal portion of the Bible’s relationship of Solomon is that helium was extraordinarily wealthy. If Solomon genuinely existed, is determination immoderate grounds of his tremendous wealth? One circumstantial assertion is that metallic was abundant successful Israel during his reign.

A 2013 study provides compelling enactment for this claim. Researchers examined silver hoards recovered crossed Israel from astir the clip of Solomon and noted:

“Within the discourse of the wider Mediterranean world, the hacksilber hoards found… are conspicuous arsenic the lone identifiable multi-site attraction of metallic hoards datable betwixt 1200 and 800 BC … Outside of Cisjordan, nary modern metallic hoards person been recovered successful the Mediterranean.”

This suggests that past Israel during Solomon’s clip did so person an antithetic abundance of silver—something unparalleled elsewhere successful the Mediterranean world, making it genuinely remarkable.

Furthermore, chemic analyses of the metallic bespeak that astir of it came from either Sardinia oregon Spain. This is noteworthy due to the fact that the Bible states that Solomon’s metallic mostly came from Tarshish. Most scholars contiguous place Tarshish with Spain, though immoderate favour Sardinia. In either case, these findings powerfully enactment the decision that Solomon apt existed.

How Egyptian archaeology shows that King Solomon did exist

Evidence from Egypt besides supports the beingness of Solomon. According to the Bible, wrong the archetypal fewer years aft Solomon’s death, Pharaoh Shishak attacked the Israelites and plundered the wealthiness of Jerusalem, Solomon’s capital.

Most historians hold that the Bible’s Shishak corresponds to Pharaoh Shoshenq I from secular history. Egyptian records corroborate that helium did onslaught the onshore of the Israelites, and these documents bespeak that the onslaught occurred soon earlier his death.

Shoshenq I was not considered a singular king, similar Ramesses the Great oregon Thutmose III. Yet instantly aft plundering the Israelites, thing changed. In the little play betwixt his onslaught and death, helium abruptly undertook extended gathering projects crossed Egypt.

Egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen described this arsenic a “sudden, uncharacteristic, astir obscene ‘lottery-style’ detonation of spending.” This suggests that Shoshenq acquired a important magnitude of wealthiness from the run against the Israelites.

Furthermore, a fewer years later, Shoshenq’s lad Osorkon is recorded arsenic donating 383 tons of metallic and golden to the Egyptian temples—the largest known temple donation by immoderate Egyptian king.

What could explicate specified an bonzer influx of wealthiness instantly aft Shoshenq’s attack? The astir logical decision is that the Bible’s communicative is historically plausible: Solomon apt existed and possessed the large wealthiness described successful the biblical accounts. Without this context, the abrupt abundance of Shoshenq and Osorkon’s resources would stay hard to explain.