I think this may have been the source of some of the wealth of Solomon and the Pheonicians.
There was a reason they had such a large fleet of ships.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF0eWbTEgzo&feature=player_detailpage
That was a long way to go to get a precious mineral - required to expand empires, but the Pheonicians and (earlier) Minoans had the capabilities. Solomon's relationship with the Queen of Sheba probably revolved around copper. He knew how to build alliances as he did with Hiram in obtaining the cedars of Lebanon for the raised panels inside the holy edifice.
The pillars that adorned the porch of the building were made of solid bronze castings (which must have weighed hundreds of tons). Part of the reason for the temple was that it was used as the treasury of the kingdom. If, as the previous documentary points out, bronze (copper) was as sought after as gold or silver and was as strategic in war as it was, those pillars were a huge store that could be used in desperate times. The gold leafing over the raised cedar panels inside the building along with many other precious metals were also great stores of wealth.
It is no wonder that this was such a tempting target for those who lived on either side of Israel.....
Here is more background on the nature of that building:
http://www.lgic.org/en/history_temple.php
No comments:
Post a Comment