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shaarona
10-28-2013, 03:01 PM
http://www.biblebabel.net/was-solomon-nabu-naid.php

Excerpt.


THE SIZE OF THE REALM

However, even if there was an historical “Solomon” who ruled an Israel in the 10th century B.C., as the conventional accounts say, his realm would have been rather small (Miller and Hayes, p. 206). The mighty empire of “David” and “Solomon” as described in the Bible did not occur until the reign of king Omri in the 9th century B.C. (Tubb, pp. 19-21). Had such a huge empire existed it would certainly have been mentioned in Babylonian, Assyrian, or Egyptian sources of the same time period. However, unlike Omri’s kingdom (which was mentioned by non-biblical contemporary sources), the kingdom of David and Solomon was not mentioned by any of the surrounding cultures.

It follows then, that even if there were an historical “Solomon” in the 10th century B.C., he would not have been important enough to have been visited by distant foreign rulers such as the Queen of Sheba. He would not have been powerful enough, or have had any reason, to have built a Red Sea naval base at Etzion Gaber, nor would he have possessed the so-called “mines of Solomon” often attributed to be the "mahad azh-zhahab" (Cradle of Gold) of western Arabia. “And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir . . .” (I Kings 10:11). Ophir is usually identified with west central Arabia, or the area of Yathrib and the "mahad azh-zhahab."

“SOLOMON’S” GLASS FLOOR

There is another question concerning the glass floor of “Solomon’s” throne room that was so clear that the Queen of Sheba thought it was water when she first visited “Solomon” and was ushered into his presence: “It was said unto her: Enter the palace. And when she saw it (the floor) she deemed it to be the depth of the sea and she barred her legs (making ready to cross the water). Solomon said: Lo! It is a palace faced with glass.” (Qur’an 27:44). The question this raises is whether or not the science of manufacturing glass was advanced enough by the 10th century B.C. to be able to produce that effect. It was certainly advanced enough by the 6th century B.C., but not the 10th.

THE LAST KING OF BABYLON

Enter Nabu Na’id. The research for and writing of the Trilogy dealing with Nabu Na’id’s seventeen-year rule, and particularly his ten years in Arabia, presented so many parallels with the Biblical “Solomon” that I had to do a double take almost giving myself whiplash they were so startling.

THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

We have already mentioned the lack of extra-Biblical evidence for a king of Israel named “Solomon.” Another issue that has given Biblical scholars hemorrhoids for decades, if not centuries, is the matter of the Queen of Sheba’s visit. Even if “Solomon’s kingdom was as powerful and extensive as the Biblical accounts seem to imply, it is a real stretch to imagine the Queen of Sheba traveling all the way from the southern tip of Arabia (where her kingdom was located) to Jerusalem, a distance of 1500 miles. For starters, even if “Solomon’s” kingdom was important enough and powerful enough to warrant a visit by other heads of state, the kingdom of Sheba in the 10th century was not important enough to warrant having its ruler make a trip of such length. Sheba in the 10th century B.C. was only a fledgling state and would not have had such far-reaching international interests and connections. However, by the 6th century B.C., the time of Nabu Na’id, Sheba/Saba’ in southwest Arabia was an empire extensive enough and powerful enough to warrant such international interests and contacts (see Clapp, Nicholas, "SHEBA," and Doe, Brian, "Monuments of South Arabia," pp. 105-169).

BOOK OF JOB EXPLAINS

In unraveling this mystery we are helped out, by of all sources, the Bible itself. The book of Job mentions that Job and his people and possessions were being harassed by both the Babylonians (sometimes called Khaldeans) and the Sabaeans (the Arabic term for the people of the Biblical “Sheba”). (Please refer to the essay on “Job” for details on the Babylonian/Sabaean friction during the mid 6th century B.C.). The passages in the book of Job indicate that the empires of Babylon and Sheba/Saba’ were rubbing up against each other in the mid sixth century B.C. Such a situation would have warranted a visit by the ruler of Sheba/Saba’ (be it a Queen or a King) to the Babylonian ruler to hash out the border issues and work out their international relations—especially if that Babylonian ruler was headquartered in Tayma, Arabia as Nabu Na’id was during the mid sixth century B.C. It is well-known that Nabu Na’id, as king of Babylon, moved his capital to Tayma for the ten-year period of 552-543 B.C. This is attested to not only in the Babylonian Chronicles but by writings of Nabu Na’id himself and by the archaeological evidence on the ground in Tayma. A trip by the queen of Sheba to Tayma during the mid-sixth century B.C. makes a lot more sense than does a trip from Sheba to Jerusalem in the 10th century B.C. logistically, strategically, geographically, historically, economically, and from any other standpoint one wants to look at the matter.

THE GLASS TEMPLE

In this regard it is interesting to note that during Neo-Babylonian times the "HAY ZIDA" temple to the God Nabu in Borsippa had a pure glass surface. That is, the outer bricks were of pure glass, and these outer bricks of pure glass covered the regular mud and clay bricks that formed the core of the temple (Oppenheim, A.L., R.H. Brill, and A. von Saldern, "Glass and Glass Making in Ancient Mesopotamia"). In other words, were Nabu Na’id to build a Temple, a palace, or throne room in Tayma wherein the floor was made of class bricks he would only be following a custom already in established in Mesopotamia. Whereas for a king of Israel in the 10th century B.C. to build a palace floor out of glass (as the Qur’an story indicates) would be highly anachronistic.

THE GOLD MINES

Of interest also is the fact that the above-mentioned gold mines of "mahad azh-zhahab" (the so-called “mines of Solomon”) are situated precisely in the area (near Yathrib, modern Medina) that would have been in dispute between a Babylonian Empire centered in Tayma and the kingdom of Sheba/Saba’ centered in Yemen. Additionally, a Babylonian Empire holding vast areas of western Arabia as far south as Yathrib (as the Babylonian accounts indicate) would have had great need for maritime contact with the Levant. A port at Etzion Gaber would have been most logical and probably necessary. The Babylonians, being a great land power, had no naval expertise themselves so they would have had to turn to the Phoenicians, who at that time were vassals to Nabu Na’id.

It so happens that the king of Tyre during Nabu Na’id’s time was named Hiram, which is the name the Bible gives for the king of Tyre during “Solomon’s” time who provided the ships for the port at Etzion Gaber. These coincidences were too startling to ignore. Could the writers of the Biblical “Solomon” stories, writing in the 5th or 4th (or even the 3rd) century B.C. gotten the two Phoenician Hirams mixed up? (Since there was also a 10th century king of Tyre named Hiram. The Hiram of Nabu Na’id’s time was the third Hiram to rule in Tyre).

Common
10-28-2013, 03:06 PM
Hiya Shaarona :) I am not going to respond to this and not to ignore you :) I wanted to explain why to you. Its so far over my head if I was a rocket I couldnt catch up and figure it out :)

shaarona
10-28-2013, 03:18 PM
Hiya Shaarona :) I am not going to respond to this and not to ignore you :) I wanted to explain why to you. Its so far over my head if I was a rocket I couldnt catch up and figure it out :)

LOLOL..

My interest was piqued because of the mention of Tayma and Yathrib .. now Medina in Western Arabia.. Plus, I have never seen any evidence for Solomon.. Some very important Babylonian king lived in Tayma for ten years.. That has been confirmed in recent archeological finds.

I think the Bible stories are often mix and match.

Common
10-28-2013, 03:30 PM
LOLOL..

My interest was piqued because of the mention of Tayma and Yathrib .. now Medina in Western Arabia.. Plus, I have never seen any evidence for Solomon.. Some very important Babylonian king lived in Tayma for ten years.. That has been confirmed in recent archeological finds.

I think the Bible stories are often mix and match.

uhhh I have never head of Tayma and Yathrib but if you tell me they are redneck dumbadim teatards then ill understand cuz they have funny names too, like Teddy and Sarah and Sean and Glen and Rush and if you look close you will see dumbos just as dumb as them lurking here spouting rightwingading garbage. :)

shaarona
10-28-2013, 03:54 PM
uhhh I have never head of Tayma and Yathrib but if you tell me they are redneck dumbadim teatards then ill understand cuz they have funny names too, like Teddy and Sarah and Sean and Glen and Rush and if you look close you will see dumbos just as dumb as them lurking here spouting rightwingading garbage. :)

Tayma is on the old incense road... and mentioned in the Bible.

http://nabataea.net/tayma.html

Common
10-28-2013, 03:57 PM
Tayma is on the old incense road... and mentioned in the Bible.

http://nabataea.net/tayma.html

Oh well that clears everything up for me, shaarona your way beneath yourself trying to ever explain this to me. It cant be done. Even if you use bowery and hells kitchen speak :)

Green Arrow
10-28-2013, 04:28 PM
What's the point of this, exactly?

shaarona
10-28-2013, 04:33 PM
What's the point of this, exactly?

Just a little history....

Green Arrow
10-28-2013, 04:35 PM
Just a little history....

It's fascinating, to be sure. The parallels between Solomon and Nabu Na'id are not something to sweep aside. I'll give it some thought.

shaarona
10-28-2013, 05:10 PM
It's fascinating, to be sure. The parallels between Solomon and Nabu Na'id are not something to sweep aside. I'll give it some thought.

http://saudi-archaeology.com/sites/tayma/

The concentration of human population at Tayma and its historic significance can be attributed to three primary reasons: the presence of the oasis and its ability to attract people and animals, its convenient location for a trade station on the incense route, and the fact that Tayma served as a residence of the Babylonian king Nabonidus in the mid-6th century BCE. Investigations have identified archaeological remains at Tayma ranging from flint scatters representing bead production dating to the 4th millennium BCE, through Middle Bronze Age (early 2nd millennium BCE) sites, up to and including Islamic period habitation.

(take a look at the rock art)

Common
10-28-2013, 05:45 PM
What's the point of this, exactly?

Whatever she wants it to be, she has that right just like everyone else :)

Green Arrow
10-28-2013, 05:48 PM
Whatever she wants it to be, she has that right just like everyone else :)

I don't believe I said otherwise.