Folia Theologica 16. (2005)
Solomon Pasala: Archaeological Evidences for Solomonic period
126 S. PASALA from its sources. There are two sources in the Bible, which speak about the Solomonic period: a) The compilers of Genesis-11 kings b) The compilers of Chronicler1. 1.1. The Gen-IIKings compilers' presentation 1 Kings begins with the transition from David to Solomon (I Kgs 1-2). Immediately after his father's death, Solomon establishes himself firmly against all his enemies by executing them, as instructed by his father before his death. (1 Kgs 1/1-2/46). When the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon, his royal status was recognized internationally. He entered into a marriage alliance with the Pharaoh of Egypt and had the Pharaoh's daughter brought to Jerusalem to live with him. He was depicted as a pious king who offered sacrifices on high places. On one such occasion, he had a vision in which he opts for wisdom (1 Kgs 2/46-3/28). There is a big list of Solomon's high officials (I Kgs 4/1-6), and the officers in charge of providing his table and household (I Kgs 4/7-19). We also hear that Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen (1 Kgs 4/21-34). In the fourth year of his reign he began constructing the Temple. Hiram, king of Tyre, agreed to supply him building material and skilled workmen. It took 7 years to complete (I Kgs 5-6). Thirteen years were required to build Solomon's palace and royal buildings, including a house for pharaoh's daughter (1 Kgs 7/1-12). When the construction of the Temple was completed, Solomon assembled all the dignitaries of his kingdom in Jerusalem and dedicated the Temple to Yahweh (I Kgs 8/lff). There are a number of items that further illustrate Solomon's wealth, wisdom, and international prestige. He built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber and engaged in a shipping venture with Phoenician king. (I Kgs 9/26-28, 10/11-12/22). 1 M.J. MAXWELL — J.H. HAYES, A History of Ancient Israel and Judah, Philadelphia 1986, 189.
