2 years, 5 months ago
What is the history of the discovery of the Ophir?
What is the link to the Phoenicians?
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M$1 Answer
Elusive question that must be answered in two counts since the term Ophir refers to gold discoveries in two different locations of the world as well as different times in history:
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Fragment of an ancient pottery jar discovered at Tel Qasile near Jaffa in Israel. Contains an inscription about "Ophir gold" and the temple of Horon, a Canaanite deity.
http://www.bible-history.com/archaeology/israel/2-gold-of-ophir-bb.jpg
The Gold of Ophir archaeology inscription corresponds with the gold at Solomon's Temple according to the Bible.
According to "www.bible-history.com" on (1 Chronicles 29:3-4):
---Quote---
"Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal."
---/Quote---
Ophir is always mentioned becauseof the gold found there. Another indication about the location of Ophir is that King Solomon's ships departed from the Red Sea ports to obtain gold from Ophir, thus indicating a southern destination. Solomon controlled the Via Maris (the Sea Road) trade route along Philistian coast (today Gaza strip), leading the state trade between Egypt & Asia Minor (Turkey), also started the spice trade with the Queen of Sheba thru the sea route from Ezion-Geber on the Red Sea, to Ophir mines in Africa. Since Phoenicians were Israel´s neighboring masters of the seas there is quite possibly a connection between them (as ocean navigators that transported goods) and the gold trade between Israel and Ophir.
According to "www.keyway.ca" on (1 Kings 9:26-28):
---Quote---
"And King Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to King Solomon."
---/Quote---
Map of the Kingdom of Israel under the rule of King Solomon from 961 to 922 B.C. depicting it coastal neighbor navigators, the Phoenicians.
http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/acegarp/898/israel1.jpg
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Site of "Ophir", New South Wales, Australia. Miners panning for gold in Summer Hills Creek.
http://about.nsw.gov.au/media/image_cache/orig_images/p/a/panning-for-gold-in-summer-hill-creek-ophir_-1242226041--5021924038656004096.jpg
Between the 7th and 12th of April 1851, at the junction of the Lewis Ponds Creek and Summer Hills Creek in New South Wales, Australia, a site which later became the Township of Ophir, John Hardman Lister and William Tom recovered 120 gr. of gold, the first gold strike in NSW and Australia.
Lister, Tom and his brother James were persuaded earlier that year by Edward Hammond Hargraves, to guide him to Lewis Ponds Creek on the first prospective trip to discover gold in NSW. Hammond promised them where to find gold. In March 1851, he explained the three of them how to make and use a craddle similar to those he had seen at the California goldfields.
In accordance with their verbal agreement with Hargraves, Lister and Tom sent news of the gold discoveries to him. Hargraves announced the discovery. The news of payable gold spreaded throughout Australia and soon hundred of claims were worked near Lewis Ponds Creek and other sites in NSW and Victoria. Australian Gold Rush was started. Hargraves was awarded £10.000 by the Government of NSW for the discovery and was appointed Crown Land Commissioner. During the years, official enquiries were held into Hargraves claim to be the discoverer of the first payable goldfields in NSW, dismissing his claims in favor of John Hardman Lister, William Tom and James Tom.
William Tom, a Wesleyan lay preacher and William Tom's father, are credited for the naming of the site as Ophir. They knew the wording of the Old Testament with such phrases describing the city where King Solomon obtained his wealth: "Hiram brought gold from Ophir" and "They came to Ophir and they fetched from thence gold".
A general view of Ophir, 1851.
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/images/discover/history_nation/gold/gold13_a1837006.jpg
____________________________
Fragment of an ancient pottery jar discovered at Tel Qasile near Jaffa in Israel. Contains an inscription about "Ophir gold" and the temple of Horon, a Canaanite deity.
The Gold of Ophir archaeology inscription corresponds with the gold at Solomon's Temple according to the Bible.
According to "www.bible-history.com" on (1 Chronicles 29:3-4):
---Quote---
"Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal."
---/Quote---
Ophir is always mentioned becauseof the gold found there. Another indication about the location of Ophir is that King Solomon's ships departed from the Red Sea ports to obtain gold from Ophir, thus indicating a southern destination. Solomon controlled the Via Maris (the Sea Road) trade route along Philistian coast (today Gaza strip), leading the state trade between Egypt & Asia Minor (Turkey), also started the spice trade with the Queen of Sheba thru the sea route from Ezion-Geber on the Red Sea, to Ophir mines in Africa. Since Phoenicians were Israel´s neighboring masters of the seas there is quite possibly a connection between them (as ocean navigators that transported goods) and the gold trade between Israel and Ophir.
According to "www.keyway.ca" on (1 Kings 9:26-28):
---Quote---
"And King Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to King Solomon."
---/Quote---
Map of the Kingdom of Israel under the rule of King Solomon from 961 to 922 B.C. depicting it coastal neighbor navigators, the Phoenicians.
____________________________
Site of "Ophir", New South Wales, Australia. Miners panning for gold in Summer Hills Creek.
Between the 7th and 12th of April 1851, at the junction of the Lewis Ponds Creek and Summer Hills Creek in New South Wales, Australia, a site which later became the Township of Ophir, John Hardman Lister and William Tom recovered 120 gr. of gold, the first gold strike in NSW and Australia.
Lister, Tom and his brother James were persuaded earlier that year by Edward Hammond Hargraves, to guide him to Lewis Ponds Creek on the first prospective trip to discover gold in NSW. Hammond promised them where to find gold. In March 1851, he explained the three of them how to make and use a craddle similar to those he had seen at the California goldfields.
In accordance with their verbal agreement with Hargraves, Lister and Tom sent news of the gold discoveries to him. Hargraves announced the discovery. The news of payable gold spreaded throughout Australia and soon hundred of claims were worked near Lewis Ponds Creek and other sites in NSW and Victoria. Australian Gold Rush was started. Hargraves was awarded £10.000 by the Government of NSW for the discovery and was appointed Crown Land Commissioner. During the years, official enquiries were held into Hargraves claim to be the discoverer of the first payable goldfields in NSW, dismissing his claims in favor of John Hardman Lister, William Tom and James Tom.
William Tom, a Wesleyan lay preacher and William Tom's father, are credited for the naming of the site as Ophir. They knew the wording of the Old Testament with such phrases describing the city where King Solomon obtained his wealth: "Hiram brought gold from Ophir" and "They came to Ophir and they fetched from thence gold".
A general view of Ophir, 1851.
source(s):
http://www.bible-history.com/archaeology/israel/2-gold-of-ophir-bb.html
http://www.keyway.ca/htm2004/20040315.htm
http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/acegarp/898/10000bc601.htm
http://users.tpg.com.au/dtdan/ophir.htm
http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/archives/digitalscriptorium/ophir/index...
http://www.zentus.com/tomlister/goldtext.htm
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/history_nation/gold/diggings/...
http://www.bible-history.com/archaeology/israel/2-gold-of-ophir-bb.html
http://www.keyway.ca/htm2004/20040315.htm
http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/acegarp/898/10000bc601.htm
http://users.tpg.com.au/dtdan/ophir.htm
http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/archives/digitalscriptorium/ophir/index...
http://www.zentus.com/tomlister/goldtext.htm
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/history_nation/gold/diggings/...
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M$
Eilath in the foreground, overlooking the neighboring city of Aqaba in the distance, across the border with Jordan.
Its the... Phoenicians. They were great sailors of the ancient world. Israel was a land of sheppards and desert people, not sea masters. The Phoenicians in the other hand are regarded as the premier sailing culture of the ancient world, specially in the Mediterranean.
They occupied a strip of land in what is today Israel’s Mediterranean coast line. The city of Tyre was the most important Phoenician location, by being such an adventurous sailors and explorers they are credited for founding famous ports like Carthage and Tripoli. It is also believed that being such a good sailors, they helped Israel in their trade with Ophir bringing the gold thru the Red Sea all the way up to Ezion-Geber in what is today the modern city of Eliath, Israel´s port in the Gulf of Aqaba.
By the time King Solomon was trading gold from Ophir it is also believed that the Phoenicians had already accomplished the complete rounding of the African continent going west all the way thru the Mediterranean exiting by the Hercules columns (strait of Gibraltar) and sailing south along the Atlantic coast of Africa, rounding the Cape of Good Hope up to the mouth of the Red Sea between Somalia and Yemen, and finally reaching the Sinai peninsula, few kilometers short of the Mediterranean.
To the left, arm of the northern Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez; to the right, another arm of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba (or Gulf of Eilath).
1. The Olmec migrated from Africa
2. The Olmec were skilled in working with Gold and Copper.
3. There exists an linguistic link between the Olmec language and groups in Africa.
What is the link between Ophir and the Phoneticians?