Some 50 of us sat attentively at the feet of Prof Alan Millard to hear him talk about “King Solomon’s Gold: Fantasy or Fact?” We came in hope – that we might walk away with some gold in our hands [Ed: really? … really!?!! You knew this was a MIRTH event 😳 But … wait till you hear the end! ].
Prof Millard told us of the very large quantities of gold which King Solomon received, including 3.9 tons from the Queen of Sheba; and 21.6 tons annually (worth over £1 billion in today’s money. And bear in mind that the Bank of England currently has something over 300 tons of gold reserves.)
He took us through the extensive evidence which exists. He told us of the quantities listed in the bible in 1 Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9. He showed us beautiful pieces – gold cups, bracelets, anklets, funerary masks … He told us of the impressive temple areas plated with gold – including the amounts in the Temple of Solomon.
But just when we thought Solomon had a lot, Prof Millard informed us that the Egyptians took it all, and a subsequent Pharaoh Osorkon gave far more just in his gifts to the gods. While the rulers of Persia accounted for close to 7,000 tonnes.
At the end of his talk, questions flowed. And a key one was ‘Where is the gold now?’
Prof Millard’s answer? “If you have a gold ring, you may have some of it in there!” – because gold is continually recycled – melted down, re-crafted, removed, re-worked – down through the ages. [Ed: so we might have walked away with some of Solomon’s Gold after all!]
MIRTH 