Timna Valley Copper Mines and 'Slaves' Hill'
Tenth-century smelting camps and a scrap of royal purple cloth
Found 1934 — Nelson Glueck surveyed and named the sites 'King Solomon's Mines' (1930s); Beno Rothenberg excavated 1959–1990 and redated them to Egyptian times; Erez Ben-Yosef (Tel Aviv University) redated them again to the Iron Age from 2009, excavating 'Slaves' Hill' (Site 34) from 2013
Where Timna Valley, Arabah, about 30 km north of Eilat (Israel)
Dates from c. 1100–900 BCE · Iron Age I–IIA · Judges through David and Shlomo (Solomon)
Now at Timna Park (site); textiles and finds in the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University collections
How Timna Valley Copper Mines and 'Slaves' Hill' was found
Radiocarbon dating of seeds and textiles from the smelting camps by Ben-Yosef's Central Timna Valley Project showed the peak of copper production was in the eleventh–ninth centuries BCE, not the Late Bronze Age. In 2021 wool fragments dyed with true purple (argaman) were reported from Slaves' Hill, dated to about 1000 BCE.
What it is
Hundreds of mine shafts and several smelting camps with slag heaps, furnaces and the remains of workers' food, clothing and tools, preserved by the dry desert. Slaves' Hill is a fortified hilltop camp. Among the textiles were tiny pieces of wool dyed with purple from Mediterranean sea snails, the first such fabric from this early a date anywhere.
Why it matters for the Bible
Glueck's 'King Solomon's Mines' label was mocked for decades after Rothenberg showed the Egyptians ran the mines, but Ben-Yosef's dating put the busiest phase right in the time of David and Solomon. The people running it were likely early Edomites, organized enough to run a large industry without cities. That challenges the idea that no real kingdoms existed in the region in the tenth century. The purple wool shows that the elite here wore the same costly dye the Bible links to royalty and the Tabernacle, generations before Phoenician purple was thought to be widespread.
The Hebrew word: ar-gah-MAHN
אַרְגָּמָן
אַרְגָּמָן is pronounced ar-gah-MAHN and means purple (the sea-snail dye of royalty and the sanctuary) (Strong's H713).
People this discovery connects to
- Solomon — שְׁלֹמֹה (Shlo-MOH) — his peace
- David — דָּוִד (Dah-VEED) — beloved
Places
- Edom — אֱדוֹם (Eh-DOHM) — red
- Ezion-geber — עֶצְיוֹן גֶּבֶר (Etz-YOHN GEH-ver) — backbone of a man
Events
David's conquest of Edom · Solomon's ships at Ezion-geber · Bronze work for the Temple
Timna Valley Copper Mines and 'Slaves' Hill' in Scripture
Genesis 25:30 First mention of Edom in Scripture.
2 Samuel 8:14 David puts garrisons throughout Edom; the Timna industry was in Edomite hands in this period.
1 Kings 7:45-46 The huge quantity of bronze cast for the Temple; Timna and Faynan were the region's copper sources.
Questions people ask
What is Timna Valley Copper Mines and 'Slaves' Hill'?
Hundreds of mine shafts and several smelting camps with slag heaps, furnaces and the remains of workers' food, clothing and tools, preserved by the dry desert. Slaves' Hill is a fortified hilltop camp. Among the textiles were tiny pieces of wool dyed with purple from Mediterranean sea snails, the first such fabric from this early a date anywhere.
When was Timna Valley Copper Mines and 'Slaves' Hill' discovered?
It was found in 1934 by Nelson Glueck surveyed and named the sites 'King Solomon's Mines' (1930s); Beno Rothenberg excavated 1959–1990 and redated them to Egyptian times; Erez Ben-Yosef (Tel Aviv University) redated them again to the Iron Age from 2009, excavating 'Slaves' Hill' (Site 34) from 2013, at Timna Valley, Arabah, about 30 km north of Eilat.
Where is Timna Valley Copper Mines and 'Slaves' Hill' today?
Timna Park (site); textiles and finds in the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University collections.
Which Bible verses does Timna Valley Copper Mines and 'Slaves' Hill' relate to?
Genesis 25:30, 2 Samuel 8:14, 1 Kings 7:45-46.
Related discoveries
- נְחֹשֶׁתTimna Valley Copper MinesEgyptian-run mines in the Aravah, later worked by Edomite and Midianite smelters
- צְלָעוֹתKhirbet Qeiyafa Model ShrinesTwo miniature shrines with architecture echoing Solomon's Temple
- גִּיחוֹןGihon Spring Tower and Pool TowerGiant fortifications guarding Jerusalem's only spring
- מִלּוֹאStepped Stone StructureA giant stone rampart on the slope of the City of David, perhaps the biblical Millo
- גָּזִיתTel 'Eton Governor's ResidencyA tenth-century ashlar building in the Judean lowlands
- מִלּוֹאThe Millo: Where Was It?The Stepped Stone Structure and the Gihon Spring fortifications as rival candidates for the biblical Millo
Sources
- Ben-Yosef et al., 'A New Chronological Framework for Iron Age Copper Production at Timna', BASOR 367 (2012)
- Sukenik, Iluz, Amar, Varvak, Shamir & Ben-Yosef, 'Early evidence of royal purple dyed textile from Timna Valley', PLOS ONE 16(1) (2021)
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