Israel, Timna Valley – Ancient Cooper Production Camp

Archaeological excavation indicates that the copper mines in Timna Valley, carbon-dated to the 10th century BCE, were probably part of the Kingdom of Edom and worked by the Edomites, described as biblical foes of the Israelites. This negates the previous assumption, that they were an Egyptian enterprise from the 13th century BCE, and also the speculation that they belonged to the biblical King Solomon who supposedly lived during the 10th century BCE, during the Iron Age IIA period. The current dating came into being with a new understanding regarding nomads and their ability for an advanced polity and advanced technologies, shrugging off years of architectural bias among archaeologists.