Chapter 1 | Evidence Ophir Existed In 1946, archaeologists representing the Israel Exploration Society and the municipality of Tel-Aviv in Tell Qasile (modern Tel-Aviv, Israel) excavated two Hebrew ostraca – an inscribed pottery shard. [1] [2] Tell Qasile is positioned on the northern bank of the Yarqon River likely where Hiram, King of Tyre once conveyed timber down from Lebanon (ancient Tyre/Phoenicia). This fragment, dated around the eighth century B.C., transcribes as:
“Gold of Ophir to(for) Beth Horon 30 Shekels…” – Kitchen[3][4]
This attested fragment confirms the existence of the land of gold from which King Solomon’s navy imported resources. [4] It also demonstrates Ophir is a legitimate, physical land of Gold and no Tell Qasile pottery shard. [3][4] legend. This is in no way similar to the South American legend of El Dorado which if one researched, initiated with a “Golden Man” who dives into gold dust coating himself not a city nor an empire which it later morphed into and no trace has ever been found. That’s a fairy tale. Ophir is not as it has now been found and the resources are still there but no golden man, golden temples nor great architecture are ever recorded in any narrative of Ophir. Finally, this ostraca substantiates King Solomon existed as he sent a navy to Ophir and that gold ends up in Israel as an offering and not just to any project but a city which King Solomon built – Beth Horon. 20
