The Guardian reports:
A British excavation has struck archaeological gold with a discovery that may solve the mystery of where the Queen of Sheba of biblical legend derived her fabled treasures.
Almost 3,000 years ago, the ruler of Sheba, which spanned modern-day Ethiopia and Yemen, arrived in Jerusalem with vast quantities of gold to give to King Solomon. Now an enormous ancient goldmine, together with the ruins of a temple and the site of a battlefield, have been discovered in her former territory.
Louise Schofield, an archaeologist and former British Museum curator, who headed the excavation on the high Gheralta plateau in northern Ethiopia, said: “One of the things I’ve always loved about archaeology is the way it can tie up with legends and myths. The fact that we might have the Queen of Sheba’s mines is extraordinary.”
An initial clue lay in a 20ft stone stele (or slab) carved with a sun and crescent moon, the “calling card of the land of Sheba”, Schofield said.
Many scoff at the existence of the Queen of Sheba because the Bible is the main source of our knowledge of her. Yet, the places and people of the Bible have routinely and consistently appeared in archaeological discoveries. Often they are like Sheba and have little or no precedent outside the Bible.
Most non-religious individuals will at least admit the Bible is a valuable ancient document (one that we have more copies than anything else in antiquity) with much history within it (more on its place among other Near East writings here). However, there will always be people with an ax to grind and will push their agendas regardless of facts.