DISCOVERERS OF THE ART OF IRON MANUFACTURE 
BELCK. 517 
the Phenicians had previously been settled at the Red Sea will have 
to be given credence; for in this case an extensive sea voyage along 
the Arabian coast, and on such an occasion a chance discovery of 
India by them, would be nothing strange. And even after the sub- 
sequent partial migration northward into Syria the enterprising 
Tyrian merchants would equip expeditions to the Sinaitic peninsula 
and thence, in common with the members of their tribe who remained 
behind, would barter with India. And the Jews, as long as their 
kingdom extended in the south only to Beer-Sheba, could hardly have 
had any knowledge of this Tyrian commerce. This condition changed 
when David routed the Edomites in the battle of the valley of salt, 
killmg 18,000 men (II Samuel, vii, 13, 14; [Chronicles, xviii, 12, 13; 
Psalms, lx, 2, 10, 11; compare also Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, vii, 
5, § 4), subjecting entire Edom, in which he placed garrisons, and 
imposing ground taxes and poll taxes. In consequence of this not 
only did access to the Mediterranean Sea, or the caravan route from 
Elath, but also the harbor of Elath, fall into the hands of the Jewish 
King, without whose permission the Tyrian merchants could not 
undertake their trading voyages to Ophir. Obviously they had to 
pay some toll to the new sovereign, which, besides gold, must have 
consisted in merchandise which they brought back from India and 
Arabia. If our deduction that the Phenicians continued their voyages 
to Ophir before their immigration to the Syrian coast as well as after 
is correct, then it stands to reason that this was also the case under 
David’s long reign, te whom they would, after the conquest of Edom, 
pay tribute in gold and other valuables. And, as a matter of fact, 
the Bible tells of Ophir gold in the treasury of David, for in I Chroni- 
cles, xxix, 4, there are, among other valuables consecrated by David 
for the building of the temple, also enumerated ‘3,000 talents of gold 
from Ophir.” 
According to Herodotus, ii, 44, the Phenicians came to Tyre, -or 
founded this city, 2,300 years before his time—that is, about 2800 
B. C.—so that the continuous seafaring of the Phenicians from the 
west coast of Arabia to Ophir-India may thus be followed back to at 
least 3000 B. C. At the same time it may be assumed with great 
probability that they sailed not only along the Arabian coast but also 
that of Africa southward (at least by way of trial), and thus were, in 
comparatively high antiquity, also acquainted with the east coast 
of Africa. We have thus in our investigations as to the age of iron- 
working gained two important data on the seafaring customs of the 
ancients. 
Assuming, for instance, that the Phenicians had, as early as the 
fourth pre-Christian millenium, either themselves manufactured iron 
or imported the industry into the Sinaitic peninsula from southern 
Arabia or from Crete, then the dark men with the supposed iron 
