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 then- 

 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, 

 killing 18,000 men (II Samuel, vhi, 13, 14; I 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 then 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, to 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 fye 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 %om Crete, then the dark men with the supposed iron 



