阿拉伯谷地的冶金考古已取得为世界考古界所瞩目的丰硕成果。纵观这一地区众多古矿冶遗址一百多年的研究史,一个最引人注目的问题就是关于所谓的“所罗门的铜矿”的学术争论。这场争论旷日持久,影响极广,直到目前才有定论。回顾这场争论的来龙去脉,对于了解西亚近现代考古学史等都大有裨益。 “所罗门的铜矿”之说出笼 1845年长期在埃及、苏丹和中非进行探险的英国地质学家约翰·皮特雷克进入阿拉伯谷地进行调查, Metallurgical archeology in the Arabian valleys has yielded fruitful results for the world’s archaeological community. One of the most striking aspects of the more than one hundred years of research history in many of the ancient mines and sites in the area is the academic debate over the so-called “copper mine in Solomon.” This controversy protracted, far-reaching impact, until now there is no conclusion. Reviewing the ins and outs of this debate is of great help in understanding the history of modern archeology in West Asia. “Solomon’s copper mine,” said John Pitreke, a British geologist long expeditionary in Egypt, Sudan and Central Africa in 1845, went into the valley of the Arabs to investigate,