Israel Regains Solomon’s Temple Relic

An ivory pomegranate, believed to be the only existing relic of Solomon’s Temple, went on display today at the Israel Museum after officials paid $550,000 into a secret Swiss bank account.

The thumb-sized object, which measures 1.68 inches by .83 inches, has a hole in the bottom and may have been used as the top of a scepter carried by a temple priest.

“We have never had anything that was in Solomon’s Temple. Minuscule as it is, this is an exquisite treasure,” said Meir Meyer, vice chairman of the museum.

Paid to Secret Owner

A museum official who demanded anonymity said the money was paid to the secret account of an anonymous owner in Zurich after the museum raised the money from an anonymous donor in Basel.

The cream-colored relic, which dates to the 8th Century BC and is badly chipped on one side, was returned to Israel last week after it was apparently smuggled out of the country after 1979.

Officials said they were reluctant to spend so much money to return the pomegranate but agreed to do so after two months of negotiations because it was a national treasure.

‘Should Be Brought Back’

“Of course, any object that has such high historical and cultural value should be brought back,” said Nahman Avigad, a Hebrew University archeologist who authenticated the pomegranate.

Avigad said “in all probability” it was used in the ancient temple, which was looted and destroyed by the Babylonians in 589 BC.

Thus the pomegranate is likely part of the great treasure of gold, ivory and precious objects that King Solomon invested in the temple, which was built about 960 BC and housed the ark of the covenant, the chest holding the two stone tablets containing the law of Moses.