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Myth Or Reality?

Museum exhibit seeks to unveil legendary Queen of Sheba.

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Solomon is purported to
have had 700 wives, 300
concubines and all the
power, wisdom and wealth
in the world.
But according to the
Bible, soon after the queen
arrived with her caravan, she
departed for home, leaving
centuries of rumor, myth,
legend and innuendo embla-
zoned on everything from
stained-glass windows to
paintings, furniture, tapes-
Among the stunning prints, drawings and film stills that illustrate the legendary lift of the
tries, jewelry and film.
Queen of Sheba is a bronze altar, seen here.
The queen has inspired
artists, poets, filmmakers,
Unfortunately — nothing tangible: no archaeologists and now museum cura-
MEREDITH GRENIER
crowns, jewels, sandals, bones or
tors. References to her also exist in
Copley News Service
DNA. Not yet.
Jewish, Ethiopian and Islamic texts
But pieces of the puzzle are pointing and traditions.
ho does she think she is, the
toward the belief that she actually did
Queen of Sheba? The
"There are lots of interpretations of
exist, said Nicholas Clapp, the exhib-
expression has rolled off the
the Queen of Sheba legend, which
it's curatorial consultant.
tongues of mere mortals for decades,
makes this exhibition and story so fas-
In fact, even as the exhibit shines
cinating," said curator St. John
maybe centuries — perhaps for as
the spotlight on this exotic queen,
Simpson of the British Museum,
many as 3,000 years, as far back as the
whose legend has refused to die for 30 which organized the exhibit exclusive-
mysterious queen is supposed to have
centuries, archaeologists are excavating ly for the Bowers.
reigned.
the area thought to be her kingdom.
The exhibit begins by introducing
But who is this famous queen, and
It's been a daunting task since much
visitors to the far-reaching influence of
where in the world was her kingdom
of the remains are buried under 70
the queen as legend, viewed as a figure
of Sheba? Did she even really exist?
feet of rubble, sand and ruins.
of beauty and seduction through
The Bowers Museum for Cultural
Despite the lack of concrete evi-
dozens of prints, drawings and film
Art in Santa Ana, Calif., seeks to
dence, Clapp, author of the New York
stills. Among the collection is a
answer these questions with its exhibit
Times best-seller Sheba: Through the
detailed 1590-1600 tinted drawing on
Queen of Sheba: Legend and
Desert in Search of the Legendary
paper of the queen reclining beside a
Reality." With more than 100 price-
Queen and director of a documentary
stream and a 1549 etching depicting
less treasures from the British
on the subject, casts an affirmative
her on her knees before King
Museum (many from the first centu-
vote. "I believe there was a Queen of
Solomon. According to legend, she
ry), the exhibit paints a detailed por-
Sheba," he said.
married Solomon around 950 B.C.E.
trait of life in Saba (from which the
The first evidence is in the Bible, he
The show then re-creates the early
word Sheba is derived) in about 950
said. "Often archaeology will take
history and cultural development of
B.C.E.
apart [historical references in] the
Sheba's ancient civilization, witnessed
This is when, according to the Old
Bible, but not with Sheba."
through new archaeological discoveries
Testament, the queen traveled from
The sultry queen made her literary
that prove a rich Bronze Age culture.
her kingdom, now Yemen, along a
debut in the Bible's Book of Kings.
While there's nothing that specifically
trade route with a camel caravan of
When, hearing of Solomon's great wis- belonged to the queen herself, there
gold, precious stones and exotic spices
dom, she visited him laden with gifts,
are spectacular examples of architec-
to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem.
tested him with riddles and was
tural elements, gold, jewels, pottery,
For about 1,400 years, Saba was the
impressed by his answers.
glass and metalwork that reveal daily
most powerful state in Southern
According to legend, she "suc-
life in this part of the ancient world.
Arabia and controlled trade routes
cumbed" and he reciprocated, "satisfy-
Glimpses of life are seen in pieces
between the Mediterranean and the
ing all her desires in addition to what
such as a third-century calcite-
Indian Ocean. Yet for centuries, due
he gave her in his capacity as king."
alabaster incense burner engraved with
to the remote nature of the land and
Over the years, literature and film
a camel rider.
its dangerous inhabitants, its archaeol-
have taken creative liberties with the
Through other artifacts such as a
ogy has remained relatively unex-
simple biblical text, raising the queen's gold bull's head, a bronze altar with a
plored.
legendary reputation as a femme
bull's head and a second- to third-cen-
But what evidence do curators have
fatale, among other things — after all, tury C.E. bronze hand with an
that the queen actually existed?

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