crew with an abundance of evidence from 1200 to 700 b.c. so we re talking about what, 500 years 500 years. the turbulent period of king david and king solomon as well as their heirs. in these 500 years there were four major destruction layers at megiddo because of big wars. reporter: the wars brought turmoil. rioting broke out. reporter: think of america in the 1960s. and at times like these amid the unrest and confusion there are always a few distinctive voice that s capture the mood of the moment. the people who played that role in ancient israel are known to us now as the biblical prophets. the prophet is the one who calls us to do what is right at a time that it s so easy to do what is wrong. and the hebrew prophets cry aloud against their own people, against their own rulers, against their own aristocracy for their unjust dealings with the people.
and now, for centuries everyone has searched for its treasures. from knights templar to modern adventurers. but what do we really know about king solomon s temple? back to the beginning with christiane amanpour continues. on our journey through the lands of the bible we found ourselves lingering in the old city of jerusalem here in this place that is so sacred to jews, christians, and muslims. it is easy to imagine your way back to around 970 b.c., when the bible says the famous king solomon reigned. solomon became in a sense the very ideal of the oriental emperor as the sort of magnificent king. under david and solomon the israelites were able to amalgamate into a pretty powerful kingdom. solomon seemed determined not
and down in the caves below jerusalem we consider another possibility. the ark never left but was instead hidden away in this underground labyrinth. so you think it remained in jerusalem. yes. we know from the bible another thing. one of the kings put it somewhere in the tunnels. a tunnel like this? nobody knows. is there any evidence of this no evidence. no evidence at all. only many stories around. reporter: if only these walls could speak. they do, however, appear almost to weep. and their tears are said to tell a powerful story about the destruction of jerusalem. the name of this corner is tzedakiah s tears. tears of the king. the tears of the king. tzedakiah was the last king of judea. tears for the destruction of the temple. the nation. this was the end of the first temple period.
according to ethiopian tradition, during their meeting solomon and sheba became lovers. and the ethiopian royal family descends from their union. when the koran gives you this example of such a powerful female ruler, this inspires me. this tells me i have a place in the world of politics. reporter: and while it s possible that solomon s wisdom may have attracted those seeking his counsel, so too would the temple that he s said to have built. solomon s temple was of course an astonishing building. reporter: in the bible pages and pages are devoted to describing the temple. solomon s temple, as far as we can tell, was built as a replica of the garden of eden. when human beings and gods lived close by one another. reporter: and through the ages people have imagined what it might have looked like. it s a very common human yearning to feel that god is here among us and that in this abode we have built, that is where god dwells with us on
according to ethiopian tradition, during their meeting solomon and sheba became lovers. and the ethiopian royal family descends from their union. when the koran gives you this example of such a powerful female ruler, this inspires me. this tells me i have a place in the world of politics. reporter: and while it s possible that solomon s wisdom may have attracted those seeking his counsel, so too would the temple that he s said to have built. solomon s temple was of course an astonishing building. reporter: in the bible pages and pages are devoted to describing the temple. solomon s temple, as far as we can tell, was built as a replica of the garden of eden. when human beings and gods lived close by one another. reporter: and through the ages people have imagined what it might have looked like. it s a very common human yearning to feel that god is here among us and that in this abode we have built, that is