JERUSALEM, Israel - Archaeologists announced the discovery of copper mines south of the Dead Sea, dating to the 10th century B.C., during the reign of King Solomon.

The team, led by University of California researcher Thomas Levy, working with Mohammad Najjar of Jordan's Friends of Archaeology, said the mines may very well have supplied the Israeli king with copper for his many building projects.

The discovery was made in the region the Bible refers to as Edom, now called Jordan.

Earlier excavations at the site, during the 1970s and 1980s, led archaeologists to believe that the mines dated to the 7th century B.C., but Levy and Najjar dug deeper, discovering materials that prove the mine was active during King Solomon's reign.

"We can't believe everything ancient writings tell us," Levi said. "But this research represents a confluence between the archaeological and scientific data and the Bible," he said.