Said to have been created by the third Israelite king, Solomon, and designed by Hiram of Tyre, this most famous of Hebrew temples was completed after 7 years in 950 B.C.E., and was constructed of cedar, limestone, and copious amounts of gold and silver.  Continuously torn down and rebuilt, it was finally destroyed for good by Roman invaders in 70 C.E.  Unlike the temples of most cultures, the Temple of Solomon was unique in that it had no representations of the god it was built for; the "Most Holy of Holies" was completely empty!  It is said that one of the signs pointing to the end of the world would be the rebuilding of the temple....
