Animal Accuracy

In this image you can see my illustration with a goat and hornet as “supporting characters”, along side is the photo reference. It is important in this project that every detail is correct, so thanks to the power of the internet these things can be easily researched and drawn from photo references.

This is the breed of wild goat that would have been found in ancient Canaan, they do not look like the goats we are used to in the west. The same applies to the hornet, this brown hornet with two yellow stripes, called the Oriental Hornet, is the type found in that region.

Maps Integrated

Maps interspersed into the story help pinpoint the action and also highlight the times that significant events happen on the same turf or nearby to other significant events. In this example Samson goes down the Gaza.

In the image we can also see a silhouette of the city of Gaza, this is based on the image or neighbouring Ashkelon from the time of Seti I, between 1290–1279 BC. Also there is a model of a Philistine ship created from the many pictures of the sea battle with the Philistines (sea people) on the walls of Medinet Habu from about 1185-52 BC, during the reign of Rameses III.

Lastly, the sun is setting in the correct direction based on the geography.

Birds of a feather

Here we have more “supporting characters”. The 'Eurasian Sparrowhawk' and 'Black Chested Sparrow Lark' both birds naturally native to Israel.

Samson's Home

Example from Judges 13:25, Samson grows up at Mahaneh Dan (the camp of Dan) between Zorah and Eshtaol. From the description and what we know of Israel's settlement patterns, it's not too hard to pin point where this is. My image includes that stunning landscape view visible from the place where Samson really lived.

Dissected panel

One panel taken as an example and focused in on to show the features included in the image and how they relate to the Bible and history.

How did Philistines look?

In this picture you can see how the Philistines were depicted by the people of the day. It is fascinating how accurate they are with reference to each other. All these are from the 12th century and contemporary with Samson and the later Judges.

The Egyptians fought them ~1175BC as they tried to invade Eqypt and engraved many of their soldiers in stone at Medinet Habu. The Egyptians called them Peleset, in a group they referred to as the “Sea People”. They are from Crete and Mycenae and the picture in the middle shows warriors of that culture depicted by themselves, from “the Warrior Vase”. The last one was carved on an ivory box from Cyprus, from where Philistines staged many of their sea faring attacks and raids.