Evidence of Samson legend

A small stone seal found in Israel may be the first archaeological evidence of Samson, the strongest man ever described in the Bible.

With a diameter of less than 25mm, the engraved image of a long-haired athlete is fighting a giant beast with a tail belonging to the cat family. It was found in the ruins of Tell Beit Shemesh, in the hill of Judaean near Jerusalem, dating back to the 11th century BC.

According to the Bible, the seal appeared at the time when the Jews were led by leaders called judges, one of whom was Samson. The site of stone excavation, near the Sorek River, marks the ancient border between the Israelite and Philistine territories, suggesting that this image may represent the part of the Bible reflected by the Philistine.

Being a legendary figure in the Old Testament, Samson is said to have been granted divine power by God to defeat all enemies. This power - discovered by Samson after encountering a lion and using his hand to uncover the animal - lies in the long hair of the hero. The Bible records that Samson has made many victories for the Israelites, one of whom once killed a force of 1,000 Philistine troops with the jaw of the donkey. And according to a traditional motif, the hero is hard to cross.

Samson's legend always draws the attention of modern people

The small seal engraved the story of a long-haired hero against a lion's head

The hero Samson has fallen to the beauty of Delilah, a Philistine woman living in Sorek valley. The beauty cut off the mistress's long hair, stripping the supernatural power of the brave guy that made Samson into the hands of the enemy. Philistine troops blinded their rival eyes and forced Samson to work hard in Gaza. After praying to God to restore his power for the last time and content, Samson broke the Temple of Dagon, dragging numerous Philistine troops into the grave before taking his last breath.

Despite such detailed descriptions, archaeologists Shlomo Bunimovitz and Tel Aviv University's Zvi Lederman have yet to conclude whether the engraver is Samson in legend. This is just a simple engraving of a hero who defeated a lion, according to Haaretz.

Archaeologists also found a large number of pig bones near the Sorek River in the territory of Philistine, while they found almost nothing in the territory of Israel. This may be that local people choose not to eat pigs to distinguish them from the Philistine enemy.'These details add a legendary episode to the social process, whereby the two hostile groups always want to separate their identities and characteristics from the enemy, like the situation that takes place along many border dates. Now, ' Bunimovitz told Haaretz.