[Scott Woodruff]

Kevin, we have not really decided yet, we are still in the thinking about it stage. I was thinking the time of David ( I love to shoot the sling) but I am now thinking maybe something more recent, even as recent as the Maccabean rebellion.

Sa'ar, thank you, the pic of the relief is most helpful. I really would love any details on the meter-long sword. Is the spearhead you described just the typical leaf-shape with a mid-rib, or is it someting else?

[Sa'ar Nudel]

The spearhead is more angular than leaf-shaped, it has long, stright/slanting edges with narrow fullers. I will try to provide photos.
Oh, BTW, during Iron I they had axes, double bitted much like the 19th-20th c. felling axe. These were forged iron copy of the earlier, bronze double axe, possibly from the Aegean Sea. They were gone by the Iron II period.

[Stephane Rabier]

Hi,
sorry for the being off topic but it looks like they already had tanks..

[Sa'ar Nudel]

[Felix Kunze]

Maybe these pictures from Yigael Yadin's book can give you some ideas for weapons and armor from the period you asked for. Sorry, only cellphone quality.

[Felix Kunze]

Some more. None of the period pictures show axes as weapons and the swords seem to be rather slender. Pharaoh Sheshonq's scale armor, although egyptian, may give some idea for the armor used champions of the Levante, like Goliath.

[Scott Woodruff]

Wow! Thank you very much Felix. These are VERY helpful. Can you tell me a bit about the provenance of these reliefs?

[Scott Woodruff]

Particularly the first and last.

[Henrik Zoltan Toth]

There was found an antient ship near to the Anatolian coast in the Egeis see wich was sank in those years. There were found some kanaanite swords on board.

Zoltán

[Felix Kunze]

The warriors on the grey stones are all from Tell Halaf and date from the 10th. century. Tell halaf is a ruin-site in north-eastern Syria, not far from the border to present-day Turkey. The original name of the City in this period (their are some older in deeper layers of the Tell) seems to have been Gusana(assyrian Name) or Gosan (bible 2. Kings 17.6). In the 9th century it was the residence of an aramaean prince, at around 800 BC an assyrian governeurs palace was built in their fortress. The Israelites of Samaria were resettled by force in this territory. I hope that helps.

Zoltan, do you mean the ship from Ulu Burun (14th century BC)?
And one more from Yadin, that I forgot earlier:

[Scott Woodruff]

Yes, Felix, that is very helpful. Thank you very much.

[William P]

out of curiosity, what level of head/ face protection did bronze age helmets give?
i mean we hear about the old story of david and golioth slamming golioth in the forehead witha ston, i get the feeling that if golioth for example had a helmet fthat fromed the face orcovered the forehead more, he might have managed to walk away from that fight.
i mean there appears to be a citical lack of nasals for example.

[Matthew Amt]

Well, I hate to sound like a broken record, but "It varied!" Some helmets offered some nose protection, but many did not:

http://www.larp.com/hoplite/BAarmor.html#helmets

And even with a helmet like my Mycenaean horned helmet, if Goliath figured that David was no threat and pushed it back on his head a little (quite common with closed helmets like Corinthians), he'd be wide open.

I wouldn't call a lack of a nasal "critical". The Romans conquered the world without nasals! Only added them once their Empire had reached its height.

If the Philistines had known more about slings, or if the Israelites had seen fit to send a *proper* champion out to fight an honest man-to-man duel, then yes, the modern term "David and Goliath" would mean something very different!

Matthew