“One of these archaeological objects represents the occasion when Samson encountered a lion and tore him apart with his bare hands.”
The object in question is a small stone seal discovered by archaeologists in 2012.
The seal was dated to the 12th century BC and depicts a strongman confronting a lion without a weapon in hand.
In the Bible, Samson is said to have killed a lion with his bare hands.
The moment is described in Judges 14, where it reads: “The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat.”
Professor Meyer said: “The small seal, only 15 mm in diameter, was found at the city of Beth-shemesh, a hub city in the Biblical lowlands that was within eyesight of Samson’s home city of Zorah and a short walk from Timnath, the place where Samson slew the lion.”