Hercules, the mighty strongman of the summer sky

[Admin]

A staple of mythology, the hero Hercules has a strange celestial story.

Hercules, the mighty strongman of the summer sky : Read more

 

[rod]

M13 is a favorite target for my 10-inch telescope. Lovely views. I note this astronomical history provided in the article. "Like many of our oldest constellations, Hercules can be traced to the beginnings of recorded history about 5,000 years ago in the Middle East, specifically Mesopotamia (the region that today we call Iraq), although we refer to the ancient hero by his Latin name. Hercules has long represented a man of extraordinary strength and he appears in various forms in the legends of many peoples throughout the region, including the tale of Sampson in the Bible."

Is this a fact that the Sampson account was borrowed from Hercules reports? Consider. BAR 36(5):58-64, 2010 (September/October) report. The town Timnah mentioned in Joshua 15:10 and Judges 14:1 has been identified and excavated. Hershel Shanks reported the Philistine period of Timnah belongs to Iron Age I (1200-1000 B.C.) and fits the description found in the Old Testament. Judges 14 presents a reliable text and ancient.

Perhaps the *tale* was borrowed the other way. Greeks heard from the Philistines what took place in ancient Canaan. Interesting how ancient astronomy can be reported.