The latest bit of my 15mm Biblical settlement. Not so interesting as the last one - but completed more quickly!
Inspired by a History Channel documentary, and the eBay discovery of a souvenir bottle of coloured sand from Timna in the south of Israel. This now covers the area, along with some model railway coal as slag.
Timna has many ancient copper mines and the remains of smelting camps. Here is my attempt to replicate a small part of the area. Copper mining also took place in Sudan, so some of my miners and smelters may have come from there…
The mine area:
The onagers (which may actually be mules in disguise) I have had for so long that I have no memory of where they are from.
Other figures are from Xyston, Essex, Chariot and Forged in Battle.
The smelting area:
There are two smelters, one operated by bellows…
…and the other by blowpipes.
The bellows and pipes are all worked by Blue Moon African villagers, some of whom have had head transplants. The wineskin carrying lady is an Irregular African villager. Other figures as before
Animal pens were found in the area, showing evidence of occupation by goats and onagers.
Goats are from Pendraken/Minibits and Irregular, Onagers from Museum Miniatures, straw is 6mm static grass. Stable and gates are scratchbuilt from various oddments of wood, hurdle fence from Crom's Anvil. Thatch is model railway reeds.
