Jerusalem to the Dead Sea is based on Asterix creator and writer René Goscinny (also of Jewish stock), who had died four years earlier. Asterix's and Obelix's visit to Jerusalem is full of references to the Bible. For example, Economikrisis mentions on page 29 that they have arrived in "the promised land". Asterix and Obelix spend the night in a stable in Bethlehem, and Saul ben Ephishul mentions the story of David and Goliath and the Roman procurator — known as "Pontius Pirate" (a reference to Pontius Pilate) — is constantly washing his hands. Pontius Pirate resembles French actor Jean Gabin. In the desert, Asterix and Obelix run into several warrior groups from historical Mesopotamian cultures — Sumerians, Assyrians, Hittites, Medes etc. — who each greet them with a hail of arrows because they mistake them for their enemies. Incidentally, the cultures conquered each other in the reverse order to which they appear in the comic; i.e. the Medes conquered the Assyrians, the Akkadians conquered the Sumerians etc. Their presence is, however, anachronistic, as these cultures no longer existed in Roman times. The entire sequence is a reference to the later 20th century conflicts in the Middle East. The Herodian Kingdom of Israel is anachronistically referred as Palestine — this name came into use only in the 2nd century CE, whereas Asterix is set c. 50 BCE. Near the end of the book when the rock oil is spilled into the sea, a seabird angrily shouts: "Oh no, don't tell me you are starting already!". This is a reference to oil spills, most notably the Amoco Cadiz which sank in 1978 in front of the coast of Brittany, where the home village of Asterix is located, according to the series. The scene of Jerusalem is taken one on one from the Holyland hotel 2nd temple model as can be seen here in its original location (in a 3d view). This model has been moved to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The Jews are all depicted as Yemenite Jews, with dark skin and black eyes and beards, a tribute to Marc Chagall the famous painter whose painting of King David hangs at the Knesset (Israeli Parliament). Uderzo includes several small references to Jewish traditions. The Gauls leave Jerusalem through the Lions' Gate, which, while drawn very accurately, was in fact built more than 1,200 years after the timeline of the Asterix