My name is Samuel, and I'm a hobbyist learning about Semitic languages, so apologies if this is basic.
I've learned that the biblical vocalization is something like Shemuel, with a quick vowel at the start, and modern Hebrew shortens it to Shmuel. I also read that the Greek Septuagint writes it Samouēl, which seems to suggest a fuller vowel there at some point. And I've seen that "El" may have been pronounced more like "il" at earlier stages.
So my questions are:
What's the best guess for how it sounded back in Samuel's era? Something like Shamuʾil?
Is there any way to know the first vowel, or is that mostly guesswork?
Any accessible reading on how Hebrew pronunciation changed over time?