Those precious paws are getting pricier by the year!
The Philistines have been described as probably the biggest villains of the Hebrew Bible. Likely originating in Crete, they arrived in Canaan—modern-day Southern Levant—in the 12th century BCE and immediately made enemies with the Israelites. Years of conflict followed before their civilization crumbled, around 640 BCE, and with it their disappearance from historical and archaeological records. But who exactly were the Philistines, and what evidence sheds light on one of the Good Book's most mysterious and misunderstood peoples?
Click through and delve into the story behind the Bible's bad boys.
In the Hebrew Bible, there is an indication that the Philistines originated from the "Land of Caphtor" (modern-day Crete). The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) also connects them to Crete and the Aegean Islands region.
However, other scholars have suggested Anatolia in Turkey or other regions around the Black Sea as their place of origin.
The Philistines were probably in cahoots with the Sea Peoples, a confederation of tribes who overran the eastern Mediterranean at the end of the Late Bronze Age in the 13th century and early 12th century BCE. The image depicts the Egyptian campaign against the Sea Peoples seen on a relief from the mortuary temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu, Egypt.
Another relief in the temple shows captured Philistines in feathered headdresses being led away as prisoners by the Egyptians.
Philistine pottery unearthed on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean—Canaan—offer up further proof of their probable Cretan origins. The design of these artifacts mirror the provenance of those from the ancient Greek world.
Referred to as the Philistine Pentapolis, Philistia was a confederation of cities in the Southwest Levant. These five city-states were Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza. It was in these hubs that the Philistines, who had quickly gained notoriety for their thuggish and brutal behavior, ensconced themselves.
On June 28, 2016, in Ashkelon in modern-day Israel, archaeologists unearthed a Philistine cemetery for the first time. Excavations revealed the bones of what history has recorded as some of the biggest villains in the Hebrew Bible. The remains shed new light on the mysteries of their culture. Crucially, DNA evidence obtained supported the theory that the Philistines had indeed began as migrants from the west who settled in Ashkelon in the 12th century BCE.
Their penchant for bloodletting notwithstanding, the Philistines were in fact a cultured bunch. Archaeological evidence unearthed at another site, Tell es-Safi, somewhat contradicts the biblical caricature of the Philistines as barbarians. Artifacts found here include an exquisite figurine of the Egyptian goddess, Baste—a perfect example of the multiplicity of cultural influences seen in Philistine culture.
According to the Hebrew Bible, among the gods worshipped by the Philistines was the fish-tailed Dagon. Other deities included Baal, associated with fertility and the weather, Astarte, a goddess of war, and Asherah, goddess of motherhood.
Interestingly, Beelzebub, the prince of the devils, is the name given to the god of the Philistine city of Ekron.
There are no known documents in the Philistine language. Scholars believe they originally used an Aegean or Cretan script that was probably replaced by Canaanite, Aramaic, and, later, Greek.
The Great Harris Papyrus, divided into five sections, with hieratic text and three illustrations of Ramesses IV and the gods accompanied by hieroglyphic texts, refers to the Philistines as the Peleset.
The word "Philistine" derives from the Hebrew ha-Plištim. Later, in the 1st century CE, the Latin word for the lands of Canaan became "Palestine" during the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian.
The aforementioned Tell es-Safi, or Tel Tzafit in Hebrew, the remains of which sit on a site above the plain of Philistia, has been identified by some archaeologists as the Philistine city of Gath, mentioned in the Bible and the home base of the Philistine giant Goliath. The biblical character figures prominently in the narrative surrounding the Philistines and the Israelites.
The Israelites inhabited a part of Canaan. The conflict between the Israelites and the Philistines was to have an enormous impact upon the region.
The Philistines and the Israelites violently clashed on numerous occasions, with each experiencing various victories and defeats.
Notable engagements described in the Bible include the defeat of the Israelites at the Battle of Aphek, when the Philistines captured the Ark (pictured).
The Philistines were routed by Jonathan, the eldest son of King Saul, at the Battle of Michmash.
King Saul, leading the Israelites, faced the Philistines at the Valley of Elah. A stalemate ensued. Goliath challenged the Israelites to send out a champion of their own to decide the outcome in single combat. A shepherd boy called David, son-in-law of King Saul, accepted the duel. Armed only with a sling and a handful of rocks, the youngster floored the giant with his first stone. The iconic encounter is over in minutes and the "David and Goliath" legend is born.
The two sides met again on Mount Gilboa. Saul led a charge against the Philistines, but the Israelites were overwhelmed. Fearing defeat, Saul took his own life by "falling on his sword." His sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Melchishua were killed in battle. David, the "giant killer," subsequently assumed kingship over Israel and Judah.
Israelite military leader Samson was also a nazarite—an individual who'd voluntarily dedicated himself to God. Samson was blessed with immense strength to aid him against his enemies. On one occasion, according to the biblical account, Samson dispatched a huge lion with his bare hands.
The Hebrew Bible also tells of Samson massacring an entire army of Philistines using only the jawbone of a donkey. But Samson had a weak point—his hair. If his long curly locks were cut, he'd lose his strength.
Despite his hatred of the Philistines, Samson had a soft spot for Philistine women. In fact, he was married to one, a beauty called Timnah. Never satisfied, he took a lover, Delilah. Big mistake. Delilah was bribed by the Philistines into cutting Samson's hair. Instantly weakened and defenseless, the once mighty warrior was delivered to his enemy.
The Philistines showed no mercy. They gouged out Samson's eyes and threw him in prison. Incarcerated, his hair began to grow back. Soon, Samson was escorted to a temple where his captors gloated over their prize. But the prisoner had regained his strength and in one final act of defiance proceeded to break the pillars thus collapsing the temple, killing him and the dozens of people inside.
Defeat by King David in the 10th century BCE resulted in the Philistines losing their autonomy. Hezekiah, the 13th king of Judah according to the Hebrew Bible, eventually conquered all the Philistine cities—from the smallest town to the largest city—all the way to Gaza and the area around it.
The Philistines suffered final defeat at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. After the establishment of its successor, the Persian Empire, they lost their distinct ethnic identity and by the late 5th century BCE had disappeared from historical and archaeological records.
Philistine legacy endures. 'David with the Head of Goliath,' made in 1470, is a key work in the early Renaissance development of bronze statuettes in northern Italy. Its creator, Bartolomeo Bellano, was a disciple of Donatello.
Later, the phrase "David and Goliath" came to denote an underdog situation, a contest wherein a smaller, weaker opponent faces a much bigger, stronger adversary. Pictured is the medieval Goliathhaus ("Goliath House") in Regensburg, Germany. Built in 1260, the biblical narrative of David and Goliath appeared on the facade in 1573.
English poet Mathew Arnold (1822–1888) is credited with introducing the contemporary meaning of philistine after adapting to English the German word Philister. Today, we know a philistine as someone who is lacking in or hostile or smugly indifferent to cultural values, intellectual pursuits, and aesthetic refinement.
At the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem, display cases show artifacts from 30 archaeological excavations in Ashkelon. Among the finds are several jugs and juglets unearthed in the cemetery.
Sources: (National Geographic) (Britannica) (World History Encyclopedia) (Bible Study Tools)
Who were the Philistines?
One of history's most misunderstood civilizations
LIFESTYLE Civilizations
The Philistines have been described as probably the biggest villains of the Hebrew Bible. Likely originating in Crete, they arrived in Canaan—modern-day Southern Levant—in the 12th century BCE and immediately made enemies with the Israelites. Years of conflict followed before their civilization crumbled, around 640 BCE, and with it their disappearance from historical and archaeological records. But who exactly were the Philistines, and what evidence sheds light on one of the Good Book's most mysterious and misunderstood peoples?
Click through and delve into the story behind the Bible's bad boys.