BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

The Philistines Are Coming!

Exploring the reality of ancient migration

The traditional view of the biblical Philistines sees them as an organized and powerful force that moved in and conquered part of the southern Levant during the transition between the Late Bronze and early Iron Ages (13th–11th centuries BCE). More than three decades of excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath, however, suggest that the Philistines’ entrance into Canaan was a much more complex process.

In his article “Gath of the Philistines: A New View of Ancient Israel’s Archenemy,” published in the Fall 2024 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, archaeologist Aren Maier of Bar-Ilan University in Israel explores these new revelations about the Philistines and what they teach us about ancient Israel’s infamous enemy.

Complicated Entrances

According to Maeir, the group we think of today as the Philistines was far from a single people at the start. Instead, they were comprised of groups from all over the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean, including people from Anatolia and Canaan. The same can be said for their material culture and religious life. However, perhaps the most surprising discovery from Tell es-Safi—and many other Philistine cities—is the lack of destruction layers that can be clearly associated with the arrival of the Philistines. Instead, the Philistines appear to have integrated into the local population, continuing, with only slight variations, many of the cultural, linguistic, and religious traits of the Bronze Age Canaanites.

Indeed, while modern readers often think of ancient migration as being inherently destructive and violent, this was not always the case. Another famous example from the ancient Near East of a more complex migration is the Amorites.

A semi-nomadic group closely related to the Canaanites, the Amorites moved into Mesopotamia (modern Iraq and Syria) in the second half of the third millennium BCE. At various times, this migration put them in conflict or alliance with the earlier inhabitants of the region, the Sumerians and Akkadians. In fact, in some cases, Mesopotamian rulers even constructed massive walls to keep the Amorites at bay. One such wall, constructed by King Shu-Sin (r. 2037–2028 BCE), stretched 170 miles between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

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Despite this, the Amorites eventually spread throughout Mesopotamia, and while they did bring some of their own customs with them, they largely integrated into the local population, worshiping the gods of the Sumerians and Akkadians and even adopting the Akkadian language. Following the decline of Sumerian and Akkadian power and the destruction of Ur at the hands of the neighboring Elamites (from southwestern Persia), it was the Amorites who rose to power, ruling Mesopotamia for the next 500 years. This era, known as the Isin-Larsa period (c. 2004–1763 BCE) and Old Babylonian Period (c. 1894–1595 BCE), saw some of the most characteristic features of Mesopotamian history, including the writing of great literary works such as the Epic of Gilgamesh. Perhaps the most famous Amorite king was Hammurabi, king of Babylon. However, the period of Amorite rule was also notable for its continuation of Sumerian and Akkadian traditions and customs.

Ancient migrations were typically much more complex than modern notions assume. Even the famous Hyksos conquest of Egypt witnessed the Hyksos kings take on pharaonic titles and continue Egyptian traditions. Was the Philistine “conquest” another example of this integration-over-occupation pattern? Read Aren Maier’s article “Gath of the Philistines: A New View of Ancient Israel’s Archenemy,” published in the Fall 2024 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, to find out.

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Subscribers: Read the full article, “Gath of the Philistines: A New View of Ancient Israel’s Archenemy,” by Aren Maeir, in the Fall 2024 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

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Related reading in Bible History Daily

The Destruction of Philistine Gath

From Philistine Capital to Judahite City

Rethinking the Early Philistine Threat

Philistine Cemetery Unearthed at Ashkelon

The Philistine Marketplace at Ashkelon

All-Access subscribers, read more in the BAS Library

Gath of the Philistines: A New View of Ancient Israel’s Archenemy

Excavating Philistine Gath: Have We Found Goliath’s Hometown?

Philistine Temple Discovered Within Tel Aviv City Limits

Exploring Philistine Origins on the Island of Cyprus

Philistine Kin Found in Early Israel

Philistine Fashion