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Philistine
People - Britannica
Philistine
people
Philistine, one of a people of Aegean origin who settled on
the southern coast of Palestine in the 12th century BCE, about the time of the
arrival of the Israelites. According to biblical tradition (Deuteronomy 2:23;
Jeremiah 47:4), the Philistines came from Caphtor (possibly Crete, although
there is no archaeological evidence of a Philistine occupation of the island).
The first records of the Philistines are inscriptions and reliefs in the
mortuary temple of Ramses III at Madinat Habu, where they appear under the name
prst, as one of the Sea Peoples that invaded Egypt about 1190 BCE after
ravaging Anatolia, Cyprus, and Syria. After being repulsed by the Egyptians,
they settled—possibly with Egypt’s permission—on the coastal plain of Palestine
from Joppa (modern Tel Aviv–Yafo) southward to Gaza. The area contained the five
cities (the Pentapolis) of the Philistine confederacy (Gaza, Ashkelon
[Ascalon], Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron) and was known as Philistia, or the Land of
the Philistines. It was from this designation that the whole of the country was
later called Palestine by the Greeks.
The Philistines expanded into neighbouring areas and soon
came into conflict with the Israelites, a struggle represented by the Samson
saga (Judges 13–16) in the Hebrew Bible. Possessing superior arms and military
organization, the Philistines were able (c. 1050 BCE) to occupy part of the
Judaean hill country. The Philistines’ local monopoly on smithing iron (I
Samuel 13:19), a skill they probably acquired in Anatolia, was likely a factor
in their military dominance during this period. They were finally defeated by
the Israelite king David (10th century), and thereafter their history was that
of individual cities rather than of a people. After the division of Judah and
Israel (10th century), the Philistines regained their independence and often
engaged in border battles with those kingdoms.
The first nonbiblical reference to the Philistines after
their settling on the Palestinian coast is in the annals of the Assyrian king
Adad-nirari III (810–782), who boasted of having collected tribute from Philistia.
By the early part of the 7th century, Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, Ashdod, and
probably Gath were vassals of the Assyrian rulers; during the second half of
that century, the cities became Egyptian vassals. With the conquests of the
Babylonian king Nebuchadrezzar II (605–562) in Syria and Palestine, the
Philistine cities became part of the Neo-Babylonian empire. In later times they
came under the control of Persia, Greece, and Rome.
There are no documents in the Philistine language, which
was probably replaced by Canaanite, Aramaic, and, later, Greek. Little is known
of the Philistine religion; the Philistine gods mentioned in biblical and other
sources such as Dagan, Ashteroth (Astarte), and Beelzebub, have Semitic names
and were probably borrowed from the conquered Canaanites. Until their defeat by
David, the Philistine cities were ruled by seranim, “lords,” who acted in
council for the common good of the nation. After their defeat, the seranim were
replaced by kings.
At sites occupied by the Philistines at an early period, a
distinctive type of pottery, a variety of the 13th-century Mycenaean styles,
has been found. Philistine temples and shrines displaying a variety of Aegean
design elements have been excavated in Ashdod, Ekron, and Tel Qasile.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam
Augustyn.