Post on 23-Feb-2023
ANT 340 / 640:
The Archaeology and History of the “Bible Lands”:
Ancient (Syria)-Palestine.Notes and images compiled by Gregory Mumford © 2020
Lecture 17:Iron Age I: Philistines (Days of the Judges)
Table of contents: The Philistines
1. The Sea Peoples’ arrival in Canaan: The P-l-s-t & others 4
2. Sea Peoples’ arrival in Canaan: P-l-s-t & others, historical sources 6
3. The Sea Peoples’ arrival in Canaan: The initial settlement 26
4. The Philistines: Settlement patterns at the main sites 34
5. The Philistines: Settlement patterns in general 43
6. The Philistines: Settlement patterns in the periphery of Philistia 49
7. The Philistines: Settlement patterns –Philistia & NW Negev 63
8. The Philistines: Settlement patterns –the Philistine emergence 72
9. The Philistines: Settlement patterns –planning, walls & layout 82
10. The Philistines: Settlements, public buildings & significance 90
11. The Philistines: Settlements, residential areas 94
12. The Philistines: Settlements, temples & shrines 97
13. The Philistines: Religion & culture, cult figurines 112
14. The Philistines: Religion & culture, ritual vessels 117
15. The Philistines: Religion & culture, cultic significance 127
16. The Philistines: Material culture, glyptic art and writing 131
17. The Philistines: Mortuary material culture, burial customs 134
18. The Philistines: Demise of the Philistines 142
19. Summary of main points 150
20. Selected sources 155
Instructor tips for lectures, etc.:
(1). Attend class regularly (& listen) …→ Many clarifications, tips, announcements,
reinforcement & reviews of materials/concepts.
(2). Take notes on lectures, etc. …→ The act of writing down notes, even with
most course materials and instructions online,
serves as an invaluable aid to one focusing on
a class topic and retaining information better.
(3). Complete the required textbook
readings, and/or review the ppt.,
prior to the specific class day …→ This will provide greater clarity and
comprehension of the material, and will enable
asking focused questions where something
may be less clear (in the textbook or lecture).
(4). Ask questions during the class if
you are confused/wish more data→ The class is an ideal place to ask for more
clarity or further information not contained in
the textbook, ppt., and/or lecture (If nobody
asks questions, the lecture proceeds …).
(5). Complete optional materials:→ Additional reinforcement, studying & bonus?
https://howtostudyincollege.com/how-to-get-good-grades/note-taking-strategies/
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement of Philistines and other
Sea Peoples:
• The “Sea Peoples” represent many
ethnic groups who arrived & settled in
the Levant in late LB 2B - early Iron I.
• The best known group = the Peleset
= biblical “Philistines”
• The anc. textual materials are relatively
sparse regarding the Sea Peoples,
thereby making the archaeological
record the most important source for
understanding this time period.
• The increasing excavation of Philistine
sites and defining of their material
culture assemblage is enabling a much
better understanding of their settlement
in the southwest coastal plain.
E.g., Trude Dothan excavations
Other excavations
The “P – l – s – t”→ Peleset (Egyptian)
→ Philistines (biblical texts)
Iron Age I:
(1,200 – 1,000 BCE)
The Sea Peoples’
arrival in Canaan:
The P-l-s-t & others:HISTORICAL SOURCES
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• Individual groups in the Sea Peoples’
coalition are attested prior to 1200 BC:
Mid-late 14th cent. BC Amarna Letters:
- Sherden appear as mercenaries in
Egypt’s army.
- The Lukka appear as sea raiders.
13th cent. BC:
- Sherden attested as auxiliaries in the
Egyptian army under Ramesses II,
in the Battle of Kadesh against Hatti.
- 5 groups of “foreigners from the sea”
fight with the Libyans against Egypt
during Merenptah’s reign:
- Sherden
- Shekelesh
- Lukka
- Tursha (Teresh)
- Akawasha (Ekwesh)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• Individual groups in the Sea Peoples
coalition are attested prior to 1200 BC:
Mid-late 14th cent. BC Amarna Letters:
- Sherden appear as mercenaries in
Egypt’s army.
- The Lukka appear as sea raiders.
13th cent. BC:
- Sherden = attested as auxiliaries in
the Egyptian army under Ramesses II,
in the Battle of Kadesh against Hatti.
- 5 groups of “foreigners from the sea”
fight with the Libyans against Egypt in
Merenptah’s reign: late 13th cent. BC
- Sherden (i.e., allies & enemies)
- Shekelesh
- Lukka (sea raiders elsewhere)
- Tursha (Teresh)
- Akawasha (Ekwesh)
During LB Age …
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
- The Sea Peoples are best described
in Ramesses III’s Medinet Habu texts
regarding the their invasion in year 8,
which focused on ‘Hatti’, Cilicia (Kode),
W.Anatolia (Arzawa), Cyprus (Alashya)
- They are described as gathering in
Amurru (Lebanon; SW of Kadesh) in
preparation to attack Egypt’s N. empire
- Ramesses III claims victory against
both land forces in Palestine,
and a sea invasion of the delta.
- Plst (Philistines) = freq. cited in Bible
- Shekelesh
- Weshesh
- Tjekel (or Shkl) = sea raiders; at Dor
- Dnn (Denyen; Dnnym) → Cylicia
- Sherden (other R-III texts)
- Teresh(other R-III texts)
Medinet Habu: Ramesses III
ArzawaCilicia
Cyprus
HATTI
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
- The Sea Peoples are best described
in Ramesses III’s Medinet Habu texts
regarding the their invasion in year 8,
which focused on Hatti, Cilicia (Kode),
W.Anatolia (Arzawa), Cyprus (Alashya)
- They are described as gathering in
Amurru (Lebanon; SW of Kadesh) in
preparation to attack Egypt’s N.Empire
- Ramesses III claims victory against
both land forces in Palestine,
and a sea invasion of the delta.
- Plst (Philistines) = freq. cited in Bible
- Shekelesh
- Weshesh
- Tjekel (or Shkl) = sea raiders; at Dor
- Dnn (Denyen; Dnnym) → Cylicia
- Sherden (other R-III texts)
- Teresh (other R-III texts)
Amurru:
• Mainly a Hittite controlled
and dominated area in the
northern Levant …
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
- The Sea Peoples are best described
in Ramesses III’s Medinet Habu texts
regarding the their invasion in year 8,
which focused on Hatti, Cilicia (Kode),
W.Anatolia (Arzawa), Cyprus (Alashya)
- They are described as gathering in
Amurru (Lebanon; SW of Kadesh) in
preparation to attack Egypt’s N. empire
- Ramesses III claims victory against
both land forces in Palestine,
and a sea invasion of the delta.
- Plst (Philistines) = freq. cited in Bible
- Shekelesh
- Weshesh
- Tjekel (or Shkl) = sea raiders; at Dor
- Dnn (Denyen; Dnnym) → Cilicia
- Sherden (other R-III texts)
- Teresh (other R-III texts)
Medinet Habu: Ramesses III
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• Medinet Habu battle scenes illustrate:
- Bird-headed ships for Sea Peoples
with square/rectilinear sails.
- 3 Sea Peoples’ ships have warriors
wearing “feathered”/flaring helmets,
with captions elsewhere designating
such persons as:
a. Peleset (= Philistines)
b. Denyen
c. Tjekel
- 2 Sea Peoples’ ships have warriors
wearing helmets with a pair of horns,
who are elsewhere designated as
d. Sherden
- The Sea Peoples in general fight with
a. Long swords
b. Spears
c. Circular shields
Feathered helmets =
worn by 3 Sea Peoples:
Not just Peleset !
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• In land battle scenes, the Sea Peoples
= depicted wearing “feathered” helmets
in 6-spoked chariots that hold a three-
person crew: i.e., Anatolian-type crew
a. Charioteer (driver)
b. Two spearmen
- Their chariots are accompanied by
groups of infantry in groups of four with
a. Lances/spears
b. Long swords
c. Circular shields
- Behind the advancing Sea Peoples’
troops appear ox-drawn wagons that
hold women, children, & some troops
i.e., migrating families of Sea Peoples.
- Most Sea Peoples = clean-shaven
- Some = bearded (including Plst; Tjkl)
Peleset(Philistines)
Denyen
Tjekel
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• In land battle scenes, the Sea Peoples
= depicted wearing “feathered” helmets
in 6-spoked chariots that hold a three-
person crew:
a. Charioteer (driver)
b. Two spearmen
- Their chariots are accompanied by
groups of infantry in groups of four with
a. Lances/spears
b. Long swords
c. Circular shields
- Behind the advancing Sea Peoples’
troops appear ox-drawn wagons that
hold women, children, & some troops
i.e.,migrating families of Sea Peoples.
- Most Sea Peoples = clean-shaven
- Some = bearded (including Plst; Tjkl)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• Enkomi on Cyprus has yielded some
artifacts depicting similar Sea Peoples:
- E.g., Ivory box lid with a chieftain in a
chariot accompanied by a soldier with
a “feathered” helmet, a beard, a battle
axe, etc.
- E.g., A seal illustrating a soldier with
a “feathered” helmet, circular shield,
etc.
→ Hence, important links exist between
Cyprus and at least this major part of
the Sea Peoples:
i.e., Peleset, Denyen, and Tjekel.
• Ramesses III boasted about a victory
regarding these, & other, Sea Peoples
in Papyrus Harris I:
Cyprus: Potential links with (migrant?)
“Peleset” OR Denyen /Tjekel
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• Enkomi on Cyprus has yielded some
artifacts depicting similar Sea Peoples:
- E.g., Ivory box lid with a chieftain in a
chariot accompanied by soldier with
a “feathered” helmet, a beard, a battle
axe, etc.
- E.g., A seal illustrating a soldier with
a “feathered” helmet, circular shield,
etc.
→ Hence, important links exist between
Cyprus and at least this major part of
the Sea Peoples:
i.e., Peleset, Denyen, &/or Tjekel.
• Ramesses III boasted about a victory
regarding these, & other, Sea Peoples
in Papyrus Harris I:
Enkomi (Cyprus)
CYPRUS
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• R-III (Papyrus Harris I):
- “I slew the Denyen in their islands,
while the Tjekel and the Philistines
were made ashes.”
- “The Sherden and the Weshwesh
were made non-existent, captured
all together and brought in captivity
to Egypt like the sand of the shore.”
- “I settled them in strongholds, bound
in my name.”
- “Their military classes were as
numerous as hundred-thousands.”
- “I assigned portions for them all with
clothing and provisions from the
treasuries and granaries every year.”
May not necessarily mean strongholds
in Canaan (versus “Egypt” only …) ???
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• Despite Ramesses III’s claims of
victory against the Sea Peoples’,
in essence the enemy obtained their
ultimateobjective: They settled
both in Egypt and Palestine, albeit
initially as Egyptian “captives.”
• Egypt’s incorporation of “captives”
& families into Egyptian territory …
formed one of various components
contributing to Egypt’s decline and
loss of its northern empire.
• The late 12th cent. BC Onomastacon
of Amenemope dates after the
northern empire fell and cites:
a. Sherden, Tjekel, Peleset in Canaan
b. 3 major cities: Ashkelon, Ashdod, &
Gaza (later assoc. with Philistines).
→ It implies these peoples were quite
settled by 1150-1100 BC.
Sowing “the seeds of
decline/destruction”
of Egypt’s empire
(actually = far more complex)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• Despite Ramesses III’s claims of
victory against the Sea Peoples’,
in essence the enemy obtained their
ultimate objective, namely they settled
both in Egypt and Palestine, albeit
initially as Egyptian “captives.”
• Egypt’s incorporation of “captives” and
their families into Egyptian territory
formed one of various components
contributing to Egypt’s decline and
loss of its northern empire.
• The late 12th cent. BC Onomastacon
of Amenemope dates after the
northern empire fell, and cites:
a. Sherden, Tjekel, Peleset in Canaan
b. 3 major cities: Ashkelon, Ashdod, &
Gaza (= later assoc. with Philistines).
→ It implies these peoples = quite
settled by 1150-1100 BC.
Iron 1B post-Egyptian empire:
Sea Peoples’ settlement in Canaan
• Sherden
• Tjekel
• Peleset
Rise of cities linked to Philistines:
• i.e., Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gaza
(Ashkelon = already important in LB)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• A late Dyn.20 tale, now entitled “The
Journey of Wenamon,” dates roughly
to a few years before the end of
Dyn.20 (ca. 1069 BC):
- The tale mentions Wenamon stopping
at Dor (North Palestine), where a
Tjeker (Tjekel) settlement is noted.
E.g., “I reached Dor, a Tjeker town”
• Biblical texts and other evidence give
good evidence for Peleset (Philistines)
being located in the southern plain.
• The Sherden are suggested, by
default, to have settled in the northern
valleys and plains in Canaan.
E.g., J. Tubb suggests an enclave
existed at Tell es-Saidiyeh (see past
lecture on LB 2B burial customs).
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• The Journey of Wenamon also noted
Sea Peoples’ descendants in various
roles:
- Sailors: 11 Tjeker/Tjekel ships pursue
Wenamon to Byblos.
- The city rulers along the coast are
provided names with non-Canaanite
components:
E.g., “Tjekerbaal, the prince of Byblos”
- The Bible provides most data on the
Philistines, noting their 5 (main) cities:
1. Gaza
2. Ashkelon
3. Ashdod
4. Gath (Tel Safit / Tell es-Safi)
5. Ekron (Tel Miqne)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• The Journey of Wenamon also noted
Sea Peoples’ descendants in various
roles:
- Sailors: 11 Tjeker/Tjekel ships pursue
Wenamon to Byblos.
- The city rulers along the coast are
provided names with non-Canaanite
components:
E.g., “Tjekerbaal, the prince of Byblos”
- The Bible provides most data on the
Philistines, noting their 5 (main) cities:
1. Gaza
2. Ashkelon
3. Ashdod
4. Gath (Tel Safit / Tell es-Safi)
5. Ekron (Tel Miqne)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• These five Philistine city-states appear
to have maintained some sort of loose
confederation / coalition / alliance:
• Each city had a seren (like a Greek
tyranos / “tyrant”).
• The Books of Judges & Samuel in
the Bible/Torah contain recollections
from the Judean-Israelite perspective
about relations with the Philistines.
• Hence, these accounts are mostly
biased (via enemies of the Peleset),
reflecting:
a. Skirmishes and battles between the
Philistines and Israelites for control
of the Shephelah.
b. Philistine attacks into the hill country
against Kings Saul and David, who
were forging a kingdom there.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• Suggested origins of Sea Peoples:
a. The Bible equates the Philistines with
“Kaphtor,” which may = Crete(?)
(Amos 9:7; Jeremiah 47:4; etc.)
b. The balance of the evidence for the
Sea Peoples in general suggests
Ionia (in coastal Anatolia), and
the Aegean (including Crete).
c. The Bible mentions some Philistine
names and designations that have
some links with Luvian languages
from Western Anatolia. (Luwian)
d. The evidence from material culture
remains from Philistine sites suggests
a strong Mycenaean link.
e. Cyprus also forms a major link, but
appears to be part of the eastern
movement of Mycenaeans, etc.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Historical sources:
• Suggested origins of Sea Peoples:
a. The Bible equates the Philistines with
“Kaphtor,” which may = Crete(?)
(Amos 9:7; Jeremiah 47:4; etc.)
b. The balance of the evidence for the
Sea Peoples in general suggests
Ionia (in coastal Anatolia), and
the Aegean.
c. The Bible mentions some Philistine
names and designations that have
some links with Luvian languages
from Western Anatolia.
d. The evidence from material culture
remains from Philistine sites suggests
a strong Mycenaean link.
e. Cyprus also forms a major link, but
appears to be part of the eastern
movement of Mycenaeans, etc.
Mycenaean Philistine
Motifs on Myceneaen & Phil. pottery
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Initial settlement of the Sea Peoples:
• After the c.1200 BC destruction that
appears throughout much of Greece,
and elsewhere, modifications & new
types of Mycenaean pottery appear:
→ Mycenaean IIIC pottery.
• It continues pre-1200 BC traditions,
i.e., cultural continuity, but displays
greater regional differences & variants
between manufacturing locations.
• Mycenaean IIIC1b sub-group = esp.
common in Cyprus (= Myc. refugees):
= Typical Mycenaean forms,
- Monochrome brown-black on light
surface with Mycenaean motifs:
a. spirals,
b. birds,
c. fish,
d. geometrical patterns.
Helladic/Mycenaean IIIC pottery
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Initial settlement of the Sea Peoples:
• After the ca.1200 BC destruction that
appears throughout much of Greece,
and elsewhere, modifications & new
types of Mycenaean pottery appear:
→ Mycenaean IIIC pottery.
• It continues pre-1200 BC traditions,
i.e., cultural continuity, but displays
greater regional differences & variants
between manufacturing locations.
• Mycenaean IIIC1b sub-group = esp.
common in Cyprus (= Myc. refugees):
= Typical Mycenaean forms,
- Monochrome brown-black on light
surface with Mycenaean motifs:
a. spirals,
b. birds,
c. fish,
d. geometrical patterns.
Mycenaean IIIC.1b pottery
from Rhodes and Cyprus
Iron 1A: Mycenaean IIIC1b pottery
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Initial settlement of the Sea Peoples:
• Identical Myc. IIIC1b pottery is also
commonly found locally made in the
Philistine settlements in S. Palestine:
a. Ashdod Stratum XIII
b. Ekron Stratum VII
• This Myc. IIIC1b pottery immediately
post-dates the LB 2B strata:
i.e., it post-dates ca.1200 BC in Pal.
• NAA reveals it is made locally:
i.e., Potters conversant with producing
identical pottery to Cyprus (& Greece)
• Similar Myc. IIIC pottery appears in
N. Palestine at Acre and Beth-Shan,
and in coastal Lebanon-Syria,
albeit in less quantities than Philistia:
Mycenaean IIIC.1b pottery
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Initial settlement of the Sea Peoples:
• Identical Myc. IIIC1b pottery is also
commonly found locally made in the
Philistine settlements in S. Palestine:
a. Ashdod Stratum XIII
b. Ekron Stratum VII
• This Myc. IIIC1b pottery immediately
post-dates the LB 2B strata:
i.e., it post-dates ca.1200 BC in Pal.
• NAA reveals it is made locally:
i.e., Potters conversant with producing
identical pottery to Cyprus (& Greece)
• Similar Myc. IIIC pottery appears in
N. Palestine at Acre and Beth-Shan,
and in coastal Lebanon-Syria,
albeit in less quantities than Philistia:
Mycenaean IIIC.1b pottery
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Initial settlement of the Sea Peoples:
• The occurrence of virtually identical
Myc.IIIC1b pottery in Cyprus+Philistia
• The huge quantities of Myc.IIIC1b in
both Cyprus and Philistia,
• The ultimate origins of the Myc.IIIC
pottery forms from Greece/Mycenae
→ Suggest a similar Myc. origin for a
significant? portion of the population in
Iron 1 Cyprus = “Achaeans” (scholars)
Iron 1 Philistia= “Philistines” (Bible, +)
- Basically Mycenaean Greek refugees
who migrated eastwards ca.1200 BC.
- For a few decades the Myc. Settlers
produced Myc.IIIC1b pottery (Iron 1A),
- “Peleset” soon merge their Myc.IIIC1b
style with Egyptian & Canaanite forms
→Bichrome “Philistine” pottery I-1B Note: Migrants merging with locals!
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Initial settlement of the Sea Peoples:
• The occurrence of virtually identical
Myc.IIIC1b pottery in Cyprus+Philistia
• The huge quantities of Myc.IIIC1b in
both Cyprus and Philistia,
• The ultimate origins of the Myc.IIIC
pottery forms from Greece/Mycenae
→ Suggest a similar Myc. origin for a
significant portion of the population in
Iron 1 Cyprus = “Achaeans” (scholars)
Iron 1 Philistia= “Philistines” (Bible, +)
- Basically=Mycenaean Greek refugees
who migrated eastwards ca.1200 BC.
- For a few decades the Myc. Settlers
produced Myc.IIIC1b pottery (Iron 1A),
- “Peleset” soon merge their Myc.IIIC1b
style with Egyptian & Canaanite forms
→Bichrome “Philistine” pottery I-1B Note: Migrants merging with locals!
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Initial settlement of the Sea Peoples:
Phase-1: Iron 1A
• Ca.1200 BC year 8 of Ramesses III
- Sea Peoples land-sea battle with
Egypt in Palestine and Delta.
- Egyptian “victory”
- Captives → auxiliaries in Egy. army
settled in strongholds
- Others settle in Canaan
• Egyptian northern empire continues
in Canaan until ca.1150 BC (→Iron 1B)
- Retaining ‘Mycenaean’ identity in the
initial settlers and the next settlement
generation (“Myc.” in living memory).
Phase-2: Iron 1B
• Ca.1150+ BC (post-Ramesses VI) ...
- Philistines & remnant Canaanites
develop a new culture in Philistia.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• 5 Philistine cities = pentapolis
= five cities of the seranim in Philistia:
a. GazaCoast (?)
b. Ashkelon Coast Excav
c. Ashdod 3 km inland Excav
d. Gath Lower Shephelah Excav
e. Ekron Lower Shephelah Excav
Ashdod:
Stratum XIII: 1200-1150 BC (Egy.-emp.)
• Unfortified approx. 20 acre city
• Pre-planning and dense occupation
• Myc.IIIC1b pottery made locally
• Canaanite-style pottery made locally
Strata XII-XI: 1150-1050? BC (late D.20)
• Re-buildings of Philistine Str.XIII city
• LB wall → foundation of Str.XII+ wall
Stratum X: 1050-1000 BC (early D.21):
• Expands → 100 acres with wall+gate.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• 5 Philistine cities = pentapolis
= five cities of the seranim in Philistia:
a. GazaCoast (?)
b. Ashkelon Coast Excav
c. Ashdod 3 km inland Excav
d. Gath Lower Shephelah (?)
e. Ekron Lower Shephelah Excav
Ashdod:
Stratum XIII: 1200-1150 BC (Egy.-emp.)
• Unfortified approx. 20 acre city
• Pre-planning and dense occupation
• Myc.IIIC1b pottery made locally
• Canaanite-style pottery made locally
Strata XII-XI: 1150-1050? BC (late D.20)
• Re-buildings of Philistine Str.XIII city
• LB wall → foundation of Str.XII+ wall
Stratum X: 1050-1000 BC (early D.21):
• Expands → 100 acres with wall+gate.
Ashdod:
During Iron 1A Egyptian Empire
• Has “Philistine” (pottery)
• Retains Canaanites (mat.cult.)
• = unfortified
IRON 1A
(1200-1150 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• 5 Philistine cities = pentapolis
= five cities of the seranim in Philistia:
a. GazaCoast (?)
b. Ashkelon Coast Excav
c. Ashdod 3 km inland Excav
d. Gath Lower Shephelah (?)
e. Ekron Lower Shephelah Excav
Ashdod:
Stratum XIII: 1200-1150 BC (Egy.-emp.)
• Unfortified approx. 20 acre city
• Pre-planning and dense occupation
• Myc.IIIC1b pottery made locally
• Canaanite-style pottery made locally
Strata XII-XI: 1150-1050? BC (late D.20)
• Re-buildings of Philistine Str.XIII city
• LB wall → foundation of Str.XII+ wall
Stratum X: 1050-1000 BC (early D.21):
• Expands → 100 acres with wall+gate. Ashdod
Ashdod:During Iron 1B post-Egy Empire
• Building a city wall
• Expanding later: 100 acres
(with fortifications)
• Affluence & power = growing
during Iron 1B
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Ekron (= Tel Miqne):
• Identification based on text noting Ekron
and Joshua 15:10-11 description: i.e.,
it lay West of Timnah + Beth-Shemesh
and South of the Sorek Brook.
• Tel Miqne = 50 acres (= a major site).
Stratum VII: 1200-1150 BC (Egy.-emp.)
• Large quantities of Myc.IIIC1b pottery
→ initial Philistine/Myc. settlement I-1A
• Presumably 50 acre site (some excav.)
Strata VI-IV: 1150-1000 BC (Dyn.20-21)
• City fortified
• Public buildings & industrial areas
• Material contact with Cyprus & Aegean
• Large amount of Philistine Bichrome
in strata VI-V (1150-1070? BC: = D.20)
• New drab red slip pottery in Str.IV
(1070? – 1000 BC: = early Dyn.21).
Ekron (Tel Miqne):• = A significant & large site
during Iron 1A (Egy. Emp.)
• Albeit smaller than Ashdod
IRON 1A
(1200-1150 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Ekron (= Tel Miqne):
• Identification base on text noting Ekron
and Joshua 15:10-11 description: i.e.,
it lay West of Timnah + Beth-Shemesh
and South of the Sorek Brook.
• Tel Miqne = 50 acres (a major site).
Stratum VII: 1200-1150 BC (Egy.-emp.)
• Large quantities of Myc.IIIC1b pottery
→ initial Philistine/Myc. settlement I-1A
• Presumably 50 acre site (some excav.)
Strata VI-IV: 1150-1000 BC (Dyn.20-21)
• City fortified
• Public buildings & industrial areas
• Material contact with Cyprus & Aegean
• Large amount of Philistine Bichrome
in strata VI-V (1150-1070? BC: = D.20)
• New drab red slip pottery in Str.IV
(1070? – 1000 BC: = early Dyn.21).
The temple which he built, 'kysh
(Achish, Ikausu) son of Padi, son of
Ysd son of Ada, son of Ya'ir, ruler of
Ekron, for Ptgyh his lady. May she bless
him, and protect him, and prolong his
days, and bless his land.
Ekron (Tel Miqne):• Iron 1A Egyptian empire:
• Philistine settlement implied
via Myc. IIIC1b pottery
• Canaanites still present
(i.e., material culture)
A Philistine city in Biblical texts
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Ekron (= Tel Miqne):
• Identification base on text noting Ekron
and Joshua 15:10-11 description: i.e.,
it lay West of Timnah + Beth-Shemesh
and South of the Sorek Brook.
• Tel Miqne = 50 acres (a major site).
Stratum VII: 1200-1150 BC (Egy.-emp.)
• Large quantities of Myc.IIIC1b pottery
→ initial Philistine/Myc. settlement I-1A
• Presumably 50 acre site (some excav.)
Strata VI-IV: 1150-1000 BC (Dyn.20-21)
• City fortified
• Public buildings & industrial areas
• Material contact with Cyprus & Aegean
• Large amount of Philistine Bichrome
in strata VI-V (1150-1070? BC: = D.20)
• New drab red slip pottery in Str.IV
(1070? – 1000 BC: = early Dyn.21).
Ekron (Tel Miqne):• Iron 1B post Egyptian Empire
→ city = fortified(!)
• Much contact with Cyprus
& Aegean (trade/influence)
• Philistine Bichrome pottery
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Ashkelon:
• Sporadic remains of Philistine strata.
• 150 acre city (15,000+? population)
Iron 1A stratum (1200-1150 BC; D.20):
• Myc.IIIC1b pottery
Iron 1B strata (1150-1000 BC: D20-21):
• Philistine bichrome pottery
• Fortification wall
Philistia:
• Excavations & surveys = determining
the extent of Philistine control and
influence in the southern coastal plain
and Shephelah during Iron 1A-B.
• Tel Mor may have become a port for
Ashdod in Iron 1A (post-1200 destr.):
= an unfortified village in Strata IV-III.
• T. Sippor near Ashkelon = I-1A village
Ashkelon:• Iron 1A (Egyptian Empire)
→ city = 150 acres
• Mycenaean IIIC1b pottery
i.e., Philistine presence
IRON 1A
(1200-1150 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Ashkelon:
• Sporadic remains of Philistine strata.
• 150 acre city (15,000+? population)
Iron 1A stratum (1200-1150 BC; D.20):
• Myc.IIIC1b pottery
Iron 1B strata (1150-1000 BC: D20-21):
• Philistine bichrome pottery
• Fortification wall
Philistia:
• Excavations & surveys = determining
the extent of Philistine control and
influence in the southern coastal plain
and Shephelah during Iron 1A-B.
• Tel Mor may have become a port for
Ashdod in Iron 1A (post-1200 destr.):
= an unfortified village in Strata IV-III.
• T. Sippor near Ashkelon = I-1A village Brick-paved rampart
Ashkelon
Ashkelon:Iron 1B (post-Egy. Empire)
• Philistine Bichrome pottery
= continuing settlement
(descendants of initial
Mycenaeans & others)
alongside Canaanites …
• City = fortified(!)
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Ashkelon:
• Sporadic remains of Philistine strata.
• 150 acre city (15,000+? population)
Iron 1A stratum (1200-1150 BC; D.20):
• Myc.IIIC1b pottery
Iron 1B strata (1150-1000 BC: D20-21):
• Philistine bichrome pottery
• Fortification wall
Philistia:
• Excavations & surveys = determining
the extent of Philistine control and
influence in the southern coastal plain
and Shephelah during Iron 1A-B.
• Tel Mor may have become a port for
Ashdod in Iron 1A (post-1200 destr.):
= an unfortified village in Strata IV-III.
• T. Sippor near Ashkelon = I-1A village
Ashdod in Plain of Philistia
Philistia:• Assessing the nature & extent
of Philistine control, culture, and
influence …
a. Within Philistia (beyond Bible)
b. Regarding the indigenous
Canaanite underlying culture
(hybrid culture & subordinate?)
c. Neighbouring Israelites …
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Philistines also settled other sites:
Tell Qasile north bank of River Yarkon
• Founded in Iron 1B, ca.1150 BC, after
Egyptian empire lost Canaan/Philistia.
• = a newly founded Philistine site.
• 2 km east of sea on kurkar ridge.
• Well-sited as a port (via Yarkon river)
• Strata XII-X span 1150-1000 BC
• Destroyed in early 10th century BC,
by a massive fire, which is generally
equated with King David’s conquest
of Philistia (via biblical accounts).
Other Philistine settlements:
• Aphek & Tel Gerisa = minor towns.
• Jaffa, formerly a major port, = minor
town in Iron 1B (but a major Philistine
cemetery lay at Azor nearby).
Tell Qasile:• Newly founded settlement
AFTER Egyptian empire falls:
1150 C+
• Important site for understanding
the Philistines (re: excavation)
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Philistines also settled other sites:
Tell Qasile north bank of River Yarkon
• Founded in Iron 1B, ca.1150 BC, after
Egyptian empire lost Canaan/Philistia.
• a newly founded Philistine site.
• 2 km east of sea on kurkar ridge.
• Well-sited as a port (via Yarkon river)
• Strata XII-X span 1150-1000 BC
• Destroyed in early 10th century BC,
by a massive fire, which is generally
equated with King David’s conquest
of Philistia (via biblical accounts).
Other Philistine settlements:
• Aphek & Tel Gerisa = minor towns.
• Jaffa, formerly a major port, = minor
town in Iron 1B (but a major Philistine
cemetery lay at Azor nearby).
Tel Qasile: Tel Aviv in background
Tell Qasile:• Destroyed early 10th cent. BC
• King David’s conquest of Philistia
(via Biblical texts) is one candidate
• Other options: Civil strife? Bedu?
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Philistines also settled other sites:
Tell Qasile north bank of River Yarkon
• Founded in Iron 1B, ca.1150 BC, after
Egyptian empire lost Canaan/Philistia.
• a newly founded Philistine site.
• 2 km east of sea on kurkar ridge.
• Well-sited as a port (via Yarkon river)
• Strata XII-X span 1150-1000 BC
• Destroyed in early 10th century BC,
by a massive fire, which is generally
equated with King David’s conquest
of Philistia (via biblical accounts).
Other Philistine settlements:
• Aphek & Tel Gerisa = minor towns.
• Jaffa, formerly a major port, = minor
town in Iron 1B (but a major Philistine
cemetery lay at Azor nearby).
Aphek
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Philistines also settled other sites:
Tell Qasile north bank of River Yarkon
• Founded in Iron 1B, ca.1150 BC, after
Egyptian empire lost Canaan/Philistia.
• a newly founded Philistine site.
• 2 km east of sea on kurkar ridge.
• Well-sited as a port (via Yarkon river)
• Strata XII-X span 1150-1000 BC
• Destroyed in early 10th century BC,
by a massive fire, which is generally
equated with King David’s conquest
of Philistia (via biblical accounts).
Other Philistine settlements:
• Aphek & Tel Gerisa = minor towns.
• Jaffa, formerly a major port, = minor
town in Iron 1B (but a major Philistine
cemetery lay at Azor nearby).
Aphek
Jaffa
Iron 1B:
Tell Gerisa,
Area B,
housing
Jaffa
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• The appearance of Philistine pottery
at sites in the northern Shephelah
suggests contact, influence, and poss.
Philistine control(?) in this region.
Gezer:
Stratum XIV (1200-1150 BC: D.20-emp)
• Impoverished stratum
Strata XIII-XI (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• No fortifications found (yet)
• Minor amount of Phil. Bichrome sherds
• Mainly continues a as Canaanite town
Tel Batash (= Timnah):
Stratum Vc-a (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• 9 km S. of Gezer; 7 km E. of Ekron
• ID with Timnah via Joshua 15:10
• Called a Philistine city in Judges 14-15
• Fortified city with dense occupation
• Large quantities of Philistine Bichrome
Gezer:• Late Egyptian empire in Canaan
→ the city is impoverished
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• The appearance of Philistine pottery
at sites in the northern Shephelah
suggests contact, influence, and poss.
Philistine control(?) in this region.
Gezer:
Stratum XIV (1200-1150 BC: D.20-emp)
• Impoverished stratum
Strata XIII-XI (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• No fortifications found (yet)
• Minor amount of Phil. Bichrome sherds
• Mainly continues as a Canaanite town
Tel Batash (= Timnah):
Stratum Vc-a (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• 9 km S. of Gezer; 7 km E. of Ekron
• ID with Timnah via Joshua 15:10
• Called a Philistine city in Judges 14-15
• Fortified city with dense occupation
• Large quantities of Philistine BichromeGezer: 12th cent. BC NW Building
Gezer:• Post Egyptian empire in Canaan
→ the city has some Philistine
presence, but mostly seems
to continue as a Canaanite
town (i.e., material culture).
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• The appearance of Philistine pottery
at sites in the northern Shephelah
suggests contact, influence, and poss.
Philistine control(?) in this region.
Gezer:
Stratum XIV (1200-1150 BC: D.20-emp)
• Impoverished stratum
Strata XIII-XI (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• No fortifications found (yet)
• Minor amount of Phil. Bichrome sherds
• Mainly continues a as Canaanite town
Tel Batash (= Timnah):
Stratum Vc-a (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• 9 km S. of Gezer; 7 km E. of Ekron
• ID with Timnah via Joshua 15:10
• Called a Philistine city in Judges 14-15
• Fortified city with dense occupation
• Large quantities of Philistine Bichrome
Tel Batash (Timnah)
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• The appearance of Philistine pottery
at sites in the northern Shephelah
suggests contact, influence, and poss.
Philistine control(?) in this region.
Gezer:
Stratum XIV (1200-1150 BC: D.20-emp)
• Impoverished stratum
Strata XIII-XI (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• No fortifications found (yet)
• Minor amount of Phil. Bichrome sherds
• Mainly continues a as Canaanite town
Tel Batash (= Timnah):
Stratum Vc-a (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• 9 km S. of Gezer; 7 km E. of Ekron
• ID with Timnah via Joshua 15:10
• Called a Philistine city in Judges 14-15
• Fortified city with dense occupation
• Large quantities of Philistine Bichrome Tel Batash (= Timnah) Areas B & D
Iron 1B: Philistine level of housing
Confirming some later
Biblical written accounts
regarding the Philistines:
i.e., the nature of Timnah
(Tell Batash)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Beth-Shemesh:
Stratum III (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• 7 km East of Philistine Timnah.
• ID as Israelite town in I Samuel 6:9-15
• BUT it contains much Phil. Bichrome
→ difficult to assign ethnicity via the
presence of material culture (trade?).
The nature of Philistine settlement in
Southern Shephelah is also unclear:
Lachish:
Stratum VI (1200-1150 BC: Dyn.20)
• Retains an Egyptian garrison? in I-1A
• Destroyed in ca.1150 BC at the end of
Egypt’s control of Palestine.
• Remains abandoned until ca.1000 BC
after which it is re-occupied during the
United Monarchy period.
However, other sites continue here …
Puzzling over other later
Biblical written accounts
regarding the Philistines:
i.e., the nature of
Beth Shemesh
(which is later called
Israelite, but appears
to have a strong Philistine
presence / influence …)
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Beth-Shemesh:
Stratum III (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• 7 km East of Philistine Timnah.
• ID as Israelite town in I Samuel 6:9-15
• BUT it contains much Phil. Bichrome
→ difficult to assign ethnicity via the
presence of material culture (trade?).
The nature of Philistine settlement in
Southern Shephelah is also unclear:
Lachish:
Stratum VI (1200-1150 BC: Dyn.20)
• Retains an Egyptian garrison? in I-1A
• Destroyed in ca.1150 BC at the end of
Egypt’s control of Palestine.
• Remains abandoned until ca.1000 BC
after which it is re-occupied during the
United Monarchy period.
However, other sites continue here …
Puzzling over other later
Biblical written accounts
regarding the Philistines:
i.e., the nature of
Beth Shemesh
(which is later called
“Israelite,” BUT appears
to have a strong Philistine
presence / influence …)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Beth-Shemesh:
Stratum III (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• 7 km East of Philistine Timnah.
• ID as Israelite town in I Samuel 6:9-15
• BUT it contains much Phil. Bichrome
→ difficult to assign ethnicity via the
presence of material culture (trade?).
The nature of Philistine settlement in
Southern Shephelah is also unclear:
Lachish:
Stratum VI (1200-1150 BC: Dyn.20)
• Retains an Egyptian garrison? in I-1A
• Destroyed in ca.1150 BC at the end of
Egypt’s control of Palestine.
• Remains abandoned until ca.1000 BC
after which it is re-occupied during the
United Monarchy period.
However, other sites continue here …
IRON 1A
(1200-1150 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Beth-Shemesh:
Stratum III (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• 7 km East of Philistine Timnah.
• ID as Israelite town in I Samuel 6:9-15
• BUT it contains much Phil. Bichrome
→ difficult to assign ethnicity via the
presence of material culture (trade?).
The nature of Philistine settlement in
Southern Shephelah is also unclear:
Lachish:
Stratum VI (1200-1150 BC: Dyn.20)
• Retains an Egyptian garrison? in I-1A
• Destroyed in ca.1150 BC at the end of
Egypt’s control of Palestine.
• Remains abandoned until ca.1000 BC
after which it is re-occupied during the
United Monarchy period.
However, other sites continue here …Lachish: Bronze strip from gate? trim
Bearing cartouche of Ramesses III
Ramesses III controls
Lachish (in Iron 1A)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Tel Eitun:
• SE of Lachish (in S. Shephelah)
• Burial caves have yielded much wealth
in Phil. Bichrome pottery, figurines, etc.
• NAA reveals Philistine pottery came
from coastal plain (i.e.,= imports; trade)
• May suggest = affluent “Philistine”(?)
settlement at Tel Eitun nearby.
Tell Beit Mirsim:
Stratum B2 (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery (trade?)
Tel Halif:
Stratum VII (1070? – 1000+ BC: D.21)
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery (trade?)
→ Hence, it is tricky to determine the
exact nature of Philistine contact.
Lachish
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Tel Eitun:
• SE of Lachish (in S. Shephelah)
• Burial caves have yielded much wealth
in Phil. Bichrome pottery, figurines, etc.
• NAA reveals Philistine pottery came
from coastal plain (i.e.,= imports; trade)
• May suggest = affluent “Philistine”?
settlement at Tel Eitun nearby.
Tell Beit Mirsim:
Stratum B2 (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery (trade?)
Tel Halif:
Stratum VII (1070? – 1000+ BC: D.21)
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery (trade?)
→ Hence, it is tricky to determine the
exact nature of Philistine contact.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Tel Eitun:
• SE of Lachish (in S. Shephelah)
• Burial caves have yielded much wealth
in Phil. Bichrome pottery, figurines, etc.
• NAA reveals Philistine pottery came
from coastal plain (i.e.,= imports; trade)
• May suggest = affluent “Philistine”(?)
settlement at Tel Eitun nearby.
Tell Beit Mirsim:
Stratum B2 (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery (trade?)
Tel Halif:
Stratum VII (1070? – 1000+ BC: D.21)
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery (trade?)
→ Hence, it is tricky to determine the
exact nature of Philistine contact.
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Tel Eitun:
• SE of Lachish (in S. Shephelah)
• Burial caves have yielded much wealth
in Phil. Bichrome pottery, figurines, etc.
• NAA reveals Philistine pottery came
from coastal plain (i.e.,= imports; trade)
• May suggest = affluent “Philistine”(?)
settlement at Tel Eitun nearby.
Tell Beit Mirsim:
Stratum B2 (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery (trade?)
Tel Halif:
Stratum VII (1070? – 1000+ BC: D.21)
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery (trade?)
→ Hence, it is tricky to determine the
exact nature of Philistine contact.Tell Beit Mirsim Stratum B: Iron 1
Unfortified town with many grain silos
Tell Beit Mirsim: mound
Generic
Philistine
Bichrome
pottery
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
Tel Eitun:
• SE of Lachish (in S. Shephelah)
• Burial caves have yielded much wealth
in Phil. Bichrome pottery, figurines, etc.
• NAA reveals Philistine pottery came
from coastal plain (i.e.,= imports; trade)
• May suggest = affluent “Philistine”(?)
settlement at Tel Eitun nearby.
Tell Beit Mirsim:
Stratum B2 (1150-1000 BC: D.20-21)
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery (trade?)
Tel Halif:
Stratum VII (1070? – 1000+ BC: D.21)
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery (trade?)
→ Hence, it is tricky to determine the
exact nature of Philistine contact.
Tel Halif
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• Philistine settlement is significant in the
coastal plain and NW Negev.
Tel Sera‘:
Stratum VIII/VII (1100-1000 BC):
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery
Tell Jemmeh:
Several strata (1150-1000 BC)
• Occupation & kiln with Phil. Bichrome
Tell Far‘ah (South):
Iron 1A-B strata (1200 – 1000 BC)
• reusing Egyptian fort (post-LB Age)
• Major Iron Age cemetery: Ph-Bichrome
Deir el-Balah:
Iron 1A-(B) stratum (1200-1150/+? BC)
• Impoverished Philistine settlement
above Egyptian LB Age fortress.
Tell Sera‘
Tel Sera‘
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• Philistine settlement is significant in the
coastal plain and NW Negev.
Tel Sera‘:
Stratum VIII/VII (1100-1000 BC):
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery
Tell Jemmeh:
Several strata (1150-1000 BC)
• Occupation & kiln with Phil. Bichrome
Tell Far‘ah (South):
Iron 1A-B strata (1200 – 1000 BC)
• reusing Egyptian fort (post-LB Age)
• Major Iron Age cemetery: Ph-Bichrome
Deir el-Balah:
Iron 1A-(B) stratum (1200-1150/+? BC)
• Impoverished Philistine settlement
above Egyptian LB Age fortress.
Tell Sera‘: aerial view of mound
Generic image of bichrome ware
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• Philistine settlement is significant in the
coastal plain and NW Negev.
Tel Sera‘:
Stratum VIII/VII (1100-1000 BC):
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery
Tell Jemmeh:
Several strata (1150-1000 BC)
• Occupation & kiln with Phil. Bichrome
Tell Far‘ah (South):
Iron 1A-B strata (1200 – 1000 BC)
• reusing Egyptian fort (post-LB Age)
• Major Iron Age cemetery: Ph-Bichrome
Deir el-Balah:
Iron 1A-(B) stratum (1200-1150/+? BC)
• Impoverished Philistine settlement
above Egyptian LB Age fortress.
Tell Jemmeh 1928 Petrie
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• Philistine settlement is significant in the
coastal plain and NW Negev.
Tel Sera‘:
Stratum VIII/VII (1100-1000 BC):
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery
Tell Jemmeh:
Several strata (1150-1000 BC)
• Occupation & kiln with Phil. Bichrome
Tell Far‘ah (South):
Iron 1A-B strata (1200 – 1000 BC)
• reusing Egyptian fort (post-LB Age)
• Major Iron Age cemetery: Ph-Bichrome
Deir el-Balah:
Iron 1A-(B) stratum (1200-1150/+? BC)
• Impoverished Philistine settlement
above Egyptian LB Age fortress.
Tell Jemmeh mound & Iron 1 stratum
Petrie 1928
Jemmeh
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• Philistine settlement is significant in the
coastal plain and NW Negev.
Tell Far‘ah (South):
Iron 1A-B strata (1200 – 1000 BC)
• reusing Egyptian fort (post-LB Age)
• Major Iron Age cemetery: Ph-Bichrome
Generic
Image of
Egyptian
fort
IRON 1A-B
(1200-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• Philistine settlement is significant in the
coastal plain and NW Negev.
Tel Sera‘:
Stratum VIII/VII (1100-1000 BC):
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery
Tell Jemmeh:
Several strata (1150-1000 BC)
• Occupation & kiln with Phil. Bichrome
Tell Far‘ah (South):
Iron 1A-B strata (1200 – 1000 BC)
• reusing Egyptian fort (post-LB Age)
• Major Iron Age cemetery: Ph-Bichrome
Deir el-Balah:
Iron 1A-(B) stratum (1200-1150/+? BC)
• Impoverished Philistine settlement
above Egyptian LB Age fortress.
Tell Far‘ah South
Petrie 1932
Iron 1 stratum
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• Philistine settlement is significant in the
coastal plain and NW Negev.
Tel Sera‘:
Stratum VIII/VII (1100-1000 BC):
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery
Tell Jemmeh:
Several strata (1150-1000 BC)
• Occupation & kiln with Phil. Bichrome
Tell Far‘ah (South):
Iron 1A-B strata (1200 – 1000 BC)
• reusing Egyptian fort (post-LB Age)
• Major Iron Age cemetery: Ph-Bichrome
Deir el-Balah:
Iron 1A-(B) stratum (1200-1150/+? BC)
• Impoverished Philistine settlement
above Egyptian LB Age fortress.
IRON 1A
(1200-1150 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• Philistine settlement is significant in the
coastal plain and NW Negev.
Tel Sera‘:
Stratum VIII/VII (1100-1000 BC):
• Unfortified settlement
• Philistine Bichrome pottery
Tell Jemmeh:
Several strata (1150-1000 BC)
• Occupation & kiln with Phil. Bichrome
Tell Far‘ah (South):
Iron 1A-B strata (1200 – 1000 BC)
• reusing Egyptian fort (post-LB Age)
• Major Iron Age cemetery: Ph-Bichrome
Deir el-Balah:
Iron 1A-(B) stratum (1200-1150/+? BC)
• Impoverished Philistine settlement
above a columned building (Samson).
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• The Philistine settlement in Palestine
appears to be relatively widespread in
the southern coastal plain.
Iron 1A: ca.1200-1150 BC.
• They ‘replace’ some former Canaanite
settlements (destroyed ca.1200 BC).
• Other Canaanite sites = abandoned
for a period: e.g., Hazor and Lachish.
• They initially established some large
unfortified cities (with Egy. “permission”)
Iron 1B: ca.1150-1000 BC
• They introduce some fortified towns
• They expand & fortify other towns
• They found some small rural villages
• They adopt new Phil. Bichrome ware
→ Hence, the Philistines not only raided
Palestine, but they both replaced and
incorporated prior Canaanite culture.Ramesses III
Actually = merging
Philistines and
Canaanite cultures
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• The Philistine settlement in Palestine
appears to be relatively widespread in
the southern coastal plain.
Iron 1A: ca.1200-1150 BC.
• They replace some former Canaanite
settlements (destroyed ca.1200 BC).
• Other Canaanite sites = abandoned
for a period: e.g., Hazor and Lachish.
• They initially established some large
unfortified cities (with Egy. permission)
Iron 1B: ca.1150-1000 BC
• They introduce some fortified towns
• They expand & fortify other towns
• They found some small rural villages
• They adopt new Phil. Bichrome ware
→ Hence, the Philistines not only raided
and/or settled within parts of Palestine,
but they both replaced & incorporated
prior Canaanite culture (= alongside Canaanites)
IRON 1B
(1150-1000 BC)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• Mycenaean IIIC1b pottery appears
only at Ashdod and Ekron in Iron 1A.
• Other sites yield a Philistine presence
only in Iron 1B via Phil. Bichrome ware
(acc. to Mazar’s date for Bichrome).
• Hence, the Philistine settlement in
Palestine initiated a beach-head at
Ashdod and Ekron ca.1200-1150 BC
• With a subsequent expansion into the
hinterland and periphery of Philistia
during early Iron 1B. ca.1150+ BC,
after Egypt lost control of Palestine.
• It appears that the Philistines did not
eliminate the residual Canaanite
population, but assimilated with them
to form a new culture typified by
Philistine Bichrome ware, etc.
Ekron
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Settlement pattern & stratigraphy:
• Mycenaean IIIC1b pottery appears
only at Ashdod and Ekron in Iron 1A.
• Other sites yield a Philistine presence
only in Iron 1B via Phil. Bichrome ware
(acc. to Mazar’s date for Bichrome).
• Hence, the Philistine settlement in
Palestine initiated a beach-head at
Ashdod and Ekron ca.1200-1150 BC
• With a subsequent expansion into the
hinterland and periphery of Philistia
during early Iron 1B. ca.1150+ BC,
after Egypt lost control of Palestine.
• It appears that the Philistines did not
eliminate the residual Canaanite
population, but assimilated with them
to form a new culture typified by
Philistine Bichrome ware, etc.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Philistine Bichrome pottery:
• Philistine bichrome pottery emerged
from local Mycenaean IIIC1b pottery.
• It apparently appears ca.1150 BC,
at the end of Iron 1A & fall of Egypt’s
northern empire in Palestine.
• It continues to ca.1000 BC, with a few
modifications in Iron 1B.
• Philistine bichrome ware owed much
to Myc.IIIC1b, but also adopted
a. Canaanite use of red & black paint,
b. Some Egyptian forms & designs
• Its Myc. origins appear via var. forms:
a. Bell-shaped bowls with 2 handles
b. Larger bell-shaped kraters
c. “Stirrup jars”: 2 handles; false spout
d. Strainer jugs
e. Cylindrical pyxides (box-like)
f. Tall narrow bottle (like Cypriot one)
g. Horn-shaped bottle (like Cypriot one)
Philistine bichrome
Philistine bichrome
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Philistine Bichrome pottery:
Transition from Myc.IIIC1b → bichrome
occurs at Tel Miqne-Ekron:
- Myc.IIIC1b & early Philistine Bichrome
co-appear at Ekron.
- Some designs reveal more similarities
to Myc.IIIC designs than Bichrome.
- Philistine dec. usually occurs in frames
in a frieze across a vessel’s body.
a. Frames = Mycenaean motif
b. Birds = common Myc. motif
c. Spirals = common in Myc.
d. Fish become rare in Bichrome
e. Egy. lotus appears once naturally,
& more frequently stylized into
triangles.
- Late 11th cent BC (1050-1000 BC) exp.
a deterioration in Philistine pottery:
e.g., Bird motif disappears
Bichrome draws upon
multiple cultures …
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Philistine Bichrome pottery:
Transition from Myc.IIIC1b → bichrome
occurs at Tel Miqne-Ekron:
- Myc.IIIC1b & early Philistine Bichrome
co-appear at Ekron.
- Some designs reveal more similarities
to Myc.IIIC designs than Bichrome.
- Philistine dec. usually occurs in frames
in a frieze across a vessel’s body.
a. Frames = Mycenaean motif
b. Birds = common Myc. motif
c. Spirals = common in Myc.
d. Fish become rare in Bichrome
e. Egy. lotus appears once naturally,
& more frequently stylized into
triangles.
- Late 11th cent BC (1050-1000 BC) exp.
a deterioration in Philistine pottery:
e.g., Bird motif disappears
Philistine Bichrome draws upon
multiple cultures:• Mycenaean
• Egyptian
• Canaanite
→ A new, hybrid type of pottery.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Philistine Bichrome pottery:
• Philistine Bichrome pottery appears
alongside Canaanite-derived pottery:
- Philistine Bichrome at Tel Qasile
forms 20% of the pottery.
- Remaining 80% = Canaanite-derived.
- NAA reveals both = made locally.
• Indigenous (Canaanite) potters may
have manufactured Philistine Bichrome
for their “political overlords.” (Myc.?)
• In general, the distribution of Philistine
Bichrome pottery is restricted mainly to
the areas ascribed to their settlement:
i.e., the coastal plain of Philistia.
• Small quantities of Philistine Bichrome
appear in the Sharon Plain, Jezreel &
Beth-Shan valleys, Upper Galilee (Dan)
→ probably signifying trade.
Iron II red slip emerging
Bichrome ware disappears
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Philistine Bichrome pottery:
• Philistine Bichrome pottery appears
alongside Canaanite-derived pottery:
- Philistine Bichrome at Tel Qasile
forms 20% of the pottery.
- Remaining 80% = Canaanite-derived.
- NAA reveals both = made locally.
• Indigenous (Canaanite) potters may
have manufactured Philistine Bichrome
for their political overlords.
• In general, the distribution of Philistine
Bichrome pottery is restricted mainly to
the areas ascribed to their settlement:
i.e., the coastal plain of Philistia.
• Small quantities of Philistine Bichrome
appear in the Sharon Plain, Jezreel &
Beth-Shan valleys, Upper Galilee (Dan)
→ probably signifying trade.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Architecture:
• After gaining independence upon the
collapse of Egypt’s northern empire,
the Philistines fortify their major cities
(i.e., presumably not permitted before).
Iron 1B city fortification walls:
• Stratum XII Ashdod contained a very
substantial solid city wall (= placed
above LB Age casemate wall).
• Strata VI-IV at Ekron yielded a large
mud brick city wall
• Stratum Vc-a Timnah (Batash) had a
moderate city wall.
Iron 1B city planning:
• Ashdod provides an idea, but contains
many small excav. areas in 20+ acres.
• The 4 acre site of Tel Qasile yields
the best Philistine town plan.
Post-Egyptian empire:
Iron 1B (1150 – 1000 BCE)
→ Philistines fortify cities
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Architecture:
• After gaining independence upon the
collapse of Egypt’s northern empire,
the Philistines fortify their major cities
(i.e., presumably not permitted before).
Iron 1B city fortification walls:
• Stratum XII Ashdod contained a very
substantial solid city wall (= placed
above LB Age casemate wall).
• Strata VI-IV at Ekron yielded a large
mud brick city wall
• Stratum Vc-a Timnah (Batash) had a
moderate city wall.
Iron 1B city planning:
• Ashdod provides an idea, but contains
many small excav. areas in 20+ acres.
• The 4 acre site of Tel Qasile yields
the best Philistine town plan. Ashdod LB Age casemate
Post-Egyptian empire:
Iron 1B (1150 – 1000 BCE)
→ Philistines fortify cities
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Architecture:
• After gaining independence upon the
collapse of Egypt’s northern empire,
the Philistines fortify their major cities
(i.e., presumably not permitted before).
Iron 1B city fortification walls:
• Stratum XII Ashdod contained a very
substantial solid city wall (= placed
above LB Age casemate wall).
• Strata VI-IV at Ekron yielded a large
mud brick city wall
• Stratum Vc-a Timnah (Batash) had a
moderate city wall.
Iron 1B city planning:
• Ashdod provides an idea, but contains
many small excav. areas in 20+ acres.
• The 4 acre site of Tel Qasile yields
the best Philistine town plan.
Lachish
(Tell ed-Duweir)
Post-Egyptian empire:
Iron 1B (1150 – 1000 BCE)
→ Philistines fortify cities
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Architecture:
• After gaining independence upon the
collapse of Egypt’s northern empire,
the Philistines fortify their major cities
(i.e., presumably not permitted before).
Iron 1B city fortification walls:
• Stratum XII Ashdod contained a very
substantial solid city wall (= placed
above LB Age casemate wall).
• Strata VI-IV at Ekron yielded a large
mud brick city wall
• Stratum Vc-a Timnah (Batash) had a
moderate city wall.
Iron 1B city planning:
• Ashdod provides an idea, but contains
many small excav. areas in 20+ acres.
• The 4 acre site of Tel Qasile yields
the best Philistine town plan.
Ashdod
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
City planning (cont.’):
Tel Qasile:
Qasile 1150 – 1100 BC (Iron 1B).
Stratum XII tightly-packed town centre
with more loosely arranged periphery.
• Segregated cultic area with a 25 m
long wall subdividing the temple from
the town to the south.
• A large public building lay to the south
Qasile 1100-1050 BC (Iron 1B).
Stratum XI contained an even denser
occupation (i.e., population increase)
with many new structures.
Qasile 1050-1000 BC (Iron 1B).
Stratum X yielded major changes in
town planning, including an orthogonal
grid-work of streets and buildings,
creating blocks / neighbourhoods.
Tell Qasile:
• Initial settlement yields …
a. Congested town
b. Separate cultic area
c. Public building (admin.?)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
City planning (cont.’):
Tel Qasile:
Qasile 1150 – 1100 BC (Iron 1B).
Stratum XII tightly-packed town centre
with more loosely arranged periphery.
• Segregated cultic area with a 25 metre
long wall subdividing the temple from
the town to the south.
• A large public building lay to the south
Qasile 1100-1050 BC (Iron 1B).
Stratum XI contained an even denser
occupation (i.e., population increase)
with many new structures.
Qasile 1050-1000 BC (Iron 1B).
Stratum X yielded major changes in
town planning, including an orthogonal
grid-work of streets and buildings,
creating blocks / neighbourhoods.
Tell Qasile:
• Later Iron 1B settlement …
a. Increased population
(greater congestion)
b. Many new buildings
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
City planning (cont.’):
Tel Qasile:
Qasile 1150 – 1100 BC (Iron 1B).
Stratum XII tightly-packed town centre
with more loosely arranged periphery.
• Segregated cultic area with a 25 metre
long wall subdividing the temple from
the town to the south.
• A large public building lay to the south
Qasile 1100-1050 BC (Iron 1B).
Stratum XI contained an even denser
occupation (i.e., population increase)
with many new structures.
Qasile 1050-1000 BC (Iron 1B).
Stratum X yielded major changes in
town planning, including an orthogonal
grid-work of streets and buildings,
creating blocks / neighbourhoods.
Tell Qasile:
• End of Iron 1B settlement …
a. Major changes in town
planning
b. Affluent town …
Iron Age I:
(1,200 – 1,000 BCE)
The Philistines:
Settlement architecture:
Public buildings:Interpretation / significance.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Public buildings:
Tel Qasile’s public building:
The secular/public building found in
Stratum XII consisted of:
• A large hall (6.7 m long along interior)
• Plastered mud brick walls
• Interior mud brick benches
• Central mud brick hearth (plastered)
Tel Miqne-Ekron public building:
Strata V-IV large hall with a large hearth
and two pillar bases in a complex with
three adjacent associated rooms.
• Interpreted as an elite house/palace.
Parallels:
• Such hearths = foreign to Canaan
• Common feature in elite housing from
the Aegean, Anatolia, & Cyprus.
• Mycenaean introduction by Philistines.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Public buildings:
Tel Qasile’s public building:
The secular/public building found in
Stratum XII consisted of:
• A large hall (6.7 m long along interior)
• Plastered mud brick walls
• Interior mud brick benches
• Central mud brick hearth (plastered)
Tel Miqne-Ekron public building:
Strata V-IV large hall with a large hearth
and two pillar bases in a complex with
three adjacent associated rooms.
• Interpreted as an elite house/palace.
Parallels:
• Such hearths = foreign to Canaan
• Common feature in elite housing from
the Aegean, Anatolia, & Cyprus.
• Mycenaean introduction by Philistines.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Public buildings:
Tel Qasile’s public building:
The secular/public building found in
Stratum XII consisted of:
• A large hall (6.7 m long along interior)
• Plastered mud brick walls
• Interior mud brick benches
• Central mud brick hearth (plastered)
Tel Miqne-Ekron public building:
Strata V-IV large hall with a large hearth
and two pillar bases in a complex with
three adjacent associated rooms.
• Interpreted as an elite house/palace.
Parallels:
• Such hearths = foreign(!) to Canaan
• Common feature in elite housing from
the Aegean, Anatolia, & Cyprus.
• Mycenaean introduction by Philistines.
Palace of NestorPYLOS
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Residential areas:
• Qasile’s Stratum X residential units
had a regular plan found elsewhere
in Iron Age Palestine:
a. Square – rectilinear structure
averaging 10 x 10 m.
b. Courtyard with a row of pillars for
a roofed area: i.e., animal stabling
c. Open area in courtyard.
d. Dwelling rooms at back of courtyard
and sometimes parallel to courtyard
→ Some are called “pillared buildings”
→ Others have a “four-room” plan,
which become a basic type in the
11th cent. (mid-late Iron 1B) onwards
Courtyards:
• Ovens, clay loom weights (from looms)
and grinding & crushing installations
(for cereals, olives, and grapes).
Stratum X: 1050 – 1000 BC
Generic Iron Age dwelling
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Residential areas:
• Qasile’s Stratum X residential units
had a regular plan found elsewhere
in Iron Age Palestine:
a. Square – rectilinear structure
averaging 10 x 10 m.
b. Courtyard with a row of pillars for
a roofed area: i.e., animal stabling
c. Open area in courtyard.
d. Dwelling rooms at back of courtyard
and sometimes parallel to courtyard
→ Some are called “pillared buildings”
→ Others have a “four-room” plan,
which become a basic type in the
11th cent. (mid-late Iron 1B) onwards
Courtyards:
• Ovens, clay loom weights (from looms)
and grinding & crushing installations
(for cereals, olives, and grapes).
The “four-room”
house characterizing
the Iron Age in Palestine.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Temples:
Qasile temples:
• Str.XII-X yielded 3 successive temples
Qasile Str.XII temple: 1150-1100 BC:
• Small mud brick shrine 6.4 x 6.6 m.
• Hall with an eastern entry
• Altar platform on west wall (opp. door)
for cult statue)
• Benches along walls: votive offerings
• Outer courtyard to east containing ash
layers, organic matter, & animal bones
(i.e., from daily sacrifices, etc.)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Qasile Str.XI temple: 1100-1050 BC:
• A stone structure replaced the mud
brick shrine measuring 5.75 x 8.50 m.
• The door moved to NE corner
• Small western room contained shrine’s
ritual equipment (“treasury”):
Many cultic items and votives.
• Benches for offerings lay along the
interior wall faces.
• Small subsidiary shrine lay to the W:
- It had an indirect (“bent”) axis
- It had a raised altar platform
- It has benches along its walls
- Maybe secondary shrine (consort?)
which has parallels in the Aegean
and Cyprus (= foreign to Canaan).
• Late Strat. XI contains pits (favissa)
for ritual items, numerous pots, and
large quantities of animal bones.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Qasile Str.X temple: 1050-1000 BC:
• The city’s inhabitants rebuilt the shrine
a. using parts of the former walls,
b. raising the floor level inside,
c. adding an entry portico → bent axis
• New offering benches were placed
along the walls and plastered.
• West wall received an altar platform
• Traces of two cedar pillars lay on the
limestone column bases (for the roof)
• A storeroom (“treasury”) lay to the
west, behind the altar.
• Stone walls segregated the temple
courtyard from the town.
• The small shrine (consort?) from Str.
XI lay against the western back wall
and had its own courtyard.
Tell Qasile plastered benches+
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Qasile Str.X temple: 1050-1000 BC:
• The city’s inhabitants rebuilt the shrine
a. using parts of the former walls,
b. raising the floor level inside,
c. adding an entry portico → bent axis
• New offering benches were placed
along the walls and plastered.
• West wall received an altar platform
• Traces of two cedar pillars lay on the
limestone column bases (for the roof)
• A storeroom (“treasury”) lay to the
west, behind the altar.
• Stone walls segregated the temple
courtyard from the town.
• The small shrine (consort?) from Str.
XI lay against the western back wall
and had its own courtyard.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Qasile Str.X temple: 1050-1000 BC:
• The city’s inhabitants rebuilt the shrine
a. using parts of the former walls,
b. raising the floor level inside,
c. adding an entry portico → bent axis
• New offering benches were placed
along the walls and plastered.
• West wall received an altar platform
• Traces of two cedar pillars lay on the
limestone column bases (for the roof)
• A storeroom (“treasury”) lay to the
west, behind the altar.
• Stone walls segregated the temple
courtyard from the town.
• The small shrine (consort?) from Str.
XI lay against the western back wall
and had its own courtyard.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Qasile Str.X temple: 1050-1000 BC:
• The city’s inhabitants rebuilt the shrine
a. using parts of the former walls,
b. raising the floor level inside,
c. adding an entry portico → bent axis
• New offering benches were placed
along the walls and plastered.
• West wall received an altar platform
• Traces of two cedar pillars lay on the
limestone column bases (for the roof)
• A storeroom (“treasury”) lay to the
west, behind the altar.
• Stone walls segregated the temple
courtyard from the town.
• The small shrine (consort?) from Str.
XI lay against the western back wall
and had its own courtyard.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Qasile Strata XII-X temple summary:
• Qasile’s temple evolved in its plan
during the 150 years spanning Iron 1B.
• Such changes are less common in
Canaanite temples (but appear in the
Lachish Fosse Temple + Myc. temples)
• The Qasile temple modifications
probably reflect a growing prosperity in
the Philistine community, which prob.
wished to embellish their local temple:
a. Expanding it,
b. Building it with more stone
c. Embellishing its entry
d. Adding a “treasury”
e. Adding a small shrine for a consort
or secondary deity.
f. Placing courtyards in front of each
shrine (plus favissa).
• Basic elements stayed the same:
A western altar; benches; E/NE entry.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Qasile Strata XII-X temple summary:
Has similarities in plan to 1300-1100 BC
(LB 2B-Iron 1) temples:
a. Earlier LB Age Lachish Fosse Temple
which may be an Aegean-style shrine.
b. Mycenaean temples in the Aegean
c. Temple at Phylakopi on Melos island.
d. Kition temple on Cyprus.
• There may have been influences
between temple architecture in the
Aegean, Cyprus and the Levant.
• However, the temple at Tel Qasile
appears to have more parallels with
the Aegean and Cyprus than with
Canaan, thereby reflecting the
overall Philistine’s Mycenaean and
Cypriot (in-transit) heritage.
LB 2B
Lachish
Fosse Temple III
Tell Qasile
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Qasile Strata XII-X temple summary:
Has similarities in plan to 1300-1100 BC
temples:
a. Earlier LB Age Lachish Fosse Temple
which may be an Aegean-style shrine.
b. Mycenaean temples in the Aegean
c. Temple at Phylakopi on Melos island.
d. Kition temple on Cyprus.
• There may have been influences
between temple architecture in the
Aegean, Cyprus and the Levant.
• However, the temple at Tel Qasile
appears to have more parallels with
the Aegean and Cyprus than with
Canaan, thereby reflecting the
overall Philistine’s Mycenaean and
Cypriot (in-transit) heritage.
Cyprus: LB Age Kition, shrine
Kition
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: figurines.
• Philistine sites yield two types of cultic
figurine that derive from Myc. types:
(1). A female deity seated in a chair
called an “Ashdoda” (after the site with
the initial/best example).
Earlier Mycenaean examples display
similar goddess figurines, sometimes
seated in chairs.
(2). A female figure with hands on head
in a “mourning”-figurine posture.
These figures are normally attached to
pottery vessels (kraters), often found in
funerary contexts.
Earlier similar Mycenaean examples.
• The Philistine examples display their
own distinct styles, but retain sufficient
connections with their Myc. origins.
Ashdoda
Philistine “Ashdoda” figurine.
replica
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: figurines.
• Philistine sites yield two types of cultic
figurine that derive from Myc. types:
(1). A female deity seated in a chair
called an “Ashdoda” after the site with
the initial/best example.
Earlier Mycenaean examples display
similar goddess figurines, sometimes
seated in chairs.
(2). A female figure with hands on head
in a “mourning”-figurine posture.
These figures are normally attached to
pottery vessels (kraters), often found in
funerary contexts.
Earlier similar Mycenaean examples.
• The Philistine examples display their
own distinct styles, but retain sufficient
connections with their Myc. origins.
Ashdoda
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: figurines.
• Philistine sites yield two types of cultic
figurine that derive from Myc. types:
(1). A female deity seated in a chair
called an “Ashdoda” after the site with
the initial/best example.
Earlier Mycenaean examples display
similar goddess figurines, sometimes
seated in chairs.
(2). A female figure with hands on head
in a “mourning”-figurine posture.
These figures are normally attached to
pottery vessels (kraters), often found in
funerary contexts.
Earlier similar Mycenaean examples.
• The Philistine examples display their
own distinct styles, but retain sufficient
connections with their Myc. origins.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: figurines.
• Philistine sites yield two types of cultic
figurine that derive from Myc. types:
(1). A female deity seated in a chair
called an “Ashdoda” after the site with
the initial/best example.
Earlier Mycenaean examples display
similar goddess figurines, sometimes
seated in chairs.
(2). A female figure with hands on head
in a “mourning”-figurine posture.
These figures are normally attached to
pottery vessels (kraters), often found in
funerary contexts.
Earlier similar Mycenaean examples.
• The Philistine examples display their
own distinct styles, but retain sufficient
connections with their Myc. origins.
Philistia
Naxos
Philistine female “mourning”
figurines & their Mycenaean
antecedents.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: ritual vessels.
• The Qasile temples produced many
fragments from ritual pottery vessels:
a. Canaanite-derived forms
b. Cypriot-derived forms.
c. Apparently new forms.
• Decorated cylindrical stands for bowls
used in ritual offerings: sacred meals?
a. Portrayals of dancers on a stand
b. Depictions of 2 lionesses on a stand
c. Bird heads & wings on several bowl
(i.e., popular Myc./Phil. bird motif)
• Special ritual vessels:
d. Lion-head shaped cup (LB Age
examples from Ugarit and Aegean?)
e. A female-shaped jar for pouring
libations from breasts: fertility cult?
f. Kernoi: circular tubes with hollow-
spouted animal, pomegranate, and
jar attachments: for pouring liquids.
Canaanite
Egyptian
Philistine
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: ritual vessels.
• The Qasile temples produced many
fragments from ritual pottery vessels:
a. Canaanite-derived forms
b. Cypriot-derived forms.
c. Apparently new forms.
• Decorated cylindrical stands for bowls
used in ritual offerings: sacred meals?
a. Portrayals of dancers on a stand
b. Depictions of 2 lionesses on a stand
c. Bird heads & wings on several bowl
(i.e., popular Myc./Phil. bird motif)
• Special ritual vessels:
d. Lion-head shaped cup (LB Age
examples from Ugarit and Aegean?)
e. A female-shaped jar for pouring
libations from breasts: fertility cult?
f. Kernoi: circular tubes with hollow-
spouted animal, pomegranate, and
jar attachments: for pouring liquids.
Philistine ritual pottery stands.
Offering a “sacred meal” (?).
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: ritual vessels.
• The Qasile temples produced many
fragments from ritual pottery vessels:
a. Canaanite-derived forms
b. Cypriot-derived forms.
c. Apparently new forms.
• Decorated cylindrical stands for bowls
used in ritual offerings: sacred meals?
a. Portrayals of dancers on a stand
b. Depictions of 2 lionesses on a stand
c. Bird heads & wings on several bowl
(i.e., popular Myc./Phil. bird motif)
• Special ritual vessels:
d. Lion-head shaped cup (LB Age
examples from Ugarit and Aegean?)
e. A female-shaped jar for pouring
libations from breasts: fertility cult?
f. Kernoi: circular tubes with hollow-
spouted animal, pomegranate, and
jar attachments: for pouring liquids.
Philistine ritual duck-bowl
(some Egyptian influence).
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: ritual vessels.
• The Qasile temples produced many
fragments from ritual pottery vessels:
a. Canaanite-derived forms
b. Cypriot-derived forms.
c. Apparently new forms.
• Decorated cylindrical stands for bowls
used in ritual offerings: sacred meals?
a. Portrayals of dancers on a stand
b. Depictions of 2 lionesses on a stand
c. Bird heads & wings on several bowl
(i.e., popular Myc./Phil. bird motif)
• Special ritual vessels:
d. Lion-head shaped cup (LB Age
examples from Ugarit and Aegean?)
e. A female-shaped jar for pouring
libations from breasts: fertility cult?
f. Kernoi: circular tubes with hollow-
spouted animal, pomegranate, and
jar attachments: for pouring liquids.
Lion head rhyton Crete
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: ritual vessels.
• The Qasile temples produced many
fragments from ritual pottery vessels:
a. Canaanite-derived forms
b. Cypriot-derived forms.
c. Apparently new forms.
• Decorated cylindrical stands for bowls
used in ritual offerings: sacred meals?
a. Portrayals of dancers on a stand
b. Depictions of 2 lionesses on a stand
c. Bird heads & wings on several bowl
(i.e., popular Myc./Phil. bird motif)
• Special ritual vessels:
d. Lion-head shaped cup (LB Age
examples from Ugarit and Aegean?)
e. A female-shaped jar for pouring
libations from breasts: fertility cult?
f. Kernoi: circular tubes with hollow-
spouted animal, pomegranate, and
jar attachments: for pouring liquids.
Phil.-ritual female-shaped jar:
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: ritual vessels.
• The Qasile temples produced many
fragments from ritual pottery vessels:
a. Canaanite-derived forms
b. Cypriot-derived forms.
c. Apparently new forms.
• Decorated cylindrical stands for bowls
used in ritual offerings: sacred meals?
a. Portrayals of dancers on a stand
b. Depictions of 2 lionesses on a stand
c. Bird heads & wings on several bowl
(i.e., popular Myc./Phil. bird motif)
• Special ritual vessels:
d. Lion-head shaped cup (LB Age
examples from Ugarit and Aegean?)
e. A female-shaped jar for pouring
libations from breasts: fertility cult?
f. Kernoi: circular tubes with hollow-
spouted animal, pomegranate, and
jar attachments: for pouring liquids.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: ritual vessels.
• The Qasile temples produced many
fragments from ritual pottery vessels:
a. Canaanite-derived forms
b. Cypriot-derived forms.
c. Apparently new forms.
• Decorated cylindrical stands for bowls
used in ritual offerings: sacred meals?
a. Portrayals of dancers on a stand
b. Depictions of 2 lionesses on a stand
c. Bird heads & wings on several bowl
(i.e., popular Myc./Phil. bird motif)
• Special ritual vessels:
d. Lion-head shaped cup (LB Age
examples from Ugarit and Aegean?)
e. A female-shaped jar for pouring
libations from breasts: fertility cult?
f. Kernoi: circular tubes with hollow-
spouted animal, pomegranate, and
jar attachments: for pouring liquids.
Kernoi: circular tubes with hollow
spouted animals, etc., for pouring
liquids: = ritual equipment
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: ritual vessels.
• Special ritual vessels:
g. Kernos bowls: Bowls with a hollow
tubes connected to hollow-spouted
animal forms: for pouring liquids.
• These special ritual pouring containers
appear in Iron 1 Philistia and Cyprus.
h. A jar containing five openings may
have facilitated sacred plants, etc.
i. A ceramic plaque portrays a shrine’s
façade accompanied by two deities
in relief (later defaced: by Israelites?)
j. Life-size human-face pottery masks
prob. for rituals personifying a deity.
k. Life-size animal-head pottery masks
prob. for rituals assuming deity’s role
l. Triton shell, presumably as a horn in
ritual calls (known elsewhere in Med.)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: ritual vessels.
• Special ritual vessels:
g. Kernos bowls: Bowls with a hollow
tubes connected to hollow-spouted
animal forms: for pouring liquids.
• These special ritual pouring containers
appear in Iron 1 Philistia and Cyprus.
h. A jar containing five openings may
have facilitated sacred plants, etc.
i. A ceramic plaque portrays a shrine’s
façade accompanied by two deities
in relief (later defaced: by Israelites?)
j. Life-size human-face pottery masks
prob. for rituals personifying a deity.
k. Life-size animal-head pottery masks
prob. for rituals assuming deity’s role
l. Triton shell, presumably as a horn in
ritual calls (known elsewhere in Med.)
Triton shells:Often used as a trumpet
i.e., ritual calls
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Meaning of cult furnishings:
• In essence, the town’s elite & populace
built a series of shrines to their patron
deities in order to obtain spec. results:
Divine benefits for the town & citizens.
• To contact and satisfy their deities
sufficiently, a specific interface is req.:
namely a temple/shrine dedicated to
a particular deity & his/her needs.
• The shrine, being the deity’s earthly
“home,” needs to be sufficiently fine to
attract the deity/deities to it:
(i.e., “you get what you pay for”).
• Such deities needed servants =priests
maintaining divine household & needs
• Temple furnishings also needed to be
special, reflecting one’s respect for a
deity, and possibly aspects particular
to a specific deity and requirement/use
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: votive offerings.
• Beads from jewellery
• Ivory items: fittings from boxes and
other valuable items: cosmetic jars, etc
• Alabaster (calcite) vessels: usually jars
for holding precious unguents
• Numerous pottery vessels: often the
containers in which food and other
offerings are provided.
Probable meanings:
• In essence, various people offered
things of various values, from food to
products, to town deities in exchange
for various desired outcomes: E.g.,
- Good health (for selves/others)
- Prosperity (spec. ventures/in general)
- Action against foes (spec./in general)
- Good weather (for voyages)
- Happiness (e.g., good spouse, etc.)
Generic calcite
goblet (D. el-Balah)
Generic view: votive offerings
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Cult objects: votive offerings.
• Beads from jewellery
• Ivory items: fittings from boxes and
other valuable items: cosmetic jars, etc
• Alabaster (calcite) vessels: usually jars
for holding precious unguents
• Numerous pottery vessels: often the
containers in which food and other
offerings are provided.
Probable meanings:
• In essence, various people offered
things of various values, from food to
products,to town deities in exchange
for various desired outcomes: E.g.,
- Good health (for selves/others)
- Prosperity (spec. ventures/in general)
- Action against foes (spec./in general)
- Good weather (for voyages)
- Happiness (e.g., good spouse, etc.)
Tel Miqne-Ekron: “Hearth shrine”
Qasile
Generic view: votive offerings
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Glyptic art and writing:
• The seals from Philistine sites include
mainly small conical or pyramidal seals
with crude through linear renditions of
human and animal figures.
• Some seal design motifs include:
a. A seated person playing a harp/lyre
b. Brief texts with linear letters,
resembling Cypro-Minoan script.
• Hence, in yet again another aspect of
Philistine material culture, further links
occur with the Aegean and Cyprus.
Meaning:
• Stamp seals =both protective/magical
amulets and symbols of ownership
when applied to wet clay/impressions.
• They appear in everyday usage,
votive offerings, & funerary offerings,
with practical through magical uses.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Glyptic art and writing:
• The seals from Philistine sites include
mainly small conical or pyramidal seals
with crude through linear renditions of
human and animal figures.
• Some seal design motifs include:
a. A seated person playing a harp/lyre
b. Brief texts with linear letters,
resembling Cypro-Minoan script.
• Hence, in yet again another aspect of
Philistine material culture, further links
occur with the Aegean and Cyprus.
Meaning:
• Stamp seals =both protective/magical
amulets and symbols of ownership
when applied to wet clay/impressions.
• They appear in everyday usage,
votive offerings, & funerary offerings,
with practical through magical uses.
E.g., amuletic protection
E.g., potential hazards …
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Burial customs:
• The Philistine sites & their cemeteries
have revealed various burial customs:
Azor and Tel Zeror:
• Pit-cut graves for single interments
• Rectilinear cist graves
• Double pithos (pottery vessel) coffins
• Tel Zeror = a Tjekel/Tjeker region near
Dor (see Journey of Wenamon).
• Some traces of cremation (unclear)
Tell el-Far‘ah (South) Cemetery 600:
• Many simple pit graves
• Five rock-cut cave tombs associated
with elite Philistine burials
(like cemetery 900 from Iron 1A).
Tel Eitun:
• Wealthy Philistine burials nearby.
Azor: Iron Age 1B cremation burial
Tell Farah (S):
Tomb contents
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Burial customs:
• The Philistine sites & their cemeteries
have revealed various burial customs:
Azor and Tel Zeror:
• Pit-cut graves for single interments
• Rectilinear cist graves
• Double pithos (pottery vessel) coffins
• Tel Zeror = a Tjekel/Tjeker region near
Dor (see Journey of Wenamon).
• Some traces of cremation (unclear)
Tell el-Far‘ah (South) Cemetery 600:
• Many simple pit graves
• Five rock-cut cave tombs associated
with elite Philistine burials
(like cemetery 900 from Iron 1A).
Tel Eitun:
• Wealthy Philistine burials nearby.
(Philistine) “Bench tombs”
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Burial customs:
• The Philistine sites & their cemeteries
have revealed various burial customs:
Azor and Tel Zeror:
• Pit-cut graves for single interments
• Rectilinear cist graves
• Double pithos (pottery vessel) coffins
• Tel Zeror = a Tjekel/Tjeker region near
Dor (see Journey of Wenamon).
• Some traces of cremation (unclear)
Tell el-Far‘ah (South) Cemetery 600:
• Many simple pit graves
• Five rock-cut cave tombs associated
with elite Philistine burials
(like cemetery 900 from Iron 1A).
Tel Eitun:
• Wealthy Philistine burials nearby.
Elite Philistine rock-cut cave tombs
i.e., prob. Aegean-derived burials.
Ashkelon: ashlar built tombs
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Burial customs:
Tell el-Far ‘ah (South) & Beth-Shan:
• Ceramic anthropoid coffins are not
found in the Iron 1B Philistine period
of settlement.
• The vertically striped headdresses on
a few ceramic coffin lids from these
sites may reflect “feathered” helmets
on several “Sea Peoples” (DEBATED):
Peleset, Tjekel/Tjeker, and Denyen.
• The Iron 1A ceramic coffins at Deir el-
Balah tend to be “grotesque” in style,
& may reflect Sea Peoples serving in
Egyptian garrisons adopting modified
Egyptian burial containers.
• Only a few Philistines and possibly a
few other Sea Peoples adopted this
Egyptian-derived burial container,
otherwise it remains non-Philistine.
Ashkelon: ashlar built tombs
Debated “link” with Philistines
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Burial customs:
Tell el-Far ‘ah (South) & Beth-Shan:
• Ceramic anthropoid coffins are not
found in the Iron 1B Philistine period
of settlement.
• The vertically striped headdresses on
a few ceramic coffin lids from these
sites may reflect “feathered” helmets
on several “Sea Peoples” (DEBATED):
Peleset, Tjekel/Tjeker, and Denyen.
• The Iron 1A ceramic coffins at Deir el-
Balah tend to be “grotesque” in style,
& may reflect Sea Peoples serving in
Egyptian garrisons adopting modified
Egyptian burial containers.
• Only a few Philistines and possibly a
few other Sea Peoples adopted this
Egyptian-derived burial container,
otherwise it remains non-Philistine.
Medinet Habu: Ramesses III
Designating POWs with “feathered”
helmets as Peleset, Tjeker, Denyen
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Burial customs:
Tell el-Far ‘ah (South) & Beth-Shan:
• Ceramic anthropoid coffins are not
found in the Iron 1B Philistine period
of settlement.
• The vertically striped headdresses on
a few ceramic coffin lids from these
sites may reflect “feathered” helmets
on several “Sea Peoples” (DEBATED):
Peleset, Tjekel/Tjeker, and Denyen.
• The Iron 1A ceramic coffins at Deir el-
Balah tend to be “grotesque” in style,
& may reflect Sea Peoples serving in
Egyptian garrisons adopting modified
Egyptian burial containers. DEBATED
• Only a few Philistines and possibly a
few other Sea Peoples adopted this
Egyptian-derived burial container,
otherwise it remains non-Philistine.
Beth-Shan: Iron 1A 1200-1150 BC
“Sea Peoples” anthropoid coffin lid
(derived from an Egyptian practice)
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
Burial customs:
Tell el-Far ‘ah (South) & Beth-Shan:
• Ceramic anthropoid coffins are not
found in the Iron 1B Philistine period
of settlement.
• The vertically striped headdresses on
a few ceramic coffin lids from these
sites may reflect “feathered” helmets
on several “Sea Peoples” (DEBATED):
Peleset, Tjekel/Tjeker, and Denyen.
• The Iron 1A ceramic coffins at Deir el-
Balah tend to be “grotesque” in style,
& may reflect Sea Peoples serving in
Egyptian garrisons adopting modified
Egyptian burial containers.
• Only a few Philistines & possibly a few
other Sea Peoples may have adopted
this Egyptian-derived burial container,
otherwise it remains non-Philistine.
Egyptian-type coffins
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
The end of the Philistine culture:
• The dearth of contemporary texts
dealing with the Philistine settlement
leaves the assumption that their period
of settlement spanned basically
1200 – 1150 BC: Iron 1A (early Dyn.20)
• The Philistine migrations do not
appear sufficiently numerous or volatile
to have eradicated or replaced the bulk
of the (former) Canaanite populace.
• Indeed, many Canaanite coastal
towns/cities were destroyed, including
Egyptian installations; others survived.
• This included a certain proportion of
civilian and military deaths, but Egypt
managed to defeat the Sea Peoples.
→ Canaanite culture continued under
Egyptian control alongside a new and
small group of settlers: Philistines, etc.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
The end of the Philistine culture:
• The dearth of contemporary texts
dealing with the Philistine settlement
leaves the assumption that their period
of settlement spanned basically
1200 – 1150 BC: Iron 1A (early Dyn.20)
• The Philistine migrations do not
appear sufficiently numerous or volatile
to have eradicated or replaced the
former Canaanite populace.
• Indeed, many Canaanite coastal
towns/cities were destroyed, including
Egyptian installations;others survived.
• This included a certain proportion of
civilian and military deaths, but Egypt
managed to “defeat” the Sea Peoples.
→ Canaanite culture continued under
Egyptian control alongside a new and
small group of settlers: Philistines, etc.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
The end of the Philistine culture:
• Egyptian references to the placement
of Philistines (Tjeker, Denyen, etc.) in
Egyptian military posts = presumed to
be in Canaan (overseeing Canaanites,
in conjunction with the Philistine’s
military origins and biblical references),
→ suggest that they formed the upper
levels of Canaanite society in Iron 1A
→ Inherited this position of dominance
after Egypt abandoned its N. empire,
perhaps in agreement with the Peleset
(i.e., like mercenaries minding Egypt’s
interests in Canaan).
Late Ramesside royal names cluster
in Philistia, suggesting royal contact.
• Hence, Philistine minority appears to
have merged slowly with a Canaanite
majority to form a new hybrid culture.
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
The Philistines (& P-l-s-t) culture:
• Egyptian references to the placement
of Philistines (Tjeker, Denyen, etc.) in
Egyptian military posts = presumed to
be in Canaan (overseeing Canaanites,
in conjunction with the Philistine’s
military origins and biblical references),
→ suggest that they formed the upper
levels of Canaanite society in Iron 1A
→ Inherited this position of dominance
after Egypt “abandoned” its N. empire,
perhaps in “agreement” with Egypt
(i.e., like mercenaries or “vassals”?
minding Egypt’s interests in Canaan).
Late Ramesside royal names cluster
in Philistia, suggesting royal contact.
• Hence, Philistine minority appears to
have merged slowly with a Canaanite
majority to form a new hybrid culture.Iron Age IB: 1150 – 1000 BCE
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
The end of the Philistine culture:
• Iron Age 1B spanned 1150-1000 BC,
witnessing the slow adjustment of
Mycenaean-Philistine cultures to
post-1200 BC Canaanite culture.
• The distinct Philistine Bichrome pottery
becomes decreasingly popular and
is replaced by a red slip and burnished
pottery by 1000 BC: advent of Iron 2A.
• The adoption of red slipped and
burnished pottery appears in Strata
XI-X at Tell Qasile (1100-1000 BC)
alongside Bichrome pottery.
• Some vessels span both types, such
as a red-slipped krater with black-
painted spirals in Str.X: 1050-1000 BC
• Bichrome disappears by ca.1000 BC
• However, the Philistines maintained
political independence after 1000 BC.
Former visible surviving traits of
Philistine culture diminish,
but Philistines remain independent.
Late Philistine ware
Iron Age 1: ca. 1200 – 1000 BC
The end of the Philistine culture:
• Iron Age 1B spanned 1150-1000 BC,
witnessing the slow adjustment of
Mycenaean-Philistine cultures to
post-1200 BC Canaanite culture.
• The distinct Philistine Bichrome pottery
becomes decreasingly popular and
is replaced by a red slip and burnished
pottery by 1000 BC: advent of Iron 2A.
• The adoption of red slipped and
burnished pottery appears in Strata
XI-X at Tell Qasile (1100-1000 BC)
alongside Bichrome pottery.
• Some vessels span both types, such
as a red-slipped krater with black-
painted spirals in Str.X: 1050-1000 BC
• Bichrome disappears by ca.1000 BC
• However, the Philistines maintained
political independence after 1000 BC.
Former visible surviving traits of
Philistine culture diminish,
but Philistines remain independent.
Tel Miqne-Ekron: red slip+burnish jugs
Iron Age 2A:
1000 – 925 BCE
Iron Age 2B+:
925-740+ BCE
Philistia
PhilistiaMaximalist
view of Isr.
Iron 2A Iron 2B+
Iron Age 1(A)-B: The Philistines.
Date: ca. 1200 - 1000 BC
Iron 1A: 1200-1150 BC;
Iron 1B: 1150-1000 BC;
Lifestyle: The Peleset settled mainly in the Plain of Philistia, focusing upon
the 5 cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ashodod, Ekron (Miqne),
and Gath (Tel Safi).
They may originate from Crete (Bible: Kaphtor), and appear
to be of Aegean-West Anatolian derivation via various
strong links with Mycenaean art and motifs (e.g.,
Myc. IIIC birds), pottery forms, figurines, etc.
They replace some Canaanite towns, found some new towns,
or continue in earlier towns in Iron 1A;
They later fortify their growing cities in Iron 1B;
The elite housing includes a Mycenaean-style home with a hearth
& pillars (e.g., Pylos “Nestor” palace);
Other homes begin to reveal a “4-room house” plan,
which becomes typical for Iron Age Palestine.
Iron Age 1(A)-B: The Philistines.
Religion: Philistine temples are Aegean-style in derivation (e.g., Kition;
Phylakopi), with rectilinear plans, interior benches
for votive offerings, an altar, a treasury,
an outer courtyard, etc. (e.g., Tel Qasile);
They yield ash and bones from animal sacrifices, with
ritual equipment: Aegean-derived Ashdoda female
figurines and mourning female figurine (hands to head),
pottery stands, rhyta, and kernoi, triton shells
(i.e., possibly a horn for ritual calls), alabaster vessels,
jewellery, seals, etc.
Technology: The Peleset are shown clean-shaven, wearing a flaring helmet,
upper body armour, and a tasselled kilt, and bear a
circular shield, axe, spear, and sword;
They appear in bird-headed ships, and on land have both
infantry & 3-person chariots, followed by family members
in ox-drawn carts.
Philistine pottery progresses from locally made Mycenaean IIIC
forms (Iron 1A) to Bichrome ware (Iron 1B).
Iron Age 1(A)-B: The Philistines.
Trade: Aegean-derived Philistine items merge with Canaanite
material culture, but are also traded with settlements
along the borders of Philistia: foothills of the
Israelite hill country; some Egyptian items.
Artwork: Philistine pottery is well-decorated, adopting Myc.IIIC-style
birds, which become a more stylized “Philistine birds”
on their typical Iron 1B Bichrome pottery;
They also use painted spirals, frames, rarely fish, and sometimes
an Egyptian-style lotus blossom on Bichrome pottery.
Burials: Philistine-controlled areas display multiple burial types:
simple pit-graves,
rectilinear cist graves,
pithos pottery jar coffins,
some elite rock-cut bench tombs, and
some cremation burials.
Addendum: origins of the Philistines / P-l-s-t …
• The discovery and debate over the land of Palistin, located in
Syria and debated over its relation to P-l-s-t (Philistine).
• Some argue for a connection:
E.g., Similarities with Egyptian references to P-l-s-t
Similarities to later Biblical references to Philistines
(i.e., written accounts hearkening back to Iron Age 1+)
• Others argue against a connection:
E.g., How reliable is a connection based upon similarities in
some consonants (albeit lack of an “n”): Palistin vs Plst
L. Younger: Cautions about too broad a linkage between
similar letters, providing an example of how similar names
can have few to absolutely no linkage regarding ethnicity:
(a) Roman, (b) Romani, (c) Romanian
References: ASOR 2016 Nov. 17 conference.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_name_%22Palestine%22
traditional associations of P-l-s-t with Philistines (versus some new ones)
SELECTED
SOURCES:On the Philistines and
Philistines within Sea PeoplesArranged from most recent to earlier works …
Baker Academic, selected articles
Selected articles relating to the
Philistines, Sea Peoples, etc.:
6. “Archaeology of the Late Bronze
Age,” by Joe Uziel
7. “Archaeology of the Iron Age I,”
by Aren M. Maeir
24. “The Egyptian Sojourn and the
Exodus,” by David A. Falk
25. “The Settlement Period,”
by Pekka Pitkänen
33. “The Late Bronze Age Collapse &
the Sea Peoples' Migrations,”
by Gregory D. Mumford
54. “Trade in the Late Bronze and Iron
Age Levant,” by Joshua T. Walton
Sterne Library:
DS62.23 .B45 20182018
Philistines within Sea Peoples:
Sea Peoples of the Bronze Age
Mediterranean c.1400 BC-1000
BC
A. Salimbeti (Andrea),
author. Raffaele D'Amato author.;
Giuseppe Rava 1963- illustrator.
Oxford : Osprey Publishing 2015
Sterne Library:
DF220 .S25 2015
Philistines within Sea Peoples:
1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization
Collapsed
Eric H. Cline
Princeton : Princeton University
Press 2014
Sterne Library:
GN778.25 .C55 2014
PHILISTINES:
The Philistines and Other “Sea
Peoples" in Text and
Archaeology
Ann E. Killebrew editor.; Gunnar
Lehmann editor.; Society of
Biblical Literature.
Atlanta : Society of Biblical
Literature 2013
Sterne Library:
DS90 .P55 2013
PHILISTINES:
The Philistines and Aegean migration
at the end of the late Bronze Age
Assaf. Yasur-Landau
New York : Cambridge University Press
2010
Sterne Library:
UAB E-Book listing …
PHILISTINES:
Biblical peoples and ethnicity:
an archaeological study of
Egyptians, Canaanites,
Philistines, and early Israel,
1300-1100 B.C.E.
Ann E. Killebrew
Atlanta : Society of Biblical
Literature c2005
Sterne Library:
DS112 .K476 2005
Philistines within Sea Peoples:
The Sea Peoples and their
World: A Reassessment
Eliezer D Oren; International
Seminar on Cultural
Interconnections in the Ancient
Near East (1995 : University of
Pennsylvania Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology)
Philadelphia : University
Museum 2000
Sterne Library:
DE73.2.S4 S43 2000
Philistines within Sea Peoples:
Seagoing Ships & Seamanship
in the Bronze Age Levant
Shelley. Wachsmann
College Station : Texas A & M
University Press ; London :
Chatham Pub. ©1998
Sterne Library:
DE61.S43 W33 1998
PHILISTINES:
People of the Sea: The Search
for the Philistines
Trude. Dothan M Dothan
(Moshe)
New York : Macmillan ; Toronto :
Maxwell Macmillan Canada ;
New York : Maxwell Macmillan
International c1992
Sterne Library:
DS90 .D63 1992
Philistines within Sea Peoples:
The Sea Peoples: Warriors of
the Ancient Mediterranean,
1250-1150 B.C.
N. K. Sandars (Nancy K.)
New York, N.Y. : Thames and
Hudson 1985
Sterne Library:
DE73.2.S4 S26 1985
PHILISTINES:
• See later written accounts
regarding Israelite relations
with the Philistines …
The new Oxford annotated
Bible with the Apocrypha :
Revised standard version,
containing the second edition
of the New Testament and an
expanded edition of the
Apocrypha
Herbert G May (Herbert
Gordon), 1904-1977.; Bruce M
Metzger (Bruce Manning), 1914-
2007. New York: Oxford
University Press 1977
Sterne Library:
BS191.A1 1977 .N43