 | ||
| Ancient carving of Philistine warrior |
The Philistines, those "villains" who gave David headaches and sleepless nights (not to mention a paycheck for a while, but that's another story...), are once again making headlines.
Excavations recently underway are shedding more light on an ancient people who vie with Egypt and Assyria for the title of "worst enemy" of Israel in Biblical times. At Tel el Safi in southern Israel, the remains of the Philistine city of Gath are being excavated under the direction of authorities at Bar Ilan University.
Gath’s most famous resident was Goliath, the giant said to be killed by David in one of the Bible’s most popular stories.
It seems that the Philistines, believed to be of Greek origin, arrived on the southern coast of the biblical lands as one of the "Sea Peoples" around 1200 B.C. Archeologists tell us they held fast to their Greek culture and were still worshiping Greek gods five centuries after their arrival in the area we still call Gaza, after one of the Philistines' ancient cities. Find out more about everyday living in ancient Gath by clicking here.
Taken from the Biblical Archeological Review and Yahoo News, July 8, 2011.
