National Geographic History - 11.2019 - 12.2019

V. DOROSZ/ALAMY

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HISTORY 5

Genetic evidence of Euro-

pean provenance echoes the

Bible’s description of Philis-

tine roots, saying they came

from “Caphtor” (Amos 9:7),

an ancient term for Crete.

The Ashkelon team has yet to

determine an exact origin, but

Greece, Crete, and Sardinia are

strong contenders.

In parallel with analysis of

the four individuals from the

1100s B.C. who had a strong

European genetic footprint,

studies were also carried out

on the bodies of Philistines

who had lived later in the Iron

Age. These tests reveal that the

European genetic footprint

had faded by then, through in-

termarriage with local people.

Despite this, the Philistines

remained outsiders. In the Bi-

ble they are reviled for their

differences, traits confirmed

in archaeological finds: Their

script was Aegean, not Semit-

ic; their pottery was similar

to that of the ancient Greek

world; and they ate pork.

Even so, as Daniel Mas-

ter, director of the Leon Levy

Expedition to Ashkelon, ex-

plains, Philistine cultural dif-

ferences lessened and evolved:

“Over time, we can show that

Philistine culture changed,

that their language changed,

and now that their genetic

profile changed, but accord-

ing to their neighbors, they

remained Philistines from

beginning to end.”

WERE THE PHILISTINES

THE SEA PEOPLES?

EGYPTIAN CHRONICLES relate the destruction

wrought by warlike mariners who attempted to settle

parts of Egypt, and toppled the Hittite Empire cen-

tered in modern-day Turkey. When these accounts

were written in the 13th and 12th centuries b.c.

(a period of upheaval between the Bronze and Iron

Ages), these “Sea Peoples” (a 19th-century term)

were at their most destructive. One of the tribes

named is the Peleset, identified by some historians

as the Philistines. A relief at Ramses III’s mortuary

temple shows Peleset captives defeated by Ramses

in the first part of the 12th century b.c. If these Peleset

are indeed the Philistines, they would have already

started to have settled in Ashkelon at this time.

arrival to around 1200 B.C., a
time that coincides with the
earliest production of Philis-
tine pottery in the region.

Spot the Difference
The origins of the Philistines
have long intrigued archaeol-
ogists. Until recently, only a
few burials had been uncov-
ered that could shed light on
their provenance.
In 2016, however, the Leon
Levy Expedition to Ashkelon
unearthed a large Philistine
cemetery at the Ashkelon site.
This discovery, together with
the location of other Philistine
burials, provided the basis for
the genetic analysis across dif-
ferent time frames.

ALBUM/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP

DETAIL OF A RELIEF SHOWING PELESET CAPTIVES AT THE MORTUARY

TEMPLE OF RAMSES III AT MEDINET HABU, THEBES, EGYPT

REMAINS OF THE MEDIEVAL FATIMID

WALLS OF ASHKELON, ISRAEL. THE

ANCIENT SEAPORT WAS FOUNDED BY

BRONZE AGE CANAANITES, AND LATER

SETTLED BY THE PHILISTINES IN THE

12TH CENTURY B.C.