Philistia is a rich land, but, in its early history, its population was sporadic at best. Beginning around the Neolithic period (~8000-4500 BC), very few documented occupations are known, a trend which continued through the Chalcolithic period (~4500-3500 BC). Most known populations were living on the “fringes” of what is now considered prime land, including the Negev and Judaean Wilderness; though, by the Late Bronze age, the Levant was thoroughly peopled. Egypt often passed through the Philistine gateway to penetrate the Southern Levant, using what is known as the international trunk route, or International Coastal Highway (in time, this would also be called the Way of the Land of the Philistines). Then, around 1200 BC, Aegean tribes invaded the Nile Delta. Ramses III repelled them on some level, and the interlopers settled instead in Egypt’s most valuable coastal towns south of Byblos: Gaza and Ashkelon. These people were known as the Philistines, and adroitly adapted to their new home and opportunities.
Examples of Aegean Influence and Imports in Philistine Pottery (Left to Right): Philistine Monochrome, Cypriot Milk Jar, Another Cypriot Milk Jar, Monochrome Bell Jar Rim and Handle
Products from Philistia eventually appeared all over the known world, as the textile industry flourished with flax and wool work. Philistia’s access to the Mediterranean also brought harvests of the murex, the mollusk responsible for the highly desired Tyrian purple. Archaeologists today still unearth the signature Philistine loom weights, as well as other tools for making cloth—tools, dyes, and ceramics all used for spinning and weaving, indicating the textile industry was booming (Ashkelon 1, 204-205). However, Philistia’s greatest source of wealth and trade were still its roads and coasts.
Ancient Murex Shell found in Iron Age Ashkelon
But, just as the Egyptians lost this region, so would the Philistines. Assyria seized upon this land of opportunity and stripped it from her former masters. Then Babylon reared its mighty head. The juggernaut of antiquity swept through Philistia and wrought havoc, taking advantage of the very roads that had delivered such prosperity.
Ashkelon alone would take almost a century to recover from Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction. Eventually, Philistia prospered again under the Persian Empire until Alexander’s arrival, when he besieged Gaza on his way to Egypt. After his death until the rise of the Roman Empire, Philistia was again an embattled land as armies crossed and recrossed her while the Seleucids and Ptolemies vied for superiority. Rome, tired of the squabbling, eventually turned control of Philistia and all Palestine over to the Herodian Dynasty. Kingdoms would continue to play a territorial tug-of-war after Rome passed away. The Muslims would seize Philistia during their zealous expansions and the Crusaders, in turn, rolled into Philistia to retake it from the heathen. From Ottomans to Britain, the State of Israel to Hamas, Philistia has hardly had a moment’s peace since her earliest days in antiquity.
Crusader-Era Wall at Ashkelon
Good resources for historical Philistia can be found in Amihai Mazar’s book Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10, 000-586 B.C.E. and details of Philistine material culture are described within Ashkelon excavation reports such as Ashkelon 1 (Cited above, subsection- “Case Study of Indoor Surfaces: A Philistine House.”). All Ashkelon excavation reports (and other interesting info on Ashkelon) are available online here.
Trent and Rebekah 