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New page: The '''Philistines''' (Hebrew פלשתים, ''plishtim'') (see "other uses" below) were a people who inhabited the southern coast of Canaan, their territ...
The '''Philistines''' ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] פלשתים, ''plishtim'') (see "other uses" below) were a [[nation|people]] who inhabited the southern coast of [[Canaan]], their territory being named '''Philistia''' in later contexts. Their origin has been debated among scholars, but modern [[archaeology]] has suggested early cultural links with the [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenean]] world in mainland [[Greece]]. Though the Philistines adopted local [[Canaan]]ite culture and language before leaving any written texts, an [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] origin has been suggested for a handful of known Philistine words (See [[Philistine language]]).
==Etymology==
The etymology of the word into English is from Old French ''Philistin'', from Late Latin ''Philistinus'', from Late Greek ''Philistinoi'',
from Hebrew ''P'lishtim'', (See, e.g., 1 Samuel 17:26, 17:36; 2 Samuel 1:20; Judges 14:3)."people of P'lesheth" ("Philistia"); cf. Akkadian ''Palastu'', Egyptian ''Palusata''; the word probably is the people's name for itself. [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Philistine&searchmode=none Etymology Online] cf. the semitic root ''Pelesh'' ({{lang-he|פלש}}) which means ''to divide, go through, to roll in, cover or invade''. (Jastrow, Marcus. A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature. New York: Judaica Press, 1989., p.1185)
==History==
If the Philistines are to be identified as one of the "[[Sea Peoples]]" (see ''Origins'' below), then their occupation of Canaan would have to have taken place during the reign of [[Ramesses III]] of the [[Twentieth dynasty of Egypt|Twentieth Dynasty]], ''ca.'' [[1180s BC|1180]] to [[1150s BC|1150 BC]]. Their maritime knowledge presumably would have made them important to the [[Phoenicia]]ns.
In Egypt, a people called the ''"Peleset"'' (or, more precisely, ''prst''), generally identified with the Philistines, appear in the [[Medinet Habu]] inscription of [[Ramesses III]] [http://www.courses.psu.edu/cams/cams400w_aek11/mhabtext.html Texts from the Medinet Habu Temple with Reference to the Sea Peoples], where he describes his victory against the [[Sea Peoples]], as well as the [[Onomasticon of Amenope]] (late [[Twentieth Dynasty]]) and [[Papyrus Harris I]], a summary of [[Ramesses III]]'s reign written in the reign of [[Ramesses IV]]. [[Nineteenth-century]] [[Bible]] scholars identified the land of the Philistines (''Philistia'') with ''Palastu'' and ''Pilista'' in [[Assyria]]n inscriptions, according to ''Easton's Bible Dictionary'' (1897).
The Philistines occupied the five cities of [[Gaza]], [[Ashkelon]], [[Ashdod]], [[Ekron]], and [[Gath (city)|Gath]], along the coastal strip of southwestern [[Canaan]], that belonged to [[Egypt]] up to the closing days of the [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|Nineteenth Dynasty]] (ended [[1180s BC|1185 BC]]). The [[Bible|biblical]] stories of [[Samson]], [[Samuel (Bible)|Samuel]], [[Saul the King|Saul]] and [[David]] include accounts of Philistine-[[Israelite]] conflicts. The Philistines long held a [[monopoly]] on [[iron]] smithing (a skill they possibly acquired during conquests in [[Anatolia]]), and the biblical description of [[Goliath]]'s armor is consistent with this iron-smithing technology.
This powerful association of tribes made frequent incursions against the [[Hebrews]]. There was almost perpetual war between the two peoples. The Philistine cities were ruled by ''seranim'' (סְרָנִים, "lords"), who acted together for the common good, though to what extent they had a sense of a "nation" is not clear without literary sources. After their defeat by the Hebrew king [[David]], who originally for a time worked as a mercenary for [[Achish]] of [[Gath (city)|Gath]], kings replaced the ''seranim'', governing from various cities. Some of these kings were called [[Abimelech]], which was initially a name and later a dynastic title.
The Philistines lost their independence to [[Tiglath-Pileser III]] of [[Assyria]] by [[730s BC|732 BC]], and revolts in following years were all crushed. Later, [[Nebuchadrezzar II|Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon]] eventually conquered all of [[Syria]] and the [[Kingdom of Judah]], and the former Philistine cities became part of the [[Babylonia|Neo-Babylonian Empire]]. There are few references to the Philistines after this time period. However, Ezekiel 25:16, Zechariah 9:6, and I Macabees 3 make mention of the Philistines, indicating that they still existed as a people in some capacity after the Babylonian invasion. Eventually all traces of the Philistines as a people or ethnic group disappear. Subsequently the cities were under the control of [[Persian people|Persians]], [[Jew]]s ([[Hasmonean|Hasmonean Kingdom]]), [[Greeks]] ([[Seleucid Empire]]), [[Roman Empire|Romans]], and subsequent empires.
The name "[[Palestine]]" comes, via [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Latin]], from the Philistines; see [[History of Palestine]].
==Origin of the Philistines==
Most authorities agree that the Philistines are not [[wiktionary:autochthonous|autochthonous]] to the regions of Israel/Palestine which the [[Bible]] describes them inhabiting. The Bible contains roughly 250 references to the Philistines or Philistia, and repeatedly refers to them as "[[circumcision|uncircumcised]]", unlike the [[Semitic]] peoples, such as [[Canaan]]ites, which the Bible relates encountered the [[Israelites]] following [[the Exodus]]. (''See, e.g.,'' [[1 Samuel]] 17:26, 17:36; [[2 Samuel]] 1:20; [[Book of Judges|Judges]] 14:3).
It has been suggested that the Philistines formed part of the great naval confederacy, the "[[Sea Peoples]]," who had wandered, at the beginning of the [[12th century BC]], from their homeland in [[Crete]] and the [[Aegean islands]] to the shores of the [[Mediterranean]] and repeatedly attacked [[Egypt]] during the later [[Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt|Nineteenth Dynasty]]. Though they were eventually repulsed by [[Ramesses III]], he finally resettled them, according to the theory, to rebuild the coastal towns in Canaan.
[[Papyrus Harris I]] details the achievements of the reign of Ramesses III. In the brief description of the outcome of the battles in Year 8 is the description of the fate of the Sea Peoples. Ramesses tells us that, having brought the imprisoned Sea Peoples to Egypt, he "settled them in strongholds, bound in my name. Numerous were their classes like hundred-thousands. I taxed them all, in clothing and grain from the storehouses and granaries each year." Some scholars suggest it is likely that these "strongholds" were fortified towns in southern Canaan, which would eventually become the five cities (the [[Pentapolis]]) of the Philistines (Redford 1992, p. 289). [[Israel Finkelstein]] has suggested that there may be a period of 25-50 years after the sacking of the Philistine cities and their reoccupation by the Philistines. It is quite possible that for the initial period of time, the Philistines were housed in Egypt, only subsequently late in the troubled end of the reign of [[Rameses III]] would they have been allowed to settle Philistia.
===Archaeology===
The connection between [[Mycenaean period|Mycenean]] culture and Philistine culture was made clearer by finds at the excavation of [[Ashdod]], [[Ekron]], [[Ashkelon]], and more recently [[Tell es-Safi]] (probably [[Gath (city)|Gath]]), four of the five Philistine cities in Canaan. The fifth city is [[Gaza]]. Especially notable is the early Philistine pottery, a locally-made version of the [[Aegean civilization|Aegean]] Mycenaean [[Late Helladic IIIC]] pottery, which is decorated in shades of brown and black. This later developed into the distinctive Philistine pottery of the [[Iron Age]] I, with black and red decorations on white slip. Also of particular interest is a large, well-constructed building covering 240 square meters, discovered at Ekron. Its walls are broad, designed to support a second story, and its wide, elaborate entrance leads to a large hall, partly covered with a roof supported on a row of columns. In the floor of the hall is a circular hearth paved with pebbles, as is typical in Mycenean [[megaron]] hall buildings; other unusual architectural features are paved benches and podiums. Among the finds are three small bronze wheels with eight spokes. Such wheels are known to have been used for portable cultic stands in the Aegean region during this period, and it is therefore assumed that this building served [[Cult (religion)|cultic functions]]. Further evidence concerns an inscription in Ekron to PYGN or PYTN, which some have suggested refers to "[[Potnia theron|Potnia]]," the title given to an ancient [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] [[goddess]]. Excavations in [[Ashkelon]], [[Ekron]], and [[Gath]] reveal [[dog]] and [[pig]] bones which show signs of having been butchered, implying that these animals were part of the residents' diet.
===Pelasgians===
One name the Greeks used for the previous inhabitants of Greece and the Aegean was [[Pelasgians]], but no definite connection has been established between this name and that of the Philistines. The theory that the Sea Peoples included Greek-speaking tribes has been developed even further to postulate that the Philistines originated in either western [[Anatolia]] or the Greek peninsula.
===Philistine language===
There is some limited evidence in favor of the assumption that the Philistines did originally speak some Indo-European language. A number of Philistine-related words found in the Bible are not Semitic, and can in some cases, with reservations, be traced back to [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] roots. For example, the Philistine word for captain, ''[[seren]],'' may be related to the Greek word ''tyrannos'' (which, however, has not been traced to a PIE root). Some of the Philistine names, such as [[Goliath]], [[Achish]], and [[Phicol]], appear to be of non-Semitic origin, and Indo-European etymologies have been suggested. Recently, an inscription dating to the late 10th/early 9th centuries BC with two names, very similar to one of the suggested etymologies of the popular Philistine name Goliath ([[Lydian language|Lydian]] Alyattes/Wylattes) was found in the excavations at [[Tell es-Safi]]/[[Gath]]. The appearance of additional non-Semitic names in Philistine inscriptions from later stages of the Iron Age is an additional indication of the non-Semitic origins of this group.
===Statements in the Bible===
The Hebrew [[tradition]] recorded in [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 10:14 states that the "''Pelishtim''" ('''פְּלִשְׁתִּים''', [[Standard Hebrew]] /pəlištim/, [[Tiberian Hebrew]] /pəlištîm/) proceeded from the "''[[Pathrusim]]''" (פַּתְרֻסִים) and the "''[[Casluhim]]''" (כַּסְלֻחִים), who descended from [[Mizraim]] (מִצְרַיִם, Egypt), son of [[Ham, son of Noah|Ham]]. The Philistines settled "''Pelesheth''" ('''פְּלֶשֶׁת''', [[Standard Hebrew]] /pəléšet/ or /pəlášet/, [[Tiberian Hebrew]] /{{Unicode|pəléšeṯ}}/ or /{{Unicode|Pəlāšeṯ}}/) along the eastern [[Mediterranean]] coast at about the time when the [[Israelites]] settled in the [[Judea|Judean highlands]]. Biblical references to Philistines living in the area before this, at the time of [[Abraham]] or [[Isaac]] (e.g. Gen. 21:32-34), are generally regarded by modern scholars to be anachronisms.
The Philistines are spoken of in the ''[[Book of Amos]]'' as originating in [[Caphtor]]: "saith the LORD: Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and Aram from Kir?" (''Amos'' 9:7). Later, in the [[7th century BC]], ''[[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]]'' makes the same association with Caphtor. "For the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor, (Jeremiah 47:4). Scholars variously identify the land of Caphtor with [[Cyprus]] and [[Crete]] and other locations in the eastern Mediterranean.
==Other uses of the term 'Philistine'==
*British writers of the 19th century and very early 20th century sometimes referred to the [[Palestinian|Arabs of Palestine]] as "Philistines". This was apparently not due to a belief in a strong connection with the ancient Philistines, but merely reflects the former convention that "Philistine" simply denotes "native of Palestine". The Arabic word for Palestine, فلسطين, which is pronounced "Falasṭīn," derives from the Latin term Palaestina. After the Bar-Kokhba revolt of the Judeans and the subsequent Roman repression and exile, the Romans renamed the entire district of Judea "Palaestina" as a mark of insult to their defeated enemies. This is because of their knowledge of the region's history and the fact that the Philistines and the Israelites were warring peoples. The Arabic language's lack of the "p" phoneme, and the tendency to arabacize the "t" and "k" of foreign words as the corresponding Semitic emphatic consonants, resulted in this nomenclature after the Muslim conquest brought Arabs to the region in 636 AD, often used interchangeably for the entire greater Syrian district (Arabic: "Shaam").
*In non-historical usage, the word ''[[Philistinism|philistine]]'' refers to a person deficient in the culture of the [[liberal arts]]; or can also connote a smug and intolerant opponent of the [[Bohemianism|bohemian]], one who exhibits a restrictive moral code. See [[Philistinism]].
*The term "Philistines" also refers to an elite unit of the [[South African National Defence Force|South African Defence Force]] (SADF). The Pathfinder Company was the official name of this elite unit. Counter-insurgency was the primary mission assigned to these troops.
== Bibliography ==
* [[Trude Krakauer Dothan|Dothan, Trude Krakauer]]. 1982. ''The Philistines and Their Material Culture''. Jerusalem: [[Israel Exploration Society]]
* Dothan, Trude Krakauer, and [[Moshe Dothan]]. 1992. ''People of the Sea: The Search for the Philistines''. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company
* [[Carl Ehrlich|Ehrlich, Carl]] S. 1996. ''The Philistines in Transition: A History from ca. 1000–730 B.C.E.'' Studies in the History and Culture of the Ancient Near East 10, ser. eds. [[Baruch Halpern]], and [[Manfred Hermann Emil Weippert]]. Leiden: E. J. Brill
* [[Seymour Gitin|Gitin, Seymour]], [[Amihai Mazar]], and [[Ephraim Stern]], eds. 1998. ''Mediterranean Peoples in Transition: Thirteenth to Early Tenth Centuries BCE''. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society
* [[Aren M. Maeir|Maeir, Aren M.]] 2005. Philister-Keramik. Pp. 528–36 in "Reallexikon der Assyriologie und vorderasiatischen Archäologie", Band 14. Berlin: [[W. de Gruyter]].
* [[Eliezer Oren|Oren, Eliezer]] D., ed. 2000. ''The Sea Peoples and Their World: A Reassessment''. University Museum Monograph 108. Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
* [[Donald Bruce Redford|Redford, Donald Bruce]]. 1992. ''Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times''. Princeton: Princeton University Press
* [[Claude Vandersleyen]], "Keftiu: a cautionary note," ''Oxford Journal of Archaeology'' 22/21, 2003, 209-212.
* [[George E. Mendenhall|Mendenhall, George E.]] ''The Tenth Generation: The Origins of the Biblical Tradition'', The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1973. ISBN.
==External links==
* [http://www.dabar.org/Dyke/PHILISTINES/250PhilistineTexts.html List of biblical references to Philistines or Philistia]
* [http://www.dig-gath.org Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project website]
* [http://gath.wordpress.com Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project blog]
*[http://www.courses.psu.edu/cams/cams400w_aek11/www/index.htm the Sea Peoples and the Philistines. A course at Penn State University]
*[http://www.phoenixdatasystems.com/goliath/contents.htm Neal Bierling, ''Giving Goliath his due:new archaeological light on the Philistines'' 1992]
* [http://www.kingscalendar.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=viewnews&id=164 The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran] (Chronology for Israel's Period of the Judges 1412 BC to 1039 BC)
*[http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/bel9/index.html The Philistines: Raiders of the Ark or Cultural Goliaths?]
* {{CathEncy|wstitle=Philistines}}
[[Category: General Reference]]
[[Category: History]]
==Etymology==
The etymology of the word into English is from Old French ''Philistin'', from Late Latin ''Philistinus'', from Late Greek ''Philistinoi'',
from Hebrew ''P'lishtim'', (See, e.g., 1 Samuel 17:26, 17:36; 2 Samuel 1:20; Judges 14:3)."people of P'lesheth" ("Philistia"); cf. Akkadian ''Palastu'', Egyptian ''Palusata''; the word probably is the people's name for itself. [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Philistine&searchmode=none Etymology Online] cf. the semitic root ''Pelesh'' ({{lang-he|פלש}}) which means ''to divide, go through, to roll in, cover or invade''. (Jastrow, Marcus. A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature. New York: Judaica Press, 1989., p.1185)
==History==
If the Philistines are to be identified as one of the "[[Sea Peoples]]" (see ''Origins'' below), then their occupation of Canaan would have to have taken place during the reign of [[Ramesses III]] of the [[Twentieth dynasty of Egypt|Twentieth Dynasty]], ''ca.'' [[1180s BC|1180]] to [[1150s BC|1150 BC]]. Their maritime knowledge presumably would have made them important to the [[Phoenicia]]ns.
In Egypt, a people called the ''"Peleset"'' (or, more precisely, ''prst''), generally identified with the Philistines, appear in the [[Medinet Habu]] inscription of [[Ramesses III]] [http://www.courses.psu.edu/cams/cams400w_aek11/mhabtext.html Texts from the Medinet Habu Temple with Reference to the Sea Peoples], where he describes his victory against the [[Sea Peoples]], as well as the [[Onomasticon of Amenope]] (late [[Twentieth Dynasty]]) and [[Papyrus Harris I]], a summary of [[Ramesses III]]'s reign written in the reign of [[Ramesses IV]]. [[Nineteenth-century]] [[Bible]] scholars identified the land of the Philistines (''Philistia'') with ''Palastu'' and ''Pilista'' in [[Assyria]]n inscriptions, according to ''Easton's Bible Dictionary'' (1897).
The Philistines occupied the five cities of [[Gaza]], [[Ashkelon]], [[Ashdod]], [[Ekron]], and [[Gath (city)|Gath]], along the coastal strip of southwestern [[Canaan]], that belonged to [[Egypt]] up to the closing days of the [[Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt|Nineteenth Dynasty]] (ended [[1180s BC|1185 BC]]). The [[Bible|biblical]] stories of [[Samson]], [[Samuel (Bible)|Samuel]], [[Saul the King|Saul]] and [[David]] include accounts of Philistine-[[Israelite]] conflicts. The Philistines long held a [[monopoly]] on [[iron]] smithing (a skill they possibly acquired during conquests in [[Anatolia]]), and the biblical description of [[Goliath]]'s armor is consistent with this iron-smithing technology.
This powerful association of tribes made frequent incursions against the [[Hebrews]]. There was almost perpetual war between the two peoples. The Philistine cities were ruled by ''seranim'' (סְרָנִים, "lords"), who acted together for the common good, though to what extent they had a sense of a "nation" is not clear without literary sources. After their defeat by the Hebrew king [[David]], who originally for a time worked as a mercenary for [[Achish]] of [[Gath (city)|Gath]], kings replaced the ''seranim'', governing from various cities. Some of these kings were called [[Abimelech]], which was initially a name and later a dynastic title.
The Philistines lost their independence to [[Tiglath-Pileser III]] of [[Assyria]] by [[730s BC|732 BC]], and revolts in following years were all crushed. Later, [[Nebuchadrezzar II|Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon]] eventually conquered all of [[Syria]] and the [[Kingdom of Judah]], and the former Philistine cities became part of the [[Babylonia|Neo-Babylonian Empire]]. There are few references to the Philistines after this time period. However, Ezekiel 25:16, Zechariah 9:6, and I Macabees 3 make mention of the Philistines, indicating that they still existed as a people in some capacity after the Babylonian invasion. Eventually all traces of the Philistines as a people or ethnic group disappear. Subsequently the cities were under the control of [[Persian people|Persians]], [[Jew]]s ([[Hasmonean|Hasmonean Kingdom]]), [[Greeks]] ([[Seleucid Empire]]), [[Roman Empire|Romans]], and subsequent empires.
The name "[[Palestine]]" comes, via [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Latin]], from the Philistines; see [[History of Palestine]].
==Origin of the Philistines==
Most authorities agree that the Philistines are not [[wiktionary:autochthonous|autochthonous]] to the regions of Israel/Palestine which the [[Bible]] describes them inhabiting. The Bible contains roughly 250 references to the Philistines or Philistia, and repeatedly refers to them as "[[circumcision|uncircumcised]]", unlike the [[Semitic]] peoples, such as [[Canaan]]ites, which the Bible relates encountered the [[Israelites]] following [[the Exodus]]. (''See, e.g.,'' [[1 Samuel]] 17:26, 17:36; [[2 Samuel]] 1:20; [[Book of Judges|Judges]] 14:3).
It has been suggested that the Philistines formed part of the great naval confederacy, the "[[Sea Peoples]]," who had wandered, at the beginning of the [[12th century BC]], from their homeland in [[Crete]] and the [[Aegean islands]] to the shores of the [[Mediterranean]] and repeatedly attacked [[Egypt]] during the later [[Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt|Nineteenth Dynasty]]. Though they were eventually repulsed by [[Ramesses III]], he finally resettled them, according to the theory, to rebuild the coastal towns in Canaan.
[[Papyrus Harris I]] details the achievements of the reign of Ramesses III. In the brief description of the outcome of the battles in Year 8 is the description of the fate of the Sea Peoples. Ramesses tells us that, having brought the imprisoned Sea Peoples to Egypt, he "settled them in strongholds, bound in my name. Numerous were their classes like hundred-thousands. I taxed them all, in clothing and grain from the storehouses and granaries each year." Some scholars suggest it is likely that these "strongholds" were fortified towns in southern Canaan, which would eventually become the five cities (the [[Pentapolis]]) of the Philistines (Redford 1992, p. 289). [[Israel Finkelstein]] has suggested that there may be a period of 25-50 years after the sacking of the Philistine cities and their reoccupation by the Philistines. It is quite possible that for the initial period of time, the Philistines were housed in Egypt, only subsequently late in the troubled end of the reign of [[Rameses III]] would they have been allowed to settle Philistia.
===Archaeology===
The connection between [[Mycenaean period|Mycenean]] culture and Philistine culture was made clearer by finds at the excavation of [[Ashdod]], [[Ekron]], [[Ashkelon]], and more recently [[Tell es-Safi]] (probably [[Gath (city)|Gath]]), four of the five Philistine cities in Canaan. The fifth city is [[Gaza]]. Especially notable is the early Philistine pottery, a locally-made version of the [[Aegean civilization|Aegean]] Mycenaean [[Late Helladic IIIC]] pottery, which is decorated in shades of brown and black. This later developed into the distinctive Philistine pottery of the [[Iron Age]] I, with black and red decorations on white slip. Also of particular interest is a large, well-constructed building covering 240 square meters, discovered at Ekron. Its walls are broad, designed to support a second story, and its wide, elaborate entrance leads to a large hall, partly covered with a roof supported on a row of columns. In the floor of the hall is a circular hearth paved with pebbles, as is typical in Mycenean [[megaron]] hall buildings; other unusual architectural features are paved benches and podiums. Among the finds are three small bronze wheels with eight spokes. Such wheels are known to have been used for portable cultic stands in the Aegean region during this period, and it is therefore assumed that this building served [[Cult (religion)|cultic functions]]. Further evidence concerns an inscription in Ekron to PYGN or PYTN, which some have suggested refers to "[[Potnia theron|Potnia]]," the title given to an ancient [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] [[goddess]]. Excavations in [[Ashkelon]], [[Ekron]], and [[Gath]] reveal [[dog]] and [[pig]] bones which show signs of having been butchered, implying that these animals were part of the residents' diet.
===Pelasgians===
One name the Greeks used for the previous inhabitants of Greece and the Aegean was [[Pelasgians]], but no definite connection has been established between this name and that of the Philistines. The theory that the Sea Peoples included Greek-speaking tribes has been developed even further to postulate that the Philistines originated in either western [[Anatolia]] or the Greek peninsula.
===Philistine language===
There is some limited evidence in favor of the assumption that the Philistines did originally speak some Indo-European language. A number of Philistine-related words found in the Bible are not Semitic, and can in some cases, with reservations, be traced back to [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] roots. For example, the Philistine word for captain, ''[[seren]],'' may be related to the Greek word ''tyrannos'' (which, however, has not been traced to a PIE root). Some of the Philistine names, such as [[Goliath]], [[Achish]], and [[Phicol]], appear to be of non-Semitic origin, and Indo-European etymologies have been suggested. Recently, an inscription dating to the late 10th/early 9th centuries BC with two names, very similar to one of the suggested etymologies of the popular Philistine name Goliath ([[Lydian language|Lydian]] Alyattes/Wylattes) was found in the excavations at [[Tell es-Safi]]/[[Gath]]. The appearance of additional non-Semitic names in Philistine inscriptions from later stages of the Iron Age is an additional indication of the non-Semitic origins of this group.
===Statements in the Bible===
The Hebrew [[tradition]] recorded in [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 10:14 states that the "''Pelishtim''" ('''פְּלִשְׁתִּים''', [[Standard Hebrew]] /pəlištim/, [[Tiberian Hebrew]] /pəlištîm/) proceeded from the "''[[Pathrusim]]''" (פַּתְרֻסִים) and the "''[[Casluhim]]''" (כַּסְלֻחִים), who descended from [[Mizraim]] (מִצְרַיִם, Egypt), son of [[Ham, son of Noah|Ham]]. The Philistines settled "''Pelesheth''" ('''פְּלֶשֶׁת''', [[Standard Hebrew]] /pəléšet/ or /pəlášet/, [[Tiberian Hebrew]] /{{Unicode|pəléšeṯ}}/ or /{{Unicode|Pəlāšeṯ}}/) along the eastern [[Mediterranean]] coast at about the time when the [[Israelites]] settled in the [[Judea|Judean highlands]]. Biblical references to Philistines living in the area before this, at the time of [[Abraham]] or [[Isaac]] (e.g. Gen. 21:32-34), are generally regarded by modern scholars to be anachronisms.
The Philistines are spoken of in the ''[[Book of Amos]]'' as originating in [[Caphtor]]: "saith the LORD: Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and Aram from Kir?" (''Amos'' 9:7). Later, in the [[7th century BC]], ''[[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]]'' makes the same association with Caphtor. "For the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor, (Jeremiah 47:4). Scholars variously identify the land of Caphtor with [[Cyprus]] and [[Crete]] and other locations in the eastern Mediterranean.
==Other uses of the term 'Philistine'==
*British writers of the 19th century and very early 20th century sometimes referred to the [[Palestinian|Arabs of Palestine]] as "Philistines". This was apparently not due to a belief in a strong connection with the ancient Philistines, but merely reflects the former convention that "Philistine" simply denotes "native of Palestine". The Arabic word for Palestine, فلسطين, which is pronounced "Falasṭīn," derives from the Latin term Palaestina. After the Bar-Kokhba revolt of the Judeans and the subsequent Roman repression and exile, the Romans renamed the entire district of Judea "Palaestina" as a mark of insult to their defeated enemies. This is because of their knowledge of the region's history and the fact that the Philistines and the Israelites were warring peoples. The Arabic language's lack of the "p" phoneme, and the tendency to arabacize the "t" and "k" of foreign words as the corresponding Semitic emphatic consonants, resulted in this nomenclature after the Muslim conquest brought Arabs to the region in 636 AD, often used interchangeably for the entire greater Syrian district (Arabic: "Shaam").
*In non-historical usage, the word ''[[Philistinism|philistine]]'' refers to a person deficient in the culture of the [[liberal arts]]; or can also connote a smug and intolerant opponent of the [[Bohemianism|bohemian]], one who exhibits a restrictive moral code. See [[Philistinism]].
*The term "Philistines" also refers to an elite unit of the [[South African National Defence Force|South African Defence Force]] (SADF). The Pathfinder Company was the official name of this elite unit. Counter-insurgency was the primary mission assigned to these troops.
== Bibliography ==
* [[Trude Krakauer Dothan|Dothan, Trude Krakauer]]. 1982. ''The Philistines and Their Material Culture''. Jerusalem: [[Israel Exploration Society]]
* Dothan, Trude Krakauer, and [[Moshe Dothan]]. 1992. ''People of the Sea: The Search for the Philistines''. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company
* [[Carl Ehrlich|Ehrlich, Carl]] S. 1996. ''The Philistines in Transition: A History from ca. 1000–730 B.C.E.'' Studies in the History and Culture of the Ancient Near East 10, ser. eds. [[Baruch Halpern]], and [[Manfred Hermann Emil Weippert]]. Leiden: E. J. Brill
* [[Seymour Gitin|Gitin, Seymour]], [[Amihai Mazar]], and [[Ephraim Stern]], eds. 1998. ''Mediterranean Peoples in Transition: Thirteenth to Early Tenth Centuries BCE''. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society
* [[Aren M. Maeir|Maeir, Aren M.]] 2005. Philister-Keramik. Pp. 528–36 in "Reallexikon der Assyriologie und vorderasiatischen Archäologie", Band 14. Berlin: [[W. de Gruyter]].
* [[Eliezer Oren|Oren, Eliezer]] D., ed. 2000. ''The Sea Peoples and Their World: A Reassessment''. University Museum Monograph 108. Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
* [[Donald Bruce Redford|Redford, Donald Bruce]]. 1992. ''Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times''. Princeton: Princeton University Press
* [[Claude Vandersleyen]], "Keftiu: a cautionary note," ''Oxford Journal of Archaeology'' 22/21, 2003, 209-212.
* [[George E. Mendenhall|Mendenhall, George E.]] ''The Tenth Generation: The Origins of the Biblical Tradition'', The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1973. ISBN.
==External links==
* [http://www.dabar.org/Dyke/PHILISTINES/250PhilistineTexts.html List of biblical references to Philistines or Philistia]
* [http://www.dig-gath.org Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project website]
* [http://gath.wordpress.com Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project blog]
*[http://www.courses.psu.edu/cams/cams400w_aek11/www/index.htm the Sea Peoples and the Philistines. A course at Penn State University]
*[http://www.phoenixdatasystems.com/goliath/contents.htm Neal Bierling, ''Giving Goliath his due:new archaeological light on the Philistines'' 1992]
* [http://www.kingscalendar.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=viewnews&id=164 The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran] (Chronology for Israel's Period of the Judges 1412 BC to 1039 BC)
*[http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/bel9/index.html The Philistines: Raiders of the Ark or Cultural Goliaths?]
* {{CathEncy|wstitle=Philistines}}
[[Category: General Reference]]
[[Category: History]]