Maeir_Philistines in Iron I_In Yasur-Landau et al_The Social Archaeology of the Levant_2019_CUP.pdf (original) (raw)
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Philistia and the Philistines in the Iron Age IIA
Zeitschrift des deutschen Palästina Vereins 127: 119-134, 2011
There is no question that archaeological excavations of Philistine strata have broadened our knowledge of the Philistine material culture. The overwhelming majority of publications focuses on their arrival and the early settlement of the Southern Levant in Iron Age I. Nevertheless, the continuation of the Philistine population as a distinct ethnic entity in Iron Age IIA is evident from excavations carried out at the major Philistine sites. Whereas, the Philistine material culture during Iron Age I is undeniably distinct, the later Philistine material shows signs of local influences similar to that of the Southern Levant. This study focuses on the Iron Age IIA Philistine finds. Interpreting these later artifacts within their broader regional contexts provides a greater understanding of the interactions between the neighboring Levantine cultures/ ethnicities.
2013
The search for the biblical Philistines, one of ancient Israel's most storied enemies, has long intrigued both scholars and the public. Archaeological and textual evidence examined in its broader eastern Mediterranean context reveals that the Philistines, well-known from biblical and extra-biblical texts, together with other related groups of Sea Peoples, played a transformative role in the development of new ethnic groups and polities that emerged from the ruins of the Late Bronze Age empires. The essays in this book, representing recent research in the fields of archaeology, Bible, and history, reassess the origins, identity, material culture, and impact of the Philistines and other Sea Peoples on the Iron Age cultures and peoples of the eastern Mediterranean. The contributors are Matthew J. Adams, Michal Artzy, Tristan J. Barako, David Ben-Shlomo, Mario Benzi, Margaret E. Cohen, Anat Cohen-Weinberger, Trude Dothan, Elizabeth French, Marie-Henriette Gates, Hermann Genz, Ayelet Gilboa, Maria Iacovou, Ann E. Killebrew, Sabine Laemmel, Gunnar Lehmann, Aren M. Maeir, Amihai Mazar, Linda Meiberg, Penelope A. Mountjoy, Hermann Michael Niemann, Jeremy B. Rutter, Ilan Sharon, Susan Sherratt, Neil Asher Silberman, and Itamar Singer.
Until recently, the scholarly consensus held that the Philistines, whatever their ori-gins were, assimilated into the local Levantine cultures in the early Iron Age II. Following Stone (1995), however, it is clear today that the while Philistine culture changed and the settlers ceased to use most of their unique, foreign traits in the Iron II, the Philistines still maintained their unique identity, and did not assimilate. In 2011 we drew attention to the fact that the decline in the use of these “unique” traits was not gradual, as one might expect from a slow proc-ess of culture change. Instead, the Philistines increased their usage of some of their most distinct traits during the first 150-200 years of their settlement, before abandoning many of their signifi-cant traits in the Iron Age II. We explained this “increased” usage of foreign traits (and to a more limited extent also its subsequent “decline”) as part of the Philistines’ interaction with their neighbors. Maeir et al. (2013) have recently attempted to refute our arguments and conclusions. While we are happy that the Philistines are again at the center of scholarly discussion, it is unfortunate that their article suffers from some major drawbacks, in terms of both theory and data. In light of the recent discussion, this article will revisit the processes that followed the Philistine settlement in Canaan, and especially the nature of their interaction with their neighbors.
The Philistines during the Period of the Judges_by Ann E. Killebrew_2017
The Old Testament in Archaeology and History, 2017
The Philistines, best known in the biblical account as one of pre-monarchic Israel’s most implacable enemies, are among the new peoples that emerge from the ruins of the Late Bronze Age. In the early twelfth century BCE, they first appear as the Peleset (p-r-s-t) in ancient New Kingdom Egyptian texts dating to the Twentieth Dynasty, most notably in the account of Ramesses III’s year-eight campaign depicted on the walls of his early twelfth-century BCE mortuary temple at Medinet Habu. Archaeologically, they make their debut during the first half of the twelfth century BCE, where their distinctive Aegean-style material culture serves as an ethnic marker of Philistine presence or influence. The results of excavations during the past half century provide a rich database of primary evidence regarding many aspects of the Philistines. Analyses of both the literary and the archaeological evidence reveal a dynamic process of interaction over time between the Philistines and their neighbors, highlighting customs and traditions that differ dramatically from the preceding Late Bronze Age material culture and the neighboring Iron Age cultures of the southern Levant.
Historical Biblical Archaeology and the Future-The New Pragmatism, ed. T.E. Levy, 2010
This paper reviews different methodological and theoretical approaches to culture transmission in general and as applied to the Philistines in particular. Recent archaeological evidence is then summarized that challenges simplistic 20th-century Eurocentric hyper-diffusionist migration interpretations and linear narratives that portray the Philistines as a group of 'Mycenaean' refugees fleeing the Greek mainland and/or the western Aegean. New directions for future research regarding the transmission of Aegean-style material culture in the eastern Mediterranean are proposed and their implications for the biblical Philistines. In this way, this paper contributes to efforts to forge a more pragmatic historical Biblical Archaeology for the southern Levant.
Hiphil Novum, 2014
Until recently, the scholarly consensus held that the Philistines, whatever their origins were, assimilated into the local Levantine cultures in the early Iron Age II. Following Stone (1995), however, it is clear today that the while Philistine culture changed and the settlers ceased to use most of their unique, foreign traits in the Iron II, the Philistines still maintained their unique identity, and did not assimilate. In 2011 we drew attention to the fact that the decline in the use of these "unique" traits was not gradual, as one might expect from a slow process of culture change. Instead, the Philistines increased their usage of some of their most distinct traits during the first 150-200 years of their settlement, before abandoning many of their significant traits in the Iron Age II. We explained this "increased" usage of foreign traits (and to a more limited extent also its subsequent "decline") as part of the Philistines' interaction with their neighbors. Maeir et al. (2013) have recently attempted to refute our arguments and conclusions. While we are happy that the Philistines are again at the center of scholarly discussion, it is unfortunate that their article suffers from some major drawbacks, in terms of both theory and data. In light of the recent discussion, this article will revisit the processes that followed the Philistine settlement in Canaan, and especially the nature of their interaction with their neighbors.
New Insights into the Philistines in Light of Excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath
Near Eastern Archaeology, 2018
ABSTRACT (Request PDF) The excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath have contributed to the formation of a unique collaboration of different area and scientific specialists, that have made it possible to formulate more detailed accounts of the Philistines. These accounts have been inspired by new discoveries which point to traditions associated with many different parts of the Mediterranean such as Cyprus, Greece, the Aegean islands, Anatolia, and Italy. These discoveries represent the globalized flow of information, people, technologies, and goods that characterized the Late Bronze Age. Such discoveries have led us to search for and develop new hypotheses for the emergence of the Sea Peoples that involve cultural entanglement and mixing, studies of regionalism, and cross-cultural comparison with other Iron Age cultures.
2013
Recent scholarship has featured interesting debates around whether it is possible to differentiate between ethnicities solely from the material culture used by ancient societies. The earlier beliefs in the close relationship between material culture and ethnic identity are being called into question. The paper tries to explore some theoretical issues dealt with in the research on the Philistines (e.g. the use of Mycenaean-style pottery as ethnic markers). The primary focus of the paper is the new proposals regarding the history of the Philistines and Judah in Iron Age I. The archaeological data will be compared with the historical data, in order to obtain a coherent view of the early history of Judah.