An archaeological discovery in Israel may have solved one of the most enduring biblical mysteries – where did the ancient Philistines come from? Little was known about the Philistines prior to the recent excavation in the Israeli port city of Ashkelon. The famed arch enemies of the ancient Israelites flourished in this area of the Mediterranean, starting in the 12th century BC, but their way of life and origin have remained a mystery.
That stands to change after what researchers have called the first discovery of a Philistine cemetery. It contains the remains of about 150 people in numerous burial chambers, some containing surprisingly sophisticated items.
The team also found DNA on parts of the skeletons and hope that further testing will determine the origins of the Philistine people.
We may need to rethink today’s derogatory use of the word philistine, which refers to someone averse to culture and the arts, said archaeologist Lawrence Stager, who has led the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon since 1985.
‘The Philistines have had some bad press, and this will dispel a lot of myths,’ Stager said.
Stager’s team dug down about 10 feet to uncover the cemetery, which they found to have been used centuries later as a Roman vineyard.
‘After decades of studying what Philistines left behind, we have finally come face to face with the people themselves,’ said Daniel M. Master, professor of archaeology at Wheaton College and one of the leaders of the excavation. ‘With this discovery we are close to unlocking the secrets of their origins.’
A few human remains at Philistine sites had been discovered in past years, but they provided too small a sample to draw conclusions, he added.
The archaeologists kept the discovery a secret for three years until the end of their dig as they did not want to attract ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters. ‘We had to bite our tongues for a long time,’ Master said.
On hands and knees, workers brushed away layers of dusty earth to reveal the brittle white bones of entire Philistine skeletons reposed as they were three millennia ago.
Decorated juglets believed to have contained perfumed oil were found in graves. Some bodies were still wearing bracelets and earrings. Others had weapons.
The archeologists also discovered some cremations, which the team say were rare and expensive for the period, and some larger jugs contained the bones of infants.
‘The cosmopolitan life here is so much more elegant and worldly and connected with other parts of the eastern Mediterranean,’ Stager said, adding that this was in contrast to the more modest village lifestyle of the Israelites who lived in the hills to the east.
Bones, ceramics and other remains were moved to a tented compound for further study and some artifacts were reconstructed piece by piece. The team mapped the position of every bone removed to produce a digital 3D recreation of the burial site.
The Philistines buried their dead with perfume bottles, placed near the face. Near the legs were jars that likely held oil, wine or food. In some cases, archaeologists found the dead were buried wearing necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and even toe rings. Some were buried with their weapons.
Archaeologist Adam Aja said: ‘This is how Philistines treated their dead, and it’s the code book to decoding everything.’
Daily Mail
UM– USEKE.RW
