• DOI:10.1086/372205
• Corpus ID: 161766215

The Philistines and the Hearth: Their Journey to the Levant

@article{Jones1972ThePA,
  title={The Philistines and the Hearth: Their Journey to the Levant},
  author={Allene Jones},
  journal={Journal of Near Eastern Studies},
  year={1972},
  volume={31},
  pages={343 - 350}
}

• Allene Jones
• Published 1 October 1972
• History
• Journal of Near Eastern Studies

THE Philistines, the principal adversaries of the biblical Hebrews, have until this time proved to be very elusive to historians. The first mention of them is recorded in Egyptian records which reveal that in ca. 1198 B.C., Egyptian forces under Rameses III defeated a coalition of forces from the north known as the "Sea Peoples." One of the attacking tribes was referred to as P L S T, usually rendered "Pulasati," and accepted by most scholars as the Philistines, those people who played such a significant role in the emergence of the Hebrews as a nation.1 Up to the present time we have had to rely on the Bible for information about the Philistines, for no written Philistine records have been found, and one must admit that the biblical texts concerning these people are not altogether unbiased.2 The Bible, with two exceptions, has the Philistines coming from "Caphtor," a term thought to designate Crete.3 Egyptian records also mention a place called "Keftiu" which most scholars take to be the Egyptian form of "Caphtor." Some scholars, however, contend that these terms do not refer to Crete, but to certain portions of the Asian mainland or to certain islands other than Crete, giving as evidence traces of the Philistines to be found at these places, while there is so little on Crete. There is no attempt here to oppose such theories, for the Philistines were Sea People and must have left traces in many parts of the area. It is most likely, moreover, that "Caphtor," or "Keftiu," referred to an area which, while including Crete, encompassed a much larger territory. The late Raymond Weill succinctly stated the situation when he pointed out that these terms meant to the East Mediterranean people of 1500 the whole Creto-Aegeo-Asianic world,4 a belief shared by such scholars as J. C. Greenfield 5 and Cyrus H. Gordon.6 Thus if Caphtor includes the whole east Mediterranean ecumene (a term used by Gordon), traces of the Philistines could be expected to turn up in many places. Two biblical passages,7 however, have the Philistines coming from "Casluhim," which most scholars agree designates a part of Egypt. The common explanation is that the gloss "whence came the Philistines," which follows "Casluhim" in the list of the sons of