ORIGINS OF THE PHILISTINES
The problem of determining the
origin and homeland of the Philistines has been studied by scholars from the
standpoint of three different disciplines: philology, archaeology, and
literature (mainly the Greek myths). Because of the fundamental differences
between the three approaches, it is hardly surprising that the conclusions they
reached are mutually exclusive. Scholars from various disciplines have
suggested homelands ranging from Crete to Asia Minor, but no consensus has ever
been reached.
The biblical identification of
Caphtor with Kriti (Crete) is one of the keys to the puzzle of Philistine
origins. If this identity could be verified philologically, there would be no
choice but to conclude that Crete and her nearby islands were indeed the
Philistines' homeland, or at least the final stop on their great migration to
Canaan. Although most scholars tend to agree that Caphtor and Kephtiu are
Crete, some interpret the Septuagint's translation of Caphtor as Cilicia to
indicate that Caphtor and Kephtiu are the names of a country in southeast Asia
Minor, specifically, Cappadocia. This translation, however, may reflect a
distortion influenced by Cappadocia' s position of importance in the
Mediterranean world at the time of the composition of the Septuagint. The
Caphtor-Kriti equation, which is borne out by biblical evidence, finds
additional support in the written records of three different lands. The
Akkadian inscriptions describe Caphtor as a distant land and, in one account,
as a land beyond the sea. In the Ugaritic documents, Caphtor designates a
country that is almost certainly Crete. Finally the Egyptian word for Crete,
kephtiu, is very similar linguistically to Caphtor, and its identification with
Crete is well supported by archaeological evidence.
The limited but important
onomasticon of Philistine words and names presents another area rich in
philological and ethnological possibilities. Some of the Sea Peoples' names are
known from the el-Amarna tablets and from the annals of Ramesses II, but the
most important source is the list of Ramesses III. As mentioned above,
Ramesses' list groups the Philistines with the Tjekker and the Denyen. It is
logical to assume, therefore, that some bond or relationship existed between
them. The Egyptians, at the beginning of the twelfth century, had some
knowledge of this connection and may in fact have known the last stop-off of
the Sea Peoples prior to their invasion of Palestine, if not their land of
origin. There are, however, divergent opinions on this question, and the
ethno-geographic and linguistic aspects allow an almost unlimited field of
speculation.
Some of the main theories
regarding the meaning and origin of the names of the Sea Peoples are as
follows. The Denyen (dnyn; Assyrian, Danuna) are associated by some authorities
with Cilicia on the basis of the bilingual Phoenician and hieroglyphic Hittite
inscription from Karatepe (ninth century B.C.). Others suggest a connection
with Cyprus, noting that the island's Assyrian name (mat) Ia-da-na-na can be
interpreted as "the island of the Danuna (Denyen)."
The Tjekker (tkr) are
considered by some scholars to be the Homeric Sikeloi who occupied the island
of Sicily. Others see them as the Homeric τευχροι of Cilicia, who, according to Greek mythology, founded the
city of Salamis on Cyprus. The two depictions of Sea People warriors-probably
Tjekker-discovered in Enkomi (chapter 5, figs. 13 and 14) near Salamis, assume
a special significance in this theory and emphasize the crucial role of Cyprus
in the wanderings and settlement of the Sea Peoples.
The Philistines (plst = Peleset)
are the most controversial of the three groups. The theory that seeks their
origin in the Aegean world finds support in the ideogram of the head of a man
wearing a "feathered" headdress, which appears on the Phaestos Disk
from southern Crete (pl. 3). A more specific proposal identifies the
Philistines with the Pelasgians. This is supported by a somewhat doubtful
etymology and the Homeric tradition that the Pelasgians were one of the five
nations that inhabited Crete. Another theory seeks to connect the Philistines
with one of the Illyrian peoples whose name was derived from the place name
Palaeste and who were called Palaestini in the Illyrian language.
Two basically conflicting schools
of thought exist with regard to the question of Philistine origins and the
geographic, historical, and ethnological problems involved. On the one hand
Crete, or the Aegean area in general, is held to be the Philistine homeland.
The theory of an Illyrian origin agrees with this supposition, for its
advocates contend that after migrating from their native Illyria, the
Philistines took to the sea and reached the Aegean islands and Crete. The
leading proponents of the Aegean theory, while differing on details, concur on
the basic assumption that the Tjekker, the Denyen, and the Philistines are
tribes of Indo-European origin (Illyrian, Pelasgian, ThracoPhrygian, etc.). The
opposing school maintains an Anatolian origin, locating the Philistine homeland
in western Cilicia, more specifically on the banks of the Calycadnus River,
where the Philistines and the Tjekker probably dwelt together.
The Philistine words and personal
names found in the Bible are another possible key to the enigma of Philistine
origins through similarities to other languages, especially those of Asia
Minor. The word seren, preserved only in the plural, has been the subject of
much research and is thought to be a proto--Greek Illyrian or Lydian word that
later entered the Greek language. The name Achish, ‘Αγχους; in the Septuagint and Homer, which
closely resembles the name lkûsu, king of Ekron· in the Essarhadon annals, is
sometimes compared with ‘Αγχισης;
(Homer, Iliad, 2:819). ‘Αηχισης
in Greek tradition, was related to the Dardanians, one of the Illyrian tribes
that later migrated to Asia Minor and Greece. The three Hebrew words koba'
("helmet," "hat"), 'argaz ("box,"
"chest," "basket") and plleges ("concubine") are
possibly of southwestern Anatolian, Cilician, or Illyrian origin. Opinion is
divided on the names Pichol, Goliath, and Ziklag. Goliath is sometimes compared
to the Lydian ‘Αλυαττης.
Written records and other
evidence bearing on the question of Philistine origins are still undergoing
intensive philological and historical examination. A new document could throw
much light on the picture or even change it completely. The publication of
documents recently discovered in the Ugaritic archives is sure to have a marked
effect on the subject. So far only a summary of their contents has been
published It is known that the documents include correspondence between the
kings of Ugarit and Cyprus at the end of the thirteenth century-just prior to
the fall of Cyprus and the Hittite empire, Ugarit, to the invading Sea Peoples.
They mention, inter alia, the dispatch of warships to the land of the Luku
(Lycians), a tribe of Sea Peoples known from the Merneptah inscriptions. The
archives may also contain evidence of a treaty between Egypt and her former
enemies and their attempt to unite in time to repel the encroaching Sea
Peoples.
Continued progress in historical
and philological research will certainly broaden the basis of our understanding
of Philistine culture and may even hold the promise of a solution to the
question of Philistine origins. (Trude Dothan, The Philistines and their
Material Culture [Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1982], 21-23)
