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The impact the Philistines and other Sea Peoples had on Iron I northern Canaan is an intricate issue that has been debated for decades. Past theories on a sizable Sea Peoples presence and military control have today largely been replaced by more moderate views of a diminutive presence of foreign population elements or, merely, mercantile relations between Philistia and the north. In this study, this topic is addressed by provenance analysis (petrography). The previously published dataset is tripled, for a grand total of 155 vessels and sherds. Circa two-thirds of the assemblage was imported from the Philistine heartland. The exporters of this pottery were mainly the coastal centres of Philistia—probably Gaza, Ashkelon and Ashdod—while Shephelah cities (Ekron, Gath) played a subordinate role in these wares bound for the north. The Jezreel Valley stands out among all other northern regions for its large quantities of genuine Philistine imports. Rather than pointing to foreign presence, the data suggest tight commercial and cultural contacts with Philistia. Moreover, this study revises the previously formulated ‘northern skyphoi’ phenomenon, which was dissociated from the discussion of Philistine pottery. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recent evidence strongly supports a reduction in the duration of the pharaoh Horemheb's reign from 28 to 14 years. Further evidence strongly favours raising the accession year of Ramesses II from the previously conventional 1279 BCE to 1290 BCE to reflect the Horemheb reduction together with other minor adjustments. The first recorded appearance of the term 'Israel' from the Victory Stele of the Egyptian pharaoh Merneptah should accordingly be placed at ca. 1220 BCE, about a decade earlier than previously believed. The date of the devastation of Ugarit which marks the arrival of the Philistines moves to ca. 1201-1200 BCE and the date of Ramesses III's Year 8 campaign against the Philistines 'hidden in their towns' changes from 1176 BCE to 1185-1183 BCE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper attempts to integrate the study of the manufacture, function and discard of chalices from three sites in Philistia in order to form a coherent 'life-cycle story' of this vessel type. The analyses include examination of the sources of the ceramic raw material using petrography; study of the modes of manufacture, employing visual inspection and ethnographic data; and examination of the function of these vessels, using organic residue analysis. By combining these analytic perspectives, the authors shed new light on cultic practices in Iron Age Philistia and offer an alternative view of Philistine identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reexamines the fish motif within the Philistine ceramic repertoire and draws upon parallel elements from within the Aegean basin, Cyprus, and coastal Anatolia in order to arrive at a better understanding of the inspiration for the fish motif on Philistine pottery. It is argued that the iconography of the Philistine fish motif derives mainly from the Aegean region, including mainland Greece, Crete, the Cyclades and the Dodecanese. As such, the fish motif can be added to a long list of Philistine cultural features that derive directly from the post-palatial Aegean world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the presence of Egyptian motifs and styles in Philistine pottery. Certain Philistine vessels display an Egyptianized decorative scheme dominated by a lotus flower motif. While these vessels have been previously recognized, their Egyptian parallels are presented here for the first time. The Egyptian prototypes are both regionally and chronologically restricted, as well as limited to mortuary contexts, while the Philistine adaptations of the Egyptian style appear in a variety of contexts and vessel-types. The process by which the Philistine potter incorporated the Egyptian style can be reconstructed in more than one way, as discussed in the conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]