Goliath's Journey

DISCOVERIES

Goliath’s Journey

For many, many years, the mystery of the Philistines, an ancient group of people who get bad press in the Bible, has puzzled archeologists: Where did Goliath and Delilah come from?

The theory was that they were from the northern part of the Levant region of the Middle East but no one was sure.

But now, a team of researchers believes this ancient civilization – the enemy of the Israelites – actually came from Europe in the 12th century BC, or between the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age, according to a new study.

That theory arose after archaeologists excavating the ancient Philistine city of Ashkelon in Israel sent more than 100 skeletal samples to Germany’s Max Planck Institute to trace their origins. DNA studies revealed that the genetic material found in the inner bones of 10 individuals originated from different regions in southern Europe.

“We didn’t show it by showing similar styles of pottery, we didn’t show it by looking at texts, we showed it by looking at the DNA of the people themselves,” Daniel Master, director of the research team, told Reuters. “We can see at Ashkelon new DNA coming in from this immigrant population that is really changing the whole region.”

The team plans to gather more data to pinpoint the exact origin of ancient arrivals.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Philistines are depicted as warlike and lacking culture. Today, calling someone a “Philistine” means that person is crass or uncivilized. But as history is usually written by the victors, the team believes the Philistines were victims of a smear campaign, Reuters reported: Excavations of the 3,000-year-old cemetery show burials that indicate the civilization had evolved to a high level, even burying bodies with jewelry and perfumed oil.