Giving Goliath His Due

By Dick Thompson

History has not been kind to the Philistines. Exemplified by such figures as the hulking Goliath and the treacherous Delilah, they are depicted in the Bible as thieves and warmongering aliens. The ancient Egyptians branded them pirates and marauders. Since the 17th century, their name has been used as a synonym for uncultured, anti-intellectual boorishness.

But the Philistines' battered reputation is in the process of being repaired. The revisionist view is emerging from the dust of the ancient city of Ekron, 20 miles west of Jerusalem, where archaeologists are busy excavating what was probably the greatest of the five Philistine city-states. The big news from the site is that the Philistines, whatever may have been said about them, were in fact one of the most highly civilized peoples of their time. They were successful industrialists and merchants, skilled producers of pottery and metal tools, sophisticated architects and town planners. "While they existed," says Archaeologist Seymour Gitin, the American director of the William F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, "the Philistines served as a link between East and West. They introduced a new culture in this part of the world. Eventually they became a great trading power and a powerful industrial nation with their individual style."

The site of the excavations was first surveyed in 1923, but it was not until three decades later that it was identified as Ekron (peak population: 6,000). The American-Israeli excavation, now in its seventh season, is uncovering a wealth of material in a 50-acre area that is helping archaeologists piece together a far more accurate -- and flattering -- portrait of the ancient Philistines. Says Gitin: "When we started digging at Ekron, it was as though we were opening a time capsule."

The Philistines were a group of Aegean seafarers who arrived in the Levant region around 1200 B.C., settling between the Israelite tribes to the east and the Egyptian empire to the south. It was a time of great political ferment. The Hittite empire was crumbling, and Greece was entering into 500 years of decline. Says Hebrew University Philistine Expert Trude Dothan, a co-director of the Ekron dig: "Their culture was a unique product of tradition and innovation in a time of international catastrophe."

The Philistines forged a formidable reputation as warriors because they possessed a monopoly on iron smelting, and perhaps they even made steel. With advanced swords and shields, they fought the neighboring Israelite tribes, mortally wounded King Saul and stole the Holy Ark of the Covenant. In the face of the Philistines' military threat, the powerful kingdoms of Israel and Judah united against them. Defeated first by David and then by the Egyptians in an alliance with Solomon, the Philistines went into decline in the 10th century B.C.

Their civilization enjoyed a remarkable revival during the 7th century B.C., flourishing as a vassal state under the Assyrians. At the end of the 7th century B.C., Ekron was conquered by the Babylonians, and the last traces of the Philistines' advanced culture were eventually buried under farmers' fields -- until the archaeologists arrived.

Among their first finds were large quantities of high-quality ceramics. Philistine pottery, some of which dated to their earliest period, was painted black, red and white and decorated with birds, fish and geometric designs. The styles first led archaeologists to suspect they had been imported from the Aegean region. But advanced analysis revealed that the pottery had been made from local clays. Metal implements and ceremonial objects demonstrated the skill of Philistine ironworkers and craftsmen.

The size and sophistication of Ekron's structures qualify the Philistines as master builders. Last month archaeologists unearthed a 2,300-sq.-ft. complex, perhaps a royal palace, that is the largest known Philistine edifice of its period (12th to 10th centuries B.C.). The whole site, in fact, shows advanced notions of city planning. Ekron in the 7th century B.C. was divided into four zones: a perimeter, crowned with towers; an industrial sector; and lower- and upper-class neighborhoods.

Religion played an important role in all levels of Philistine life. In each of the four zones, excavators have found four-horned altars. Surmises Gitin: "In most places in the Middle East, there was a close relationship between cult, religion and kingship. Priest and king often worked together. The priest controlled water supplies in some cities. In Ekron the large royal financial investment in production was overseen by the priests."

Animal bones found at the site indicate that pork and beef were staples for the Philistines at first, but were replaced by sheep, goat and fish during their latter period. Scholars speculate that the change in diet reflected increasing complexity in Philistine life. When cultures subsist on food from individual cottages, it is not uncommon to find private pigpens. But the quantities of sheep and goat bones uncovered indicate the presence of great herds, which needed to be grazed in the surrounding hills and were presumably sold within the city. This suggests a fairly high level of social interdependence.

Far from being a cottage industry, Ekron's olive-oil production involved at least 100, and possibly 200, installations. Engineers with the archaeological expedition estimate that the city's annual oil output surpassed 1,000 tons (equal to more than 20% of Israel's modern-day production). Much of the oil was shipped to what was then the breadbasket of the world, Egypt, where it was exchanged for grain and other foodstuffs.

Most rooms in Ekron's industrial area contained more than 100 storage jars. The presence of lids indicated that the jars were used to ship the oil. Also found in these rooms were cosmetic palettes, figurines and inscribed weights used in measuring the oil. A wide street running through this zone, lined on both sides with industrial buildings, was served by a sophisticated sewer system similar to those still used in the Old City of Jerusalem and other Middle Eastern cities.

Among the most important finds this summer has been the discovery that Ekron was built in a stepped-down fashion, descending gradually from the outer perimeter to the city center. Terracing was employed to exploit natural water runoff. Because of this basin plan, wells in the city's center had to be dug only a modest five to ten feet. Marvels Gitin: "It was a highly sophisticated way of building."

Still, amid this rich trove of artifacts, many mysteries remain unsolved. No trace of a Philistine language has been discovered. Nor is there any sign of what happened to the Philistine people themselves after their conquest by the Babylonians. Did the race die out? Was it assimilated into neighboring tribes? No one knows. The name Palestine is derived from the Greek word for "land of the Philistines," but experts believe there is no connection between the Philistines and modern Palestinians. At least one thing can now be said for certain, however. As Hebrew University's Dothan puts it, "The Philistines need no longer bear the burden of biblical scorn." After 3,000 years, Goliath's people are vindicated at last.

With reporting by Marlin Levin/Jerusalem