1/ The Philistines were not native to Canaan, but instead came from distant foreign lands, being a product of the turbulent period of the Late Bronze Age Collapse and having distinctly Aegean features that emphasized their difference from the other peoples of the region.
2/ The Philistines came to the southern coast of Canaan, looking for a new homeland to settle and had a warlike political - social character as a result of the climate of insecurity that prevailed in the Eastern Mediterranean during the 12th century BC and favored such standards.
3/ While the majority of them must have come from the Aegean, mainly Crete, in their ranks there must also have been population groups from Cyprus and Anatolia, while a part of the local Canaanite population accepted the his inclusion in the Philistine cultural group.
4/ A significant role in the process of creating a new people made up of diverse ethnic groups seems to have been played by their foreign origin within a distinct and homogeneous environment (Israelites), as well as the common reasons and paths that led them to the foreign land.
5/Thus they created a new common social identity through which they acted towards the other neighboring peoples,with main elements of this effort of distinction,the adoption of Aegean-inspired pottery and the consumption of large quantities of pork, which local societies avoided.
6/ Over time, the social and religious feasts of the Philistines, where these characteristics were displayed, became a crucial factor in strengthening the social cohesion of the Philistines,but also in the attraction - integration of local populations into the Philistine society.
7/ Thus the pre-existing populations of southern coastal Canaan (Philistia) gradually adopted the new dominant social identity, participating in Philistine feasts, using Aegean-inspired pottery and consuming significant amounts of pork.
8/The result of this process was the beginning of the adoption of Canaanite elements in pottery, figurines, etc.,which seemed familiar to the Philistines of local origin, and however without this fact discouraging them from differentiating themselves from the other local peoples.
9/ An important role in the consolidation of the Philistine culture in Philistia was also played by the strongly expansionist policy of the war-like Philistine elite, which competed militarily with its neighboring peoples for the claim of hegemony in the region.
10/ However, during the 9th century BC, Philistine political and military power had been reduced, a consequence of the changes Philistine society itself had undergone. The Philistines decided based on economic motives to join the Phoenician political and economic 👉
👉 sphere of influence consequently while the Philistines maintained a distinct identity, many older cultural elements had already been lost. The Aegean-inspired pottery and consumption of pork declined markedly.
11/The newly formed situation is reflected through the appearance of a new pottery style, Ashdod Ware, which bears strong Phoenician characteristics,marking the decline of the Philistine civilization and the transformation of the Philistines as a simple local people of the region
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