New discoveries at Philistine Ekron

The archaeological remains of the past throw light on a message for today

Michael G. Hasel, Ph.D., is the director of the Institute of Archaeology and professor of Near Eastern studies and archaeology at Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, Tennessee, United States.

During the past two decades, archaeological excavations have vividly illuminated the Philistine culture, perhaps more than any other ancient culture of biblical times. To date excavations conducted at Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron have produced distinct architecture and other artifacts that portray the advanced nature of Philistine life.

Origins

According to the Bible, the Philistines originated from the islands and coast lands of the Aegean Sea, possibly from Crete. Ezekiel 25:15, 16 (NKJV) portrays the Philistines in poetic parallel with the Cherethites (or Cretens), while Jeremiah 47:4 and Amos 9:7 associate them with Caphtor, which can be identified with the area of Crete. Egyptian campaign records seem to confirm this in their mention of the arrival of the "Sea Peoples" who included Tjeker, Denten, Sharduna, and Weshesh, who are mentioned by Pharaohs Merneptah and Ramses III.1 Among these other groups of "Sea Peoples" the prst (Peleset) or Philistines are mentioned for the first time during the eighth year of Ramses III (1176 B.C.). We know from the Egyptian records of Ramses III that significant land and sea battles took place between these groups and the Egyptians. Whether the Philistines were relocated to the Canaanite coastal areas by the Egyptians after their defeat or whether they settled there on their own accord is still debated; archaeological evidence shows their first widespread settlement during the early twelfth century B.C. The Bible refers to five major cities as Philistine: Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gaza (Jer. 25:20; Amos 1:8; Zeph. 2:4), and Gath (Josh. 11:22; 1 Sam. 5:8; Amos 6:2).

Recent discoveries at Ekron

At Tel Miqne-Ekron, 13 excavations were conducted between 1981 and 1996, jointly led by Seymour Gitin of the W. F. Albright Institute in Jerusalem and Trude Dothan of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, together with 22 sponsoring and supporting institutions. The 85-acre site is located southeast of modern Tel Aviv on the southern coastal plain.

The first stages of Philistine occupation following the destruction of the Canaanite city indicate a large "hearth" room with marked affinities to similar hearth rooms in the Aegean.2 In 1994, just north of this area a heavy concentration of a specific type of pottery was found in the initial level of occupation. This pottery is related to forms and styles found throughout mainland Greece, Crete, Cyprus, Syria, and Turkey. It influenced the Philistine bichrome pottery of subsequent occupation levels. Its local manufacture has been confirmed through Neutron Activation Analysis and the large number of pottery manufacturing kilns found. These significant aspects provide crucial connections between Philistine culture and the Aegean world.3

In the early tenth century B.C., Ekron was completely destroyed and abandoned in the wave of destruction that swept over Philistia.4 Although excavators remain uncertain whether the destruction was caused by the Israelites under David or the Egyptians under Siamun, David could in fact have been responsible. Following this destruction a small settlement was reestablished on the site, but it was a mere reflection of the great fortified city that had preceded it. The 10- acre occupation was restricted to the northern acropolis and was constructed on a series of monumental stone platforms. The occupation of this smaller site extended, according to the ceramic sequence, to the eighth century B.C.

Not until the seventh century, when it became a vassal city-state of the Assyrian Empire, did Ekron expand extensively to encompass more than 85 acres. The Neo-Assyrian kings Sargon II and Sennacherib captured and held it under their imperial jurisdiction. During the time of their successors, Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal, the city became a highly developed and centralized olive oil production center boasting the largest capacity for olive oil production in the Near East.5 Archaeologists have estimated to date 105 olive oil installations at Ekron, producing 1,000 tons of oil annually, requiring over 48,000 storejars.6

During the 1994 96 excavations, a Neo- Assyrian type temple of monumental proportions was uncovered, including frontal and side entrances with four-meterlong, single-stone thresholds, thus far unique in Palestine. Hundreds of whole vessels were found in the building, as well as a steel-like stone with incised lines and a rosette an Assyrian royal/cultic symbol. The building also contained a number of Assyrian-type cultic vessels and a unique carved elephant tusk with the figure of a queen and the name of the Egyptian king Merneptah7 In 1995 a 23-centimeter-long, coiled, gold Egyptian cobra, or uraeus, was found, and other Egyptian objects were discovered in other areas. These objects indicate strong Egyptian influence during the final stage of occupation. The warnings of the Hebrew prophets against an alliance with Egypt predicting their destruction and captivity were based on the realities that were soon to take place (Jer. 42:14-19; Ezek. 17:11-24). The influence and domination of Egypt over the Philistine cities in the final years of the seventh century would not save them from the onslaught of Nebuchadnezzar.

The inscription

Also in Ekron, the 1996 excavation made perhaps the most impressive discovery: an inscription in the destruction debris of the sanctuary of the temple complex. Found upside-down, the rectangular limestone block is similar to those used for building purposes at Ekron. Its find spot suggests that it was originally part of the western wall of the sanctuary perhaps its focal point as a royal dedicatory inscription of the temple. The inscription is complete, containing five lines that are translated by renowned epigrapher, Joseph Naveh, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem:

1. The temple (which) he built 'kys son of Padi, son of

2. Ysd, son of Ada, son of Ya'ir, ruler of Ekron,

3. for Ptgyh his lady. May she bless him, and

4. prote[ct] him, and prolong his days, and bless

5. his [l]and.8 The most important factor is that it identifies the ancient site of Tel Miqne as Ekron the only confirmation of the name of the site since it was first identified by J. Naveh in 1957.9

The city's ruler, identified as Ikausu, is also mentioned as the king of Ekron in the Assyrian records of Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal. 10 Its consonantal spelling is the same as Achish, the name of the wellknown king(s) of Gath identified in the Bible during the time of David and Solomon (1 Sam. 21; 27; 28; 29; 1 Kings 2:39, 40)11 three and a half centuries earlier. Padi, the father of Ikausu, is identified as the king of Ekron in the annals of Sennacherib in the context of his third campaign in 701 B.C. 12 The additional forefathers identified in the dedicatory inscription appear here for the first time, yet their significance cannot be overestimated. They indicate a dynastic period of succession that lasted at least from the eighth through most of the seventh century. Moreover, they help to secure a founding date for the temple complex around 650 B.C.13

Finally, the mention of Ptgyh, the goddess to whom this temple is dedicated, provides an important insight into Philistine cultic and religious practices. The name is of non- Semitic origin, perhaps a Philistine or Indo- European name, and even though unknown to us, she "must have been a deity of considerable power to safeguard the wellbeing of the dynasty and the city." 14

Her power proved inadequate, however. The commercial activities of this Neo- Assyrian vassal city-state, then under the influence of Egypt, were abruptly cut short by the invasion of Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar in 603 B.C. A massive destruction level evidenced by tumbled columns, hundreds of smashed storage vessels, and collapsed upper floors of the monumental temple and throughout the site attest to the destructive force of the invading Babylonians. Other Philistine cities such as Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Timna also suffered similar destructions at the hands of the Babylonians. Unable to regain momentum, and with its cultural core lost, Philistine culture, too, collapsed; its people, either dispersed or deported, were quickly assimilated into the surrounding cultures. 15

Today only their remains are left to speak. Traces of what once was a flourishing culture continue to provide clues to the now distant past. It was an era where great men like David and Goliath lived and fought. It was a nation of people whom God used to test Israel. Today the words of the prophet Zephaniah continue to echo over the silent mounds of ruins: "For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted. Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you till no inhabitant is left" (Zeph. 2:4, 5, RSV).

1. T. Dothan, "What We Know about the Philistines," Biblical Archaeology Review 8/4 (1982), 30-35; N. K. Sanders, The Sea Peoples: Warriors of the Ancient Mediterranean 1250-1150 B.C., rev. ed. (London: Thames and Hudson, 1985).

2. T. Dothan and M. Dothan, People of the Sea: The Search for the Philistines (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 242-245.

3. T. Dothan, "Tel Miqne-Ekron: The Aegean Affinities of the Sea Peoples' [Philistines'] Settlement in Canaan in Iron I," in Recent Excavations in Israel: A View to the West, Archaeological Institute of America Colloquia and Conference Papers 1 (Dubuque, Iowa: Archaeological Institute of America, 1995), 41-59.

4.Dothan and Dothan, 252.

5. S. Gitin, "Ekron of the Philistines: The Rise and Fall of a 7th Century BCE Neo-Assyrian Vassal City-State," Orient-Express (1994) .....20-22.

6. D. Eitam, "Tel Miqne-Ekron-Survey of Oil Presses: 1985-1986," Excavations and Surveys in Israel 1986, 72-74. See also, S. Gitin, "Ekron of the Philistines," Part II: "Olive Suppliers to the World," Biblical Archaeology Review 16/2 (1990).... 32-42, 59.

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7. On Merneptah's presence in Canaan, see M. G. Hasel, "Israel in the Merneptah Stela" Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 296 (1994)..... .45-61.

8. S. Gitin, T. Dothan, and J. Naveh, "A Royal Dedicatory Inscription From Ekron," Israel Exploration Journal, 47/1-2 (1997): 1-16.

9. J. Naveh, "Khirbet al-Muqanna Ekron," Israel Exploration Journal 8 (1958): 87-100,165-170.

10. A. L. Oppenheim, "Babylonian and Assyrian Historical Texts," in Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 3rd ed., ed. J. B. Pritchard (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969), 291, 294.

11. The name in the dedicatory inscription has the identical spelling of the Old Testament Achish. This puts to rest some earlier theories that found a Trojan origin of this name as Anchises. The translators suggest that the name derived from Akhayus or Achaean, meaning "Greek." This has important implications for the origin of the Philistines. Gitin, Dothan, and Naveh, "Royal Dedicatory Inscription," 11. Cf. D. L. Christensen, "Achish," in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 1, ed. D. N. Freedman (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 55,56.

12. Oppenheim, 287.

13. Gitin, Dothan, and Naveh, 16.

14. Ibid., 11.

15. Gitin, 22; Gitin, Dothan, and Naveh, 3; For another view on the process of acculturation, see B. Stone, "The Philistines and Acculturation: Culture, Change, and Ethnic Continuity in the Iron Age," Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 298 (1995).... 7-32.


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Michael G. Hasel, Ph.D., is the director of the Institute of Archaeology and professor of Near Eastern studies and archaeology at Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, Tennessee, United States.

March 1998

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