PODCAST: Everything you know about the Philistines is wrong, says archaeologist
This week, Aren Maeir takes us into the strata of the biblical city of Gath to examine the technologies of Israel’s ancient enemies, and how they likely viewed themselves
This week on Times Will Tell, a weekly podcast from The Times of Israel, we dive deep into biblical archaeology and the field’s new techniques with Bar-Ilan University Prof. Aren Maeir, who for the past 25 years has led the excavations at Tell es-Safi, more commonly known as biblical Gath.
Maeir’s expertise spans a number of different cultures and ages, but he’s most interested in Bronze Age Philistines, a complex mosaic of Sea Peoples who migrated to the Holy Land from the Aegean during the biblical era.
In our discussion, the archaeologist turns on its ear so much of what we thought we knew about the Levant in the 9th and 10th centuries BCE — including just how big the famed Goliath likely was (spoiler: you might be surprised by Maeir’s estimate).
While the Philistines came either by sea or land from the eastern and possibly even central Mediterranean, their culture was far from static after reaching the Holy Land, where they settled between what is now Tel Aviv and the Gaza area, says Maeir. He discusses how the technologies used by the ancient Philistines to do anything from baking bread to forming cookware can be used to investigate much about their ancient identities. And, he says, these identities can’t be reduced to nationality or religion alone — just like today, Bronze Age peoples often had dynamic self-identities which may have included age, gender, social standing, and more.
Today, the word “philistine” is often used as a pejorative to describe a person lacking cultural or intellectual pursuits. But, Maeir says, the archaeological remains reveal the truth that the ancient Philistines were a “developed and very complex culture” with “a very complex relationship with the peoples around them, including the Israelites and Judaites.”

Maeir gleaned much of this knowledge with his team at Tell es-Safi/Gath, which he originally thought he’d excavate for five or 10 years before exhausting all the possible finds. Instead, he’s been hard at work for 25 years, though he believes his team’s next season will be its last. The finds at Tell es-Safi/Gath gave insight about various periods and “opened a whole new window on a whole phase of Philistine culture that was very poorly known beforehand,” Maeir says.
Though the Philistines are often portrayed simply as adversaries of the ancient Israelites, archaeological findings show Israelite artifacts in Philistine territory and vice versa, revealing that the two sides lived and engaged not just as enemies but also as neighbors. Even in the biblical story of Samson, Maeir says, the eponymous hero married Philistine women.
Tune in to hear the full discussion about biblical day-to-day life, as well as details of a new study that contradicts the accepted story about ancient olive production. We also talk about how emerging technologies in the field of archaeology have enormously propelled the discipline over the last couple of decades.

“It’s like comparing contemporary medicine with medicine in the 19th century,” says Maeir. “We’re doing the same thing, we have the same objectives, but the toolkit available for modern medicine as opposed to medicine from 150 years ago is incomparable. When I think about what I do now and compare it with the research we did in the 1980s, the difference is unbelievable.”
The Times of Israel podcasts are available for download on iTunes, Soundcloud, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, PlayerFM or wherever you get your podcasts.
Check out last week’s Times of Israel Podcast here:

As The Times of Israel’s political correspondent, I spend my days in the Knesset trenches, speaking with politicians and advisers to understand their plans, goals and motivations.
I'm proud of our coverage of this government's plans to overhaul the judiciary, including the political and social discontent that underpins the proposed changes and the intense public backlash against the shakeup.
Your support through The Times of Israel Community helps us continue to keep readers across the world properly informed during this tumultuous time. Have you appreciated our coverage in past months? If so, please join the ToI Community today.
~ Carrie Keller-Lynn, Political Correspondent

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel eleven years ago - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel