Audio Drill: An archaeological treasure in Ashkelon
Lesson Brief
Al Jazeera
Recently, archaeologists in Israel uncovered a large Philistine cemetery that has shed light on who these people were and their culture. The Philistines are portrayed in the bible as a major rival an enemy of the Israelites and appeared on the scene unexpectedly. Today, researchers believe the Philistines were comprised of a diverse group of people, ranging from Greece to Turkey and perhaps as far as the Balkans. The cemetery discovery revealed complex burial practices and culture, portraying a people with a rich and developed civilization compared to the barbarians depicted in the biblical narrative.