Sea Peoples: Difference between revisions

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Additionally, [[Brooch|fibulae]] of a plainly Central European type, and [[amber]] beads, have also been found at some of the sites. None of these items appear in the archaeological record of the area prior to the Sea Peoples period. Also worth noting is that some of the knives and cups of an Italic design bear a strong resemblance to knives and cups unearthed in Hungary and central Germany, dating to the period [[1800 BC|1800]]–[[1600 BC]]<!--Halstatt? any reference?-->.
 
The most compelling archaeological evidence relating to settlement of the Sea Peoples in the Eastern Mediterranean derives from the remains of the [[Philistine]] culture, found along the southern coastal plain of modern day [[Israel]]. The archaeological evidence from this region, termed [[Philistia]] in the [[Hebrew Bible]], shows distinct remains of the disruption of the [[Canaan|Canaanite]] settlements that existed during the Late Bronze Age, and its replacement (with some integration) by a culture with a predominantly foreign (mainly Aegean) origin. This includes distinct pottery. Pottery that at first clearly belongs to the Mycenaean IIIC tradition gradually transforms into a uniquely [[Philistine]] pottery, in which Aegean and local styles are synthesized, with similar trends in architecture, cult, and even some evidence of non-Semitic, [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] language. Artifacts of the [[Philistine]] culture are found at numerous sites, in particular in the excavations of the five main cities of the [[Philistines]], the "[[Pentapolis]]" of [[Ashkelon]], [[Ashdod]], [[Ekron]], [[Gath]], and [[Gaza]] (although few excavations have been conducted at Gaza). Although some scholars (e.g. S. Sherratt, Drews, etc.) have challenged the theory that the [[Philistine]] culture is an immigrant culture, claiming instead that they are an ''in situ'' development of the [[Canaanite]] culture, the overall evidence argues strongly for the immigrant hypothesis, as argued, for example, by T. Dothan, Barako, and others.
 
One thing about the Sea Peoples is beyond doubt: following violent conquest, the Sea Peoples always burnt rich cities to the ground. They made no attempt to retain this wealth, but instead built new settlements of a lower cultural and economic level atop the ruins. This demonstrates a cultural discontinuity. It is unlikely that the traditional [[Helladic]] [[warrior class]]es would have so discarded the spoils of victory, if the writings of [[Homer]] are to be considered a guide.