Philistia: Map & History
Philistia refers to the territory inhabited by the Philistines in Canaan, where they maintained a pentapolis comprising the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
Philistia refers to the territory inhabited by the Philistines in Canaan, where they maintained a pentapolis comprising the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. For a time, Philistia also included Jaffa, which may have briefly changed hands with Israel before it was ultimately lost to the Neo-Assyrian Empire during Sennacherib's Levantine campaign.
Modern Countries Once Part of Philistia
At its mapped extent, Philistia covered territory in 2 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Philistia's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Philistia in Depth
History
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic records from the New Kingdom period record a group of the Sea Peoples called the pwrꜣsꜣtj, generally transliterated as either Peleset or Pulasti, as invading Egypt in the mid-13th century BC. About a century later, pharaoh Ramesses III boasted of having defeated the Peleset, and allegedly relocated them to the southern abandoned coast of Canaan, recording this victory on a Medinet Habu temple inscription dated to c. 1150 BC. The pwrꜣsꜣtj are generally identified as the Philistines. The Great Harris Papyrus, a chronicle of Ramesses' reign written no later than 1149 BC, also records this Egyptian defeat of the Philistines.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Philistia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Philistia: Key Facts
| Religion | paganism |
|---|---|
| Form of government | federation |
| Founded | 1175 BCE |
| Dissolved | 604 BCE |
Preceded by
- Canaan
Facts from Wikidata Q7185566 (CC0).
Philistia Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Philistia appears, with the other states of the time.
Philistia Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 10,865 km² in 1076 BCE.
Philistia: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Philistia exist?
Philistia is dated to 1150 BCE – 701 BCE, in the Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations era.
How large was Philistia at its peak?
At its peak in 1076 BC Philistia covered about 10,865 km².
How did the map of Philistia change over time?
Philistia appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1000 BCE to 750 BCE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.