Image Details

© MELISSA AJA/LEON LEVY EXPEDITION

PHILISTINE MELTING POT. Excavations at Gath have yielded a number of early Iron Age II (tenth–ninth centuries BCE) burials, much like this one found at Ashkelon, a Philistine coastal city about 20 miles southwest of Gath. Scientific analysis of these graves has revealed a Philistine population made up of both foreign and local elements. For instance, infant burials at Ashkelon appear to reflect Aegean ancestry, while remains from sites such as Gath and Tel Erani show intermarriage with local Canaanite populations.