Image Details

ZEV RADOVAN / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

DISTINCTIVE PHILISTINES. Arriving in the southern Levant as one of the infamous Sea Peoples who moved into the lands of the eastern Mediterranean around the turn of the 12th century BC, the Philistines quickly established a presence in many of the major coastal cities of southern Canaan. Over time, their material culture, language, and customs blended with those of local residents, yielding impressive creations, such as this distinctive pottery painted with seabirds, fish, and geometric designs on a wide variety of new forms, including beer jugs with built-in strainers (center).