The Philistines populated the coastal regions of Canaan from the 12th century BCE to their disappearance in 604 BCE. The word "Philistine" derives from the Hebrew ha-Plištim for the combination of several tribes of Syria and Judea with the older name "Syria-Palestina". The Latin word for the lands of Canaan became "Palestine" after the Bar-Kochba Revolt (132-136 CE) during the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian (r. 117-138 CE). The term "Philistine" has come to mean someone uneducated and lacking in culture from the stories concerning them in the Jewish Scriptures.
More about: PhilistinesDefinition
Timeline
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c. 1276 BCEPhilistines arrive in Palestine and settle on coast.
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1178 BCERamesses III defends Egypt from the Sea Peoples on the shores at Xois, defeating them completely.
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722 BCEPalestine invaded by Assyrian Empire; Kingdom of Israel destroyed and Kingdom of Judah subjugated.
