Local Developments: Rise of Nations
Late Bronze Age III (1300 - 1185 B.C.)
The Late Bronze Age was a period in which several new nations emerged in Canaan: namely,
the Israelites and the Philistines. The Israelites are first recognized by the Egyptians
during the reign of Merneptah in 1209 B.C., when they are already located in Canaan.
The Philistines are described as a people coming from the sea or the Aegean world.
Ramses III shows them in ships fighting against the Egyptians and in ox carts moving
over land. The Philistines settled the southern coastal plain, occupying five major
cities: Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gaza, and Gath. Their vessels in both form and decoration
display great similarities to Mycenaean wares, which may be indicators of their place
of origin.
