The Bible and the Records of the Sea People

Introduction 

Every nation has a history that has been told throughout generations and recorded in various sources. The storage of this information allows people to have a better understanding of history and the various situations that have occurred and are seen as stepping stones of what is currently happening in today’s societies. The human race has had various civilizations and attests this to the history books and records analyzed over time. With the knowledge that has been gathered over the years, there are still records of civilizations that have been lost in time. The presence of these civilizations is evidenced by various archaeological discoveries such as ruins, paintings drawings in caves and other articrafts. 

Archaeologists have continually discovered whole civilizations that have remained a mystery as to how they disappeared. These civilizations are spread across the globe. The Maya, for instance, are indigenous people of Mexico and Central America. They are believed to have existed between 2600 BC and 1800BC. They had very intricate cultures and beliefs, amongst them being a human sacrifice. The Indus Valley Civilization are other people who are also lost in time. They are said to have existed between 3300 to 1300BCE and were located in the north westerns regions of South Asia. Archaeologists discovered their existence through the ruin sites discovered in Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in the 1920s. They are considered to have been farmers who had mastered the use of various amenities surrounding them. The Rapa Nui People are also another example. They were located due to the presence of ruins on the Easter Island in Polynesia. There are currently eight hundred and eighty-seven monumental sites which prove their existence. 

A civilization that has brought great controversy in history is the Sea People. There is very little knowledge pertaining to the origins and existence of the Sea People, however, information that has been developed is found within the Egyptian Records and refers to them as the “ People of the Sea”. In this paper, the concentration will be placed on the Sea People, making an emphasis on identifying who they were and their origins. 

History of the Sea People 

The Sea People are not fully identified in history. The records showing the existence of the Sea People are only found in Egypt and near the Middle East. There is no clear definition of where the Sea People came from and what their main cultures were. The term “ Sea People” was originally a name derived from the Egyptians. They used it to represent the foreign contingents with whom the Libyans brought in order to support their attack on Egypt in 1220 BC, and this is the earliest record of the sea people. During that war, there were five ‘People of the Sea’ who were named, these were Shardana, Teresh, Lukka, Shekelesh and Ekwesh. These tribes launched attacks that were combined land-sea invasions which had the ability to destabilize and weaken the power of empires and kingdoms in that age. The conquests and attacks of the Sea Peoples are narrated through the records of Ramses III, a pharaoh in Egypt who is attributed with the complete destruction of the Sea People (Kaniewski et al., 2011). There is very little information pertaining to the origin of the Sea People, however, archaeologists have developed various theories trying to identify possible locations. 

The Tribes of the Sea People 

The Shardan are believed to have originated from Northern Syria and moved to Cyprus. They eventually ended being known as the Sardinians. The Teresh and the Lukka are believed to have originated from Western Anatolia and corresponded to the ancestors of the Lydians and Lycians who came later respectively. The Teresh may also have been known to the Greeks as the Tyresenoi or Etruscans and are believed to be familiar to the Hittites as the Taruisa. The Tarusia has been regarded to be similar to the Greeks Troia. The Shekelesh are believed to be corresponding to the Sikels of Sicily and the Ekwesh are identified as the Ahhiyawa of Hittite records. 

The hisroty of Egypt provides information regarding the Sea People in 1186BC. It was during the reign of Pharaoh Rameses III. The Shardana, Teresh and Shekelesh are mentioned in these records as tribes of the Sea People. Additionally, the Denyen, Tjeker, Weshesh and Peleset are later mentioned. The records also mentioned that these people were conspiring in Islands, however, later records reveal that the islands may have been temporary settlements for the people of the sea. The Denyen are believed to have originated from Northern Syria, presumably where the Shardana had once lived. However, they are also associated with the Danaoi of the Illiad and also the tribe of Dan from Israel. The Tjeker are believed to have originated from Troad, an area around Troy. The Peleset are known to have become the Philistines and are believed to also have originated from Anatolia. There is very little information linking the Weshesh to their origins. However, they are believed to also have originated from Troy. The Greeks referred to the city of Troy as Ilios, a name believed to have evolved from the Hittites naming of the region, Wilusa through the intermediate form of Wilios. It is thus believed that the Egyptians naming the Weshesh referred to the Wilusans and through them included the genuine Trojans (KL47, 2018). 

From the analysis of the origins of various people named as ‘People of the Sea,’ it is evident that many of the tribes are linked to Anatolia while the rest are linked to the vicinity of Troy. There is however much speculation on this information and no concrete evidence as to the plausibility of this information. The Ekwesh are the only tribes that are linked to the Achaean Greeks. The Trojan War, in this respect, has both of the sides represented by the Sea People (KL47, 2018). The Sea people returned to Egypt in the mid-twelfth century and were heavily focused on conquering Egypt. The Pharaoh, Ramses III marshaled his forces and defended the kingdom by lining the banks of the Nile with archers. Arrows were rained down on the invaders, wiping them out of the sea. After this, they vanished from future mentions in the Egyptians records (Andrews, 2017). 

The Bible and the Records of the Sea People 

Various records have been combed through to identify the history and origins of the Sea People. The Bible is among these records. As discussed earlier, there are various tribes believed to belong to the Sea People and originating from various locations. The Philistines in the Bible are believed to be amongst the Sea People. Within the Bible, there are various tales of advanced civilizations being invaded by the Sea People. They are credited with ending the Bronze Age in the Eastern Mediterranean. They are also accredited to be part of many objectors who refuted the changing of Egypt’s timeline and thus linking the Bible’s Exodus account with archaeological evidence (Aeilts, n.d.). The Bible does not, however, issue any memory or record of the culture and early events surrounding the Philistines. 

Theories have been developed as to the origin of the Philistines using the Bible as a resource. Hebrew, Greeks and other tribes had various pronunciations of various words, from these, the origin of the Philistines can be determined. Due to the naming of the Philistines, they are recognized in the Bible and the modern world. Scholars who were in the quest of identifying the link between archeology and the scripture defined that the hieroglyph R/L was pronounced as L, aside for the pronunciation of Pharaoh which retains its R. It is thus determined that the original pronunciation of the Philistines was /[Ph-i-ri-st-i]/ which is also found in Hebrew translation (Margalith, 1994). In Hebrew, the term Phirisiti is transcribed to Perizzites. From this name, there are various records which refer to the Perizzites, the first being the El Amara letters. These letters define the Perizzites as Horite people who are from the Asia Minor (Margalith, 1994). From the definitions provided above, the description of the hieroglyphs, that Puresati would be perisiti and thus become Perizzites in Hebrew. The word Puresati could also be pronounced as /[Pu-le-sa-ti]/, which could be transcribed to Hebrew as Pelesati and from that Philistines described. This is the sequence to which the development of various names in different civilizations depicting one community of people was developed, as theorized by scholars (Margalith, 1994). 

From the Bible, the growth of the Philistine Kingdom is also depicted. The Philistines are said to have merged with the sons of Anak and the sons of Rapha. Different translations have equated that the sons of Anak and Rapha meant the sons of giants. Different interpretations depict various understandings of what the historical records and hieroglyphs depicted of the Philistines. For instance, other interpretations can be construed as the sons of the Rapha and not the sons of Rapha. The names during these periods are said to represent the attributes of a person. However, the Bible also gives a record of the demise of the sons of Anak, in Joshua 21-22, and the remaining sons being in Ashdod, Gaza and Gath (Margalith, 1994). 

In the Bible, the Philistines are believed to be the Sea People as they ended up occupying the coastal cities of Canaan and became enemies of Israel. One of the tribes of the Sea People is the Peleset. As discussed, they are known to have become the Philistines and thus, the record of the Philistines existence can be discovered in the Bible. The disputes began during the period where Israel was governed by Judges. The battle between the Philistines and the Israelites continued till the reign of the first Kings of Israel, that is, David and Saul. Samson, an Israelite, is credited with the death of many Philistines in the Bible. He had been a judge of Israel for 20 years, however, during his last day, he had been captured by the Philistines and chained between two columns in front of a Philistine celebration. He was able to take down the whole building in an act of supernatural strength killing all the Philistine captors, a number that was larger than that which he had killed during his lifetime (Judges 16). 

The battle with the Philistines is also discussed during the reign of Israel’s first king, Saul. In the Book of 1 Samuel 31:2, 6, the Bible states that Saul fought the Philistines together with his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malci-shua. All the three sons of Saul were struck down by the Philistines and eventually, Saul succumbed to the Philistines. King David also battled with the Philistines. In the Bible, David defeated a giant named Goliath, as a young boy. The story is recorded in the Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 17. In the story, David defeats the giant with a sling and a rock. He picked a stone from his bag and slung it at the Philistine. The stone hit Goliath on the head and sank into his forehead. Goliath fell on his face to the ground and died. 

The stories of the Philistines continue, and their culture is described in the Bible. They are considered to be people who lacked culture and were unintellectual. They were the greatest enemies of the Israelites. However, archaeological evidence has proven that the Philistines were only one tribe of the sea people. However, the Bible, as it did not separate the various tribes within the Sea People’s civilization collectively called all of them as “ Philistines ”. 

Archaeological Evidence and Records of the Sea people 

Continued research into the Philistines reveals that they were responsible for the establishment of the Pentapolis. The Pentapolis was an institutional grouping of five cities which comprised of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath and Ekron. Excavations at the sites of each of these cities has proven the presence of rich material culture and origins in the Aegean, except for those conducted in Gaza. The Aegean Sea was a portion of the Mediterranean Sea which was located on the coast of Greece and the Asia Minor (Mark, 2011). It was an area which had over 2000 islands and was mainly inhabited by the Greeks. Archeologic sites have revealed the presence of southern residing Sea People whereas the Bible speaks of northern sea peoples who resided in the northern region of Canaan. 

The history of the Sea People is not limited to that of the Philistine, rather, there is archaeological evidence present which gives accords of the civilization. The sculpted reliefs found in the Temple of Ramesses III located in Medinet Habu give a record to the sea people. They depicted the Egyptians battling with three tribes, which are the Danunu, Sikils and Philistines. The three tribes are considered to be subtribes of the sea people. Records continue to show the presence of the Sikil at Dor through the story of Wenamum papyrus. The story describes the journey taken by an Egyptian Priest to Canaan or to the Phoenician coast in order to purchase Lebanese cedar. In this record, he mentions that he passed the people of Sikil at Dor (Ngo, 2017). 

To the north of the Philistine Pentapolis, there are more archaeological sites that have been discovered. They are five in number and show signs that they were inhabited by the northern Sea People who are the Aphek, Tell Qsie, Tell Gerisa, Jaffa and Dor. The city of Sikil, through excavation conducted by Ephraim Stern, reveal that there was a strong defence wall and the presence of metallurgical activities. These excavations were conducted at the northern site of Dor which was the largest of the five tribes. There were cult objects that were discovered which were greatly similar to Aegean and Cypriot Origins. These objects are also referred to in the Philistine material records (Ngo, 2017). Ephraim Stern also sheds light as to the difference between the Philistines referred to in the Bible and those to which excavations continue identifying. Those referred to in the Bible are the Northern Philistines who settled in the northern region of Canaan, while others are considered to be south settling Philistines. The artifacts collected of both the tribes are also different. An instance of such an object can be seen with the monochrome strainer-spout jug that was collected from Dor. Stern was able to differentiate between the Northern and Southern patterns of creating the pots and from that identify the styles of the two types of Philistines (Ngo, 2017). 

Another archaeological discovery that has been made was a ninety-five-foot long limestone tablet that was found in 1878 and which contained Luwian hieroglyphics. The tablet was decrypted and found to tell tales of the Sea Peoples conquests. The hieroglyphics are said to be the language of an ancient civilization that was located in the Aegean Sea which is modern-day Southwestern Turkey. The tablet is said to tell the tale of the Kin Kupanta-Kurunta and his conquests. The King was said to rule in Western Asia Minor He sent his armies to the east to fight against the Hittite Empires. He was also responsible for sending armies in ships to the Mediterranean Coast in order to invade various coastal centres. From these invasions, he was able to construct a fortress in Ashkelon and from that fortress send armies as far as Egypt in order to invade the great nation (KL47, 2018). 

Ceramics are also considered to be representations of the presence of civilizations. The same is accountable to the Philistines. A particular Aegean style pottery has been associated with the Philistines and their presence. The artefact is referred to as the Mycenaean IIIC, LH IIIC, white Painted Wheel made or Philistine I (Oren, 2013). The artefacts have been discovered in various sites and hold a specific style that is attributed to the Sea People’s. The style was attributed to be developed or derived from Greek Mycenaean LH IIIB pottery. The production of the artefact was later discovered to have been decentralized and locally manufactured throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and mostly along the coast (Killebrew, 2013). The development of these items was traced back to the twelfth century. Additionally, the same pottery style was discovered at the Tell el-Farah South that is located near the Negev and the coastal plain. The site has been largely associated with the philistine expansion as there has been the presence of Bi-chrome Iron Age and other Aegean-style pottery found in that site. The presence of these materials proved that there was a link between the Egyptian style clay anthropoid coffins with those of the Philistines (Killebrew, 2013). 

Conclusion 

The Sea People have been identified as a conglomerate of various tribes. These tribes were distributed in various parts of the Asia Minor. Many of them settled in various islands present within that area. The limestone tablet discovered in 1878 is the only record giving details of their settlement and that is issued as first-hand information from the King of the Sea People. Details of the people, even the Philistines themselves are very scarce. There is little first-hand information on the presence of the sea people’s, their existence and cultures that are found in historical records. Details of the Sea People are found in other opposing records, such as that of the Egyptians. Consequently, the people are also described in the Bible under the name Philistines. The Bible also gives mention of the Philistines, however, there is very little information pertaining the socio-cultural and economic practices of the Philistines. There is a lot of mention of the Philistines, however, they are depicted as people who invaded other nations and focused on conquering major empires and kingdoms. The existence of the Philistines, and the evidence of their presence if only depicted through the presence of various archaeological sites, and discoveries, through decrypted historical records and information that is coincided with the Bible. 

Scholars are still in the process of identifying new evidence and information pertaining to the Sea People. The presence of little information relating to this great civilization that conquered nations and whole empires has continued to puzzle various historical researchers all around the world who are unable to find details of the great civilization. Information is limited and there are new discoveries which continually baffle archaeologists as to their true origin. The Sea People remain a mysterious civilization whose existence is only proven through the presence of records coming from opposing sides and not the people who once lived and shared the culture of the civilization. 

References 

Aeilts, D. (n.d.). Ancient “Sea Peoples” Tablet Deciphered – Are they the Biblical Philistines? | Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus. Retrieved February 21, 2018, from http://patternsofevidence.com/blog/2017/10/20/ancient-sea-peoples-tablet-deciphered-are-they-the-biblical-philistines/

Andrews, E. (2017). Who were the Sea Peoples? Retrieved February 21, 2018, from http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/who-were-the-sea-peoples

Kaniewski, D., Campo, E. V., Lerberghe, K. V., Boiy, T., Vansteenhuyse, K., Jans, G., … Bretschneider, J. (2011). The Sea Peoples, from Cuneiform Tablets to Carbon Dating. PLOS ONE , 6 (6), e20232. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0020232

Killebrew, A. E. (2013). The Philistines and Other “Sea Peoples” in Text and Archaeology . Society of Biblical Lit.

KL47. (2018). Find out Who the Sea People Were in Ancient Egypt. Retrieved February 21, 2018, from https://www.thoughtco.com/who-were-the-sea-people-119065

Margalith, O. (1994). The Sea Peoples in the Bible . Otto Harrassowitz Verlag.

Mark, J. J. (2011). Aegean. Retrieved February 21, 2018, from https://www.ancient.eu/aegean/

Ngo, R. (2017, July 8). The “Philistines” to the North. Retrieved February 21, 2018, from https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/the-philistines-to-the-north/

Oren, E. D. (2013). The Sea Peoples and Their World: A Reassessment . University of Pennsylvania Press.