Archaeologists from Israel have announced that they have discovered a cemetery of the ancient Philistines, according to the scientific news portal Phys.org.
The discovery was announced the day before, when some artifacts were exhibited at the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem. They were excavated in 2013 in the city of Ashkelon and have since been carefully studied in laboratory conditions. It is reported that an ancient burial with the remains of 145 people was then discovered. But only now scientists decided to declare that the remains belong to a truly mythical people - the Philistines.
AP Photo / Tsafrir Abayov
The fact is that many written sources tell about their existence, but little is known for certain about this people. In particular, the Old Testament tells us that the Philistines were the worst enemies of the Israelites. The most famous episode of their confrontation is described in the biblical legend about Goliath, who possessed incredible strength, who was slain by the future king of Judah and Israel, David.
According to the head of the scientific expedition, Daniel Master, the Philistines left behind a lot of pottery. However, their "biological footprint" was discovered for the first time. And this find may help to unravel the main secret of the mythical people - where did the Philistines come from?
“We have the remains of 145 people,” said the Master. "We hope not only to learn about their burial traditions, but also to understand how they lived and where they came from from their bones."
He also said that DNA analysis and radiocarbon analysis of the remains found in Ashkelon are now being carried out. Preliminary evidence suggests that ancient people were buried between the 11th and 8th centuries BC.
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