Synonymous these day for being someone with minuscule appreciation for the arts or culture , it seems that the original Philistines , who lived in what is now Israel , have had something of a bad whack . asunder from their role in the Bible , lilliputian else has been known about their finish other than an chemical attraction for clayware . Well , now researchers have announced thatthey have uneartheda 3,000 - year - erstwhile Philistine graveyard , the first ever strike .
Revealed on Sunday , the find may in the end give us a better glance as to how the Philistines really be . The site hold the corpse of at least 145 masses , including trade good that were bury alongside the bodies . While most of the graves did not hold personal detail , some have been found with muckle of perfume next to the head , jewelry , solid food , and even weapons . “ After decades of canvass what Philistines entrust behind , we have finally come font to brass with the masses themselves , ” explains Daniel M. Master , one of the mining leaders , to AFP .
The uncovering could help oneself puzzle out one of the longest - standing mysteries of the region : Where exactly did the Philistines start ? Some text exact that they came from as far abroad as mainland Greece , while others think they may have protrude out a short closer to home , on the island of Cyprus , and other still think they could descendants from Anatolia , now modernistic - day Turkey . It is hoped that by direct DNA tests on the remains found in the necropolis , researchers will be able to fall this dispute once and for all .
Thediscovery of the burial groundcomes after 30 years of excavations at the Israeli port metropolis of Ashkelon , and was actually to begin with unearthed back in 2013 . The team of archaeologists have been busily work in mystery for the last three years to reveal the graves and their contents due to the fear that if it were known what they had found , they would be the aim of ultra - Greek Orthodox Judaic protestors , who have antecedently been distressed about researchers disturbing burial sites .
In the Bible , the Philistines are recounted as the archenemies of the Israelites . The gargantuan warrior Goliath , who would finally be pop by the succeeding King of Israel , David , and his sling , is believably the best known Philistine and hailed from the ancient urban center of Gath , the gate of which werealso recently unearthedby archeologist working in the region . Now it seems that another mystery of the peoples may soon be settle , and perhaps the record will be fix straight about the supposed " philistines " .
