Ashkelon Philistine Cemetery and DNA Study
The first Philistine graveyard, and genes that point to Europe
Found 2013 — Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon (Daniel Master, Lawrence Stager, Adam Aja); announced 2016; DNA study by Michal Feldman et al., Science Advances 2019
Where Ashkelon National Park, Mediterranean coast (Israel)
Dates from c. 1200–600 BCE (cemetery); infants c. 1150 BCE · Iron Age I–IIA (cemetery); Iron I (DNA samples) · Judges and early monarchy
Now at Site; skeletal material studied by the Leon Levy Expedition and Israel Antiquities Authority
How Ashkelon Philistine Cemetery and DNA Study was found
The cemetery was found outside the ancient city wall, north of the tell, and excavated 2013–16; over 200 burials of adults and children were recorded. Ancient DNA from ten individuals (Bronze Age locals, Iron I infants, and later Iron Age burials) was sequenced at the Max Planck Institute.
What it is
Simple pit graves, some stone-lined, with perfume juglets and jewelry, plus a few cremations, unlike Canaanite family tombs. The 2019 study showed the early Iron Age infants carried a measurable 'southern European' genetic component that Bronze Age locals lacked and that faded within about two centuries as the newcomers married locals.
Why it matters for the Bible
The Torah says the Philistines came from Caphtor (Crete or the Aegean, Amos 9:7; Devarim 2:23). The DNA is the first direct biological evidence that people from the Aegean/European side of the Mediterranean arrived on this coast around 1200 BCE, just when Philistine pottery appears. It also shows they quickly mixed with Canaanites, which matches Philistine kings later bearing Semitic names. The cemetery is the first one certainly Philistine.
The Hebrew word: kaf-TOR
כַּפְתּוֹר
כַּפְתּוֹר is pronounced kaf-TOR and means Caphtor, the Philistines' place of origin (Strong's H3731).
Places
- Ashkelon — אַשְׁקְלוֹן (ash-ke-LONE) — uncertain; possibly 'weighing place'
- Caphtor — כַּפְתּוֹר (kaf-TOR) — Crete / Aegean homeland of the Philistines
Events
Philistines from Caphtor settle the coast (Amos 9:7; Deuteronomy 2:23) · Samson kills thirty men of Ashkelon (Judges 14:19)
Ashkelon Philistine Cemetery and DNA Study in Scripture
Genesis 10:14 First mention of Caphtor in Scripture.
Judges 14:19 Samson at Ashkelon; the cemetery belongs to the Philistines of his era.
Amos 9:7 YHVH brought the Philistines from Caphtor; the DNA points to an Aegean/European origin.
Questions people ask
What is Ashkelon Philistine Cemetery and DNA Study?
Simple pit graves, some stone-lined, with perfume juglets and jewelry, plus a few cremations, unlike Canaanite family tombs. The 2019 study showed the early Iron Age infants carried a measurable 'southern European' genetic component that Bronze Age locals lacked and that faded within about two centuries as the newcomers married locals.
When was Ashkelon Philistine Cemetery and DNA Study discovered?
It was found in 2013 by Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon (Daniel Master, Lawrence Stager, Adam Aja); announced 2016; DNA study by Michal Feldman et al., Science Advances 2019, at Ashkelon National Park, Mediterranean coast.
Where is Ashkelon Philistine Cemetery and DNA Study today?
Site; skeletal material studied by the Leon Levy Expedition and Israel Antiquities Authority.
Which Bible verses does Ashkelon Philistine Cemetery and DNA Study relate to?
Genesis 10:14, Judges 14:19, Amos 9:7.
Related discoveries
- שְׁמָמָהAshkelon's Destruction by Nebuchadnezzar (604 BCE)A Philistine city burned to the ground the winter Jeremiah's scroll was read
- עֵגֶלAshkelon Canaanite Gate and RampartThe oldest known arched city gate, from a giant Middle Bronze port
- דָּגוֹןAshdod (Tel Ashdod)Dagon's city, where the Ark toppled the idol
- פְּלִשְׁתִּיםSea Peoples Reliefs at Medinet HabuRamesses III's carved record of the Peleset (Philistines) arriving
- צִקְלַגKhirbet a-Ra'i (Ziklag?)A Philistine-era site proposed as David's town of refuge
- עֶקְרוֹןTel Miqne-Ekron Olive-Oil Industry and Royal InscriptionThe largest olive-oil factory of the ancient world, and a Philistine king's dedication naming his city
Sources
- M. Feldman et al., 'Ancient DNA sheds light on the genetic origins of early Iron Age Philistines', Science Advances 5:7 (2019)
- D. Master & A. Aja, 'The Philistine Cemetery of Ashkelon', BASOR 377 (2017)
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