Philistine DNA suggests European roots, researchers say

Ancient bones excavated in Israel and analysed in Germany may have cracked the puzzle of the Philistines’ provenance and provided for the first time evidence of the biblical people’s European origins, researchers say. The findings related to the Old Testament nemesis of the ancient Israelites were published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances and dubbed “extraordinary” by one of the archaeologists involved. Many are familiar with the Philistines through the biblical story of Goliath, the giant Philistine warrior killed by the underdog David and his sling in the Valley of Ella, as told in the Book of Samuel. The Philistines are believed to have arrived in the region in the 12th century BC, but researchers have had no proof that they hailed from elsewhere. Biblical and ancient Egyptian texts indicated their origin to be from “the sea”, while their building styles and pottery suggested Aegean influences. “The idea that the Philistines were immigrants was something we could never dem