Before you heard about them ih science, you might have heard of them before in the Old Testament. They are, according to the Bible, the most villainous enemies of the Israelites.
They sent Delilah to cut the hair of the Israelite leader Samson and thus stripped him of his power. Goliath, the giant slain by David, was a Philistine. The Philistines’ reputation as a hostile, war-mongering, hedonistic tribe became so pervasive that “philistine” is still sometimes lobbed as an insult for an uncultured or crass person.
But who are the Philistines, really? Ancient DNA sheds light on their identity.
See more of the details on Smithsonian.com.
(Image Credit: Melissa Aja / Courtesy Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon)