3,000-year-old altar uncovered at Philistine site suggests cultural links to Jews

Ha'aretz ^ | Wednesday, July 26, 2011 | Nir Hasson

[SunkenCiv]

Head of the archeological dig on Tel Tzafit Prof. Aren Maeir says the find indicates that the two peoples thought of as bitter enemies may have been closer than we think.

A stone altar from the 9th century BCE was found in an archeological dig on Tel Tzafit, a site identified with the biblical Philistine city of Gat. The altar is reminiscent of Jewish altars from the same period and sheds light on the cultural links between the two peoples, who fought each other for centuries.

The altar is approximately one meter tall, half a meter wide and half a meter long. It was found by a team of diggers led by Prof. Aren Maeir of the Land of Israel and Archaeology studies at Bar-Ilan University. The most outstanding features of the altar are a pair of horns on its front and a cornice in the middle. Its form is reminiscent of the descriptions of the Jewish altars in the scriptures, with the most noticeable difference being that the altar in the Temple was described as having four horns, while the Gat altar has only two...

Maeir... said that the fall of Gat was the single most important geopolitical event of the century. Testimonies of the destruction, including a layer with thousands of pot shards, were evident in every dig at Tel Tzafit.

According to Maeir, the fall of Gat and the weakening of the Philistine kingdom in the south of Israel was what allowed the rise of the Kingdom of Judea and the golden era of Judean kings in the 8th and 7th century BCE.

[SunkenCiv]

The ancient Philistine altar at the Tel Tzafit archaeological site.

[SunkenCiv]

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Philistines: Giving Goliath His Due Marco Polo Monographs, No. 7. by Neal Bierling foreword by Joe E. Seger online version, 1st edition

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[SunkenCiv]

• In Israel, diggers unearth the Bible's bad guys
• Diggers Unearth Philistines Remains in Israel,
  Providing scholars with clues to the Bible's bad guys

[SunkenCiv]

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[NoLibZone]

3,000-year-old altar uncovered at Philistine site suggests cultural links to Jews.

Any archeological links to the “Palestinians”?

Anywhere?

Ever?

[QBFimi]

Well, that’ll have the towelheads and the Is-ra-ellys dancing cheek-to-cheek, won’t it?

[LukeL]

And I just heard Michael Shermer say the more we learn about the past and archeology the more we learn the Bible is wrong.

[SunkenCiv]

Shermer’s wrong, dead wrong, couldn’t be more wrong if his fanny were screwed on backwards.

[TruthConquers]

Agreed, what makes it “Palestinian”?

Those were my first thoughts as well.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

the most noticeable difference being that the altar in the Temple was described as having four horns, while the Gat altar has only two...

Maybe it's me or a tiny picture but the altar looked broken in half to me.

[bunkerhill7]

Altar was probably stolen from the Hebrews by the Philistines and held for ransom in exchange for tunnel-making equipment.

[Pharmboy]

Great observation, TAC...I believe you are correct.

[COBOL2Java]

Altar was probably stolen from the Hebrews by the Philistines and held for ransom in exchange for tunnel-making equipment.

[snort]

[SunkenCiv]

The Philistines also oppressed the Hebrews for, what, 40 years? So it wouldn’t be surprising that they erected their altars in Hebrew areas. It’s almost as if the historical detail in the Old Testament were fairly accurate, or somethin’.

[Verginius Rufus]

"Palaistine" shows up first in Herodotus as a term for a part of Syria, apparently including the area where the Philistines had lived (exactly how much of 1947 Palestine was included in that term isn't clear). The name derives from the name of the Philistines but they had probably been totally assimilated into the Canaanite population by then (they seem to have originated in the Aegean area and are thought to be the same as the "Peleset" who were one of the Sea Peoples who attacked Egypt around 1200 BC, and then settled in the region where they are found in the Bible). When Herodotus was writing that was part of the Persian Empire but perhaps the Persian name derived from terms used by earlier empires (Assyrians, Babylonians).

Gat is better known as Gath in English translations of the Bible. In I Samuel chapter 5 the Ark of the Covenant is briefly there, and the men are punished with hemorrhoids.

David took refuge in Gath (I Samuel 27) when hiding from King Saul.

After Saul's death, when David is lamenting Saul and Jonathan, he says, "Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice..." (II Samuel 1.20).

[SJackson]

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[Jewbacca]

“Any archeological links to the “Palestinians”?”

Yes, there are tons and tons of archeological sites evidencing this people.

In Jordan, Syria, and Eqypt.

[NoLibZone]

Post two.

[Jewbacca]

What about post 2?

[Ciexyz]

Thanks for that update.