The Sea people and Israel's History

 

The cultures and the political status of the Levant (Syria-Palestine and the eastern Mediterranean area) are disrupted around 1200 BCE by mass, armed invasions of Egypt, Syria-Palestine, and Anatolia by groups collectively known as the Sea Peoples. 

The Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses III (1184–1150 BCE) left written records and temple reliefs depicting how the Sea Peoples were defeated in naval and land battles, but other areas were not as lucky. For example, the important seaport city of Ugarit in northern Syria was destroyed by the invaders, leaving an economic and political vacuum that is eventually filled by the Phoenicians and their Mediterranean seaports at Tyre and Sidon. The Hittite kingdom in Anatolia is also defeated by the Sea Peoples and was never able to recover. 

This in turn allowed encroachment on their territory by the Assyrian and Amorite dynasties in northern Mesopotamia. Egyptian hegemony over Canaan was severely affected, although archaeological evidence suggests that the Egyptians continued to maintain at least an economic presence there.

Most important to the history of the Israelites, however, was the defeat of the Canaanite cities in the coastal region and on the Shephelah plateau by the branch of the Sea Peoples known as the Philistines. 

These invaders established themselves in five major city-states (Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gezer) and dominated the adjoining area with their superior military technology (1 Sam 13:19–21). 

The forced migrations of Canaanites combined with the appearance of new ethnic groups (including the proto-Israelites) and opened up new settlements in previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited areas of the central hill country of Canaan. 

During the period from 1200 to 1000 BCE, these peoples created social and cultural identities for themselves and struggled to compete with the Philistines. Most important, however, was the fact that the superpowers of Egypt, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia were not actively involved in Syria-Palestine during this period and that allowed for the development of new states, including Israel.

Author: Matthews, V. H.