Thoughts on the Collapse: The Perspective of a Philistine

As I’ve been actively researching the Philistines—and excavating a major Philistine site—for more than 25 years (e.g., Maeir 2012, 2017, 2018; Maeir and Uziel 2020), I think I can qualify, at least metaphorically, as a Philistine. And needless to say, this gives me a unique perspective to join in on the fascinating discussion in the current issue of JEMAHS,¹ revolving around Eric Cline’s views on the Late Bronze Age collapse.

I would like to start by expressing my admiration and gratitude to Eric for the excellent manner in which he has presented to the public an up-to-date and highly accessible discussion of the background and events relating to the transition between the Late Bronze and Iron Ages in the eastern Mediterranean (his book in its two editions: Cline 2014, 2021). As in other books that he has authored, Eric displays a rare ability to successfully bridge between cutting-edge research and the interested public, making the results of current research not only comprehensible but even relevant for today. Eric’s volume in my opinion is the best summary of this topic that currently exists. More so, it can serve as a starting point for research and reference, for a broad range of readers, from lay readers to experts.

Overall, I agree with most of what Eric has written in the volume—and in his contribution to this discussion. That said, I would like to stress a few points that I thought of while reading his contribution here. This will include some things on which I agree with him or disagree, along with comments on other topics.

The mounting evidence from various sources for the adverse climate changes that occurred during the Late Bronze/Iron Age transition are compelling, and there is no doubt that they played a major role in the underlying mechanisms of the processes of societal collapse and transition that occurred during this time frame. That said, as Eric himself states, I believe one should be very cautious in putting too much focus on one explanatory framework for explaining this complex transition. While climate was (and is . . .) a crucial aspect, other factors were undoubtedly at play as well.²

Viewing complex historical and cultural processes in a linear manner—and not as multi-faceted “arboreal” mechanisms—is something that I believe we should avoid. Even if “black and white” explanations are easier to digest, and simple to explain, time and again we can see that such simplistic explanatory frameworks skip over important—and the damning details. Several examples from recent research can be brought.

While more and more evidence points to the complex origins, makeup, related processes, and developmental trajectories of the Philistines (and other “Sea Peoples”; see Yasur-Landau 2010; Killebrew 2016; Maeir and Hitchcock 2017a, 2017b; Maeir 2019a, 2019b, forthcoming d; Maeir et al. 2019), when one surveys the relevant scholarly literature, one still sees preferences of linear processes, such as relating to the origins of the Philistines (Niesiołowski-Spanò 2016; Pitkänen 2019; Master 2021: 204–5; Master and Aja 2020: 855–56), the processes which caused the transition (Kahn 2018; Luria 2019; Wylie and Master 2020), and the subsequent development of their culture (Niesiołowski-Spanò 2016; Faust 2018). Time and again, views based on decades-old research are still espoused, ignoring, or minimizing up-to-date research. The idea that the Philistines were of a monolithic origin can still be found (Wylie and Master 2020); that the Philistines were a straightforward invading group, whether by land (most recently: Ben-Dor Evian 2017; Fantalkin 2017; Kahn 2018) or by sea (Wachsmann 2000; Yasur-Landau 2010); or that there was no invasion at all but only internal societal developments in the Levant (Knapp 2021). Similarly, simplistic interpretations of the group identities in early Iron Philistia and other regions abound (e.g., Faust 2018), despite clear evidence of much more complex patterns (Maeir 2019b, 2021; Maeir and Hitchcock 2016).

The dating of the first appearance of the Philistine culture, while now based more and more on ¹⁴C dates, seems to be...