'Profiling' the Philistines : Some Further Remarks on the Egyptian Depictions of Philistine Warriors at Medinet Habu

At the beginning of the twelfth century BC the political system of the ancient Near East then dominated by the Amarna 'Great powers club' suffered an almost entire collapse, marking the end of the Late Bronze and the beginning of the Early Iron Age. One of the events related to this turning point in history is the invasion of the so-called Sea Peoples, forming a mighty coalition to challenge the military super powers of their time. The ancient sources pertaining to that invasion are limited and mainly - even though not entirely - come from Egypt. This paper does not claim to reflect, even summarily, the entire discussion related to the topic, and will concentrate on only one tribe of Sea Peoples - the Philistines. Essentially, based on the iconographic evidence from the mortuary temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu it is intended to outline some of the major concepts and problems of interpretation of the Philistine migration, and to stress its central importance for the history of the ancient Near East and Egypt.