The Philistines have been described as probably the biggest villains of the Hebrew Bible. Likely originating in Crete, they arrived in Canaan—modern-day Southern Levant—in the 12th century BCE and immediately made enemies with the Israelites. Years of conflict followed before their civilization crumbled, around 640 BCE, and with it their disappearance from historical and archaeological records. But who exactly were the Philistines, and what evidence sheds light on one of the Good Book's most mysterious and misunderstood peoples?
Click through and delve into the story behind the Bible's bad boys.