11. The hometown of Goliath, archaeological excavations have corroborated the existence, culture, and eventual destruction of the ancient Philistine civilization
Serving repeatedly as the antagonists in contrast to heroic Hebrews throughout the Old Testament, the neighboring Philistines were an ancient culture supposedly comprised of five city-states. Gradually conquered by the Israelites, the greatest and last to fall was the city of Gath, the hometown of Goliath. Long believed to have been apocryphal, after prolonged debate across centuries concerning the potential location of the settlement, during the late-19th-century archaeologists finally identified the lost city. Discovered by Edward Robinson, excavations of the ancient Philistine town, although not offering conclusive proof, have offered corroboration for small parts of the biblical narrative.
Included among these findings is a 3,000-year-old horned stone altar, bearing striking similarities to one described in the Books of Kings and Exodus. Furthermore, the remains of an enormous structure and two supporting pillars akin to those detailed in the story of Samson have been uncovered, suggesting, whilst not the veracity of the biblical figure’s story, the accuracy of the contextual setting. Perhaps most importantly, excavations have revealed evidence of a large-scale siege and subsequent destruction of the ancient city around the late-9th century BCE, in line with the biblical assertion of its capture by Hazael of Aram Damascus.