AnirudhaIn Agreement
Eric Cline from the George Washington University recalls a moment when he was asked about the Philistines. “I was once asked, if someone gave me a million dollars, what I would do. I said I’d go out and look for a Sea Peoples’ site that explains where they came from, or where they ended up. It sounds to me like [the Ashkelon team] may have just hit the jackpot.”
No Burial Grounds
The archeologists haven’t found a single burial site related to Philistines, a very significant piece of the puzzle that could solve the puzzle that is the origin of the Philistines. “The search for a cemetery became so desperate that archaeologists who study the Philistines began to joke that they were buried at sea like the Vikings – that’s why you couldn’t find them,” said National Geographic, archeologist Assaf Yasur-Landau. But in the end, they found more than a cemetery that changed the course of history in no time.
Years In The Making
As we have already told you that the researchers haven’t found a single burial site that could connect us with the Philistines. But after years of hard work and continuous investigations have turned the tides when the research team found not just a burial site but a whole Philistine cemetery. And what is crazier, the excavation was almost finished and it was the last day when the team discovered one of the most sought questions in the history of the world. But what was discovered inside those grave made all the difference.
Location, Location, Location
So, where did the team find the site? It was unearthed in the north of the Ashkelon city. One of the archeologists was tipped off by some local resident about the site which seemed like a burial site filled with several graves like structures. Talking about luck this could be one of the examples.
The Tooth
The research team didn’t have much of strength left in them and when they thought it was last day, the excitement about a tip from a stranger hasn’t welcomed the way it should have been. However, Adma Ava from Harvard’s Semitic Museum was asked to check out the site and what he found was something extraordinary. While digging the site he came across a single human tooth. This single tooth was about to change the history.
A Life Changing Experience
This tooth was the news which the team decided to keep between them until they could say anything for sure. And it took them three more years to completely explore the site which made the news in 2016. “When I saw the tooth, I knew that was the moment when it was all going to change for us here,” said Aja in an interview with National Geographic. But soon they found everything about the origin of the Philistines.