Sea Peoples

In the 12^th century BCE, Egypt, the East coast of the Mediterranean and perhaps the Hittite kingdom were invaded by the "Sea Peoples". It was at about this time that the Hittite Kingdom fell, that Ugarit was destroyed, and that the smaller kingdoms sprang up across the region from various semitic tribes: Israelites, Edomites, Moabites, Midianites, Arameans and Ammonites. It is also about this time that the Philistines first appear. There are a number of theories about who they were and where they came from.

Below are links to several sites that address the question.

http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/sea_peoples.htm

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/seapeople.htm

http://home.nycap.rr.com/foxmob/sea_peoples.htm

 

What do you think?  Who were the Sea Peoples?  Where did they come from and where did they finally settle?

Edited by vagabond

Well I once heard a roumour that they could have been the survivors of Atlantis. But they were probably refering to the Philistines who were probably decended from the phoencians or maybe the Atlantians. Or they could be refering to the Isralites who at this time were conquering canaan which is in the middle of Hittite and Egyptian countries. The Isralites also battled and deafeated armies of the Hittities and Egyptians in a number of battles.

I doubt they were survivors of Atlantis since it was just a literary device created by Plato.

But IIRC, the Sea Peoples did not appear to be just one group of people and they do have the feeling of being refugees.  Its possible that turmoil in and around the Mediterranean caused the displacement of a large group of people who were looking for a home.

Interesting pics in that PSU site,thanks.

extremely interesting site, vagabond. I'll check out the data it provides and later I might comment on it. But it has a great wealth of info. I have bought a book about the sea people in my summer book-stash expedition (books-for-the-holidays) but it is among those I still haven't gotten the time to read.

I will try to start it in the next few days though 

The Minoans, the Pelasgians, the Trojans, some Greeks, the lost tribes of Israel... no, the last was just a joke... like Atlantis (maybe the came from Lemuria though ) ...a host of theories have been proposed for the mysterious raiders who ravaged the eastern mediteranean.

The Sea People seems to be a mixture of several groups that could include the ancestors of the Minoans, Other pre-Greek cultures of the eastern Med. that formed the foundations for the Asiatic Greeks of Anatolia.  The idea of Atlantis probably has its origins in this movement of people.  We could liken this population movement to others like the Celts, Germanic tribes, Vikings.  All had things in common--Uprooted from their homeland by either natural (Celts/Germans) events or socio-political events (Vikings).  Where they went, they spread pannic amongts their neighbors and caused turmoil throughout whole regions that later gave rise to great civilizations in their own right.  (ie: The Normans, Visigoths, Franks, Anglo-Saxons, Carthage, America(?) )

Originally posted by Herodotus II Good evening Perhaps it was the Vikings, they did sail in to Palestine in the 1000s-1200s. Feel free to ask me for proof.

1000 A.D.?  Sea People's invaded the Middle East ca. 2500 B.C.

Well, it is very possible that Atlantis was an existing 'continent', however, it's more likely it was just another island - sort of like the British Isles - which were merely covered with water when the water level rose (also causing the Persian Gulf to extend farther into Iraq, as you see it now, and other coastlines do to pretty much the same).  I don't know the extent of the truth concerning how advance they were however.

My guess is based on Eberhard Zangger's theory that the Sea People were Hellinic tribes of the Mycenean civilization. We know for a fact that the Phillistines thanks to a long list of records, seem to have originally came from Crete.

The connection between Mycenean culture and Philistine culture was made clear by finds, especially pottery styles, at the excavation of Ekron.
Very interesting is the finding of a large, well constructed building which covers 240 square meters.
Its walls are broad, designed to support a second story and its wide, entrance leads to a large hall, partly covered with a roof supported on a row of columns.
In the floor of the hall is a circular hearth paved with pebbles, as is typical in Mycenean buildings.

Or one could just take a look at some of the Phoenician colony names.
Kition, Neapolis, Leptis, Oia, Thapsos, Panormus, Karalis, Tharros, Lixos, Malaka.
Clearly all the above are Greek words.

An abstract of AAPA 2004 Meeting notes that: The proto-Phoenicians were Greek colonists,their leader was named Phoenix and they went in Syria during 3000-4000 bc.Later they lost their power and assimilated by the Assyrians,Haldaeans and other Semite people.Other thing the first Helleno-Phoenicians and other thing the late Semito-Phoenicians.

Another very interesting conection is the hero Heracles, his Phoenician/Phillistine equivalent was "Melkart" if spelled from right to left we find obvious similarities.