Summary: The remains of various plants found in two Philistine temples in Gath provide insight into their mysterious culture and rituals.

So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath …– 1 Samuel 7:13-14 (ESV)

Gath of the Philistine Goliath

For over 25 years, archaeologists have been excavating the historic site of Tell es-Safi/Gath in central Israel. This area has been identified as the biblical city of Gath, home of the giant Goliath that young David killed with a sling and a stone. New evidence, in the form of ancient plants uncovered at the site, is shedding light on the mysterious Philistine culture that flourished during the Iron Age between 1200-604 BC.

The recent study by Dr. Suembikya Frumin called “Plant-Related Philistine Ritual Practices at Biblical Gath” was published in Scientific Reports. The study focused on reconstructing plant remains that were discovered in two Philistine temples. Some of the plants were used for their psychoactive and/or medicinal properties.

The study provides unprecedented insights into the religious practices of the Philistines and their connections with other Mediterranean traditions. “Our method of quantitative and qualitative analysis of total plant assemblage should be highly relevant for analyzing other ancient cults and for the study of the cultural and cultic history of the region and beyond,” said Dr. Frumin.

The excavation project of the temple area in the lower city of Gath was conducted by a team from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and led by Archaeology Prof. Aren Maeir and Archaeobotany Prof. Ehud Weiss.

Vitex agnus-castus, chaste tree fruits found in temple D3 (L 149813). (S. Frumin, Scientific Reports)

What Can Plants Say About a Culture?

Many aspects of Philistine culture are well-documented by archaeology, but their particular religious practices have been largely unknown, leaving their cultic rituals a mystery. The Bible depicts the Philistines in general as polytheistic, worshipers of many gods and goddesses, like all nations in the region at that time.

New research shows that the Philistines shared certain religious practices with the cultures around them. “The entangled Philistine Iron Age Levantine culture combined elements of Aegean, Egyptian, Canaanite, and other cultures,” according to the report.

Because of the new plant discoveries, researchers were able to piece together a clearer picture of this extinct culture. Through meticulous examination of plant remains, including seeds and fruits, they were able to learn about food ingredients in the temples, the timing of ceremonies, and even particular plants used as temple decoration.

The team examined harvest times, temple offerings, and symbolic meanings to deeper understand how the Philistines used various plant types in ritual contexts and the role of temples for communal crop storage and public feasting.

Plants of the Philistine temples at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfī/Gath. (a) chaste tree fruits, (b) flowers of modern chaste tree, (c) modern fruit of chaste tree, (d) gromwell, nutlet, (e) silvery scabious, (f) lovegrass grains, (g) free-threshing wheat grain, (h) poison darnel grain, (i) modern crown daisy flower, (j) G. coronaria fruits (achenes), (k) bitter vetch, seed. (S. Frumin, Scientific Reports)

Worshiping Creation Rather Than the Creator

Evidence of cultural connections were found between certain types of plants and specific cultic rituals associated with them. The Philistines, and other cultures around them, viewed the natural environment through a spiritual lens. Magic was invoked in the birth, death and rebirth cycle of plants, agriculture and even freshwater. Religious rituals were seen as essential to keep the environment prosperous.

These types of beliefs can be found in ancient stories such as the Gilgamesh epic, the tale of Aquat, and the worship of gods Tammuz, Ishtar and Baal. Nature worship is also seen today in many belief systems such as animism, pantheism, Wicca, and Native American religions, to name just a few.

Glebionis coronaria, crown daisy. (credit: Robert Flogaus-Faust, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Mediterranean Cultural Connections

The study was able to identify many specific plants. One of the most significant findings was the identification of the “earliest known ritual uses of several Mediterranean plants, such as the lilac chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus), crown daisy (Glebionis coronaria), and silvery scabious (Lomelosia argentea),” noted Frumin.

“These widespread Mediterranean plants connect Philistines with cultic rituals, mythology and paraphernalia related to early Greek deities, such as Hera, Artemis, Demeter, and Asclepios. In addition, plants with psychoactive and medicinal properties in the Philistine temples reveal their use for cultic activities. The study revealed that the Philistine religion relied on the magic and power of nature, such as running water and seasonality, aspects that influence human health and life,” she continued.

Flowering lilac chaste tree. (credit: S. Frumin)

The analysis of the seeds and fruits provided valuable information regarding the timing of rituals. Early spring was found to be important for temple rites. Researchers also were able to determine that it was late summer or early fall when the Philistine temples in Gath were used for the last time, before being destroyed by Hazael of Aram. The destruction layer found at Gath for this period matches the report of the Bible.

At that time Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath and took it… – 2 Kings 12:17

Beside finding plants, researchers uncovered weights that were used for weaving cloth on looms. Loom weights found in the temples provide additional evidence of cultural exchange and influence between regions, as this is a common feature in Aegean cult locations associated with the goddess Hera.

“These findings open up new avenues for research into the cultural and religious interactions between the Philistines and neighboring regions,” said Maeir.

Philistine plant-related iconography. (a) Ceramic cultic jar with plants painted on the upper part of the jar and a flower-shape of the top of the vessel. (b) Hera (Ephesus-Vienna type). Early first-century CE copy of a Greek original (beginning of the fourth century BCE). Naples National Archaeological Museum. (c) Ceramic cult stand —Eretz Israel Museum. (credit: S. Frumin and A. Maeir)

Tell es-Safi

Tell es-Safi is a national park supported by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The site is located in central Israel, halfway between Jerusalem and Ashkelon on the western edge of the Judean foothills, south of the Elah stream.

The park is one of the largest Biblical sites in Israel, thought by archaeologists to be first settled some 5,000 years ago during the Early Bronze Age. Tell es-Safi means bright or shining mound in Arabic, due to the area’s white chalk cliffs. The site is also called Tel Zafit or “Gath of the Philistines.”

White chalk cliff of Tell ed-Safi, Israel. (credit: Bukvoed, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Beside the Bible, the city of Gath is mentioned in the ancient Tell-Amarna letters, a 14th century BC Egyptian archive of clay tablets, written during the reign of Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV), during the years 1352-1335 BC. The letters are carved in cuneiform and name two kings of Gath. Both kings wrote to the Pharaoh as vassals of Egypt.

The Bible and Gath

The conventional view is that the Philistines came to Canaan in the 12th century BC from the Aegean Sea and were called the “Sea Peoples.” They landed in Canaan and Egypt but the Egyptians fought them back into the southern coastal cities of Canaan. There they set up their main cities of Gath, Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon and Ekron as described in the Bible (1 Sam. 6:17).

Map of the Philistine Pentapolis. (credit: Cush, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

The Bible first mentions the city of Gath in Joshua 11, describing it as a city of giants or Anakim, that the Israelites couldn’t conquer.

There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain. – Joshua 11:22

Centuries later, during the time of King Saul, Goliath the Philistine challenged the Israelite army. He was said to be a giant from Gath and was killed by David with a stone and a sling.

Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle… Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span [9 feet 9 inches]. – 1 Samuel 17:1-4

Wall relief of Philistine captives being led away after their failed invasion of Egypt, mortuary temple of Ramses III, Medinet Habu, Theban Necropolis, Egypt. (credit: I, Rémih, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

The Ark of the Covenant spent some time in Gath. In the middle of the 11th century BC a great battle between the Israelites and the Philistines occurred between the cities of Ebenezer and Aphek (1 Sam. 4:1). The Israelites lost 34,000 people in the fight and the Ark of the Covenant was taken (1 Sam. 5:1).

After causing problems in the Philistine city of Ashdod, the Ark was sent to Gath. While in Gath, the men of the city broke out in tumors (1 Sam. 5:9), so they sent the Ark on to Ekron. Finally, after a panic in Ekron, the Ark was given back to the Israelites. After it was returned, Israel had victory over the Philistines. (see verse at top of article)

Aren Maeir, Israeli archaeologist and professor at Bar Ilan University, at the Tell es-Safi/Gath. (credit: Frydolin “Vít Luštinec,” CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Conclusion

The new temple plant discoveries at the archaeological site of Tell es-Safi/Gath provide insight into the mysterious Philistine beliefs and religious rituals.

“Our findings challenge previous understandings of Philistine ritual practices and offer a fresh perspective on their cultural practices, and the connections between Philistine culture and broader Mediterranean religious traditions,” said Prof. Weiss. “By examining the plants they used in ritual contexts, we better understand how the Philistines perceived and interacted with the world around them.”