ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the nature of the interaction between the Israelites and Philistines and the importance of the impact of the latter on the former. It also tackles the historical and social context that has given rise to the developments of the late twelfth and eleventh centuries BCE. The re-urbanization and state formation processes that took place in ancient Israel in the Iron Age have been discussed intensively in historical and archaeological research. According to biblical narrative, at the beginning of the tenth century a united monarchy was established in ancient Israel. Archaeological research has discovered many urban centers erected approximately at the same time, and even if the uniformity of their fortification is no longer accepted. Security problems could have motivated villagers to choose a strategy other than nomadization, such as moving into larger centers where they were more secure.
