This study of the history of the Philistines during the first quarter of the first millennium B.C.E. has a twofold aim: First, to examine in detail a number of ancient texts, mainly biblical until the rise of the neo-assyrian empire, while evaluating each text in its own right as a potential historical source. Second, to offer a synthetic reconstruction of the course of Philistine history between 1000 - 730 B.C.E., employing the results of the textual study in conjunction with those of recent archaeological excavations in Philistia. This is the first monograph to be devoted to the Philistines during this critical period in the history of the Ancient Near East.