Around 1200 B.C., what we call civilization was cranking away, with widespread trade and several powerful kingdoms. Imagine-way back then the world was already globalized. But then the kingdoms fell, leaving only a weakened Egypt standing. Trade was disrupted, turning the world back to herding sheep, subsistence farming and danger from raiders. This state of affairs lasted a few hundred years until kingdoms once again built up and trade was re-established.
What the heck happened? Was it an earthquake storm? Drought driving starving migrants to new lands?
The Sea Peoples invading? Probably some of all these variables in a short span of time. The Sea Peoples, as the kingdoms called them, did ‘invade’ but they brought their families with them, so it sounds like they were just desperate to stay alive, likely because the lands from which they came had become uninhabitable.
Only the mighty Egyptians beat the Sea Peoples, and then sent them to other regions of Egypt, notably Canaan, along the coast. Some of these were the Philistines, who we unfortunately have only heard about from their enemies, the Hebrews. The Philistines actually were pretty skilled potters and traders and behaved no more barbarically then any of the neighboring peoples.
No doubt, as humans tend to do, they eventually intermarried and blended in where ever they ended up. But you can imagine how scary it was when shiploads of strangers showed up on the borders of the established societies. You can imagine because loads of strangers arriving on the border is still scary. Today nations are calling it the migrant crisis.
Welcome Travelers... 