Biblical Archaeology Review is the flagship publication of the Biblical Archaeology Society. For more than 40 years it has been making the world of archaeology in the lands of the Bible come alive for the interested layperson. Full of vivid images and articles written by leading scholars, this is a must read for anyone interested in the archaeology of the ancient Near East.
On the north wall of the first court of the Medinet Habu temple is an account of a campaign to Syria describing the handling of captives. In actual fact, this campaign probably never took place since it is not recorded in Papyrus Harris I. In all likelihood, the texts were copied from originals of the reign of Ramesses II. Nevertheless, they reflect the normal treatment of captured enemies in the time of Ramesses III:
Interestingly, the other group to be “made ashes,” the Tjeker, also settled along the coast of Canaan, north of the area occupied by the Philistines. In the Wen-Amon tale (c. 1100 B.C.), they controlled Dor, about 15 miles south of Haifa and were ruled by a prince named Beder (see Wilson, “Egyptian Myths, Tales, and Mortuary Texts, in Pritchard, ANET, p. 26).
G. Ernest Wright, “Philistine Coffins and Mercenaries,” Biblical Archaeologist (BA) 32 (1959), pp. 53–66; reprinted in The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, ed. E.F. Campbell and David Noel Freedman (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1964), vol. 2, pp. 59–68, and “Fresh Evidence for the Philistine Story,” BA 29 (1966), pp. 70–86.
