# Philistines — WHE Definition Discussion (1-20490)

**URL:** <https://community.worldhistory.org/t/philistines-whe-definition-discussion-1-20490/18574>\
**Category:** WHE Articles\
**Created:** [January 28, 2022, 5:00pm UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/philistines-whe-definition-discussion-1-20490/18574 "2022-01-28T17:00:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rdenova](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/community.worldhistory.org/rdenova/32/294_2.png) [@rdenova](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/rdenova)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2022, 5:00pm UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/philistines-whe-definition-discussion-1-20490/18574/1 "2022-01-28T17:00:03Z")

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The Philistines populated the coastal regions of Canaan from the 12th century BCE to their disappearance in 604 BCE. The word "Philistine" derives from the Hebrew _ha-Plištim_ for the combination of several tribes of Syria and Judea with the older name "Syria-Palestina". The Latin word for the lands of Canaan became "Palestine" after the Bar-Kochba Revolt (132-136 CE) during the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian (r. 117-138 CE). The term "Philistine" has come to mean someone uneducated and lacking in culture from the stories concerning them in the Jewish Scriptures.

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_This is a companion discussion topic for the original definition at [https://www.worldhistory.org/Philistines/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Philistines/)._

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**Author:** ![system](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/community.worldhistory.org/system/32/30_2.png) [@system](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 3:23am UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/philistines-whe-definition-discussion-1-20490/18574/2 "2026-08-01T03:23:29Z")

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Unlisted on August 1, 2026, 3:23am UTC