Navigation - HomePage - The Rise of Rome - Storm of Arrows - Immortal Fire - Legions Triumphant - Swords and Scimitars - Eternal Empire - Decline and Fall - Wolves from The Sea - Swifter Than Eagles - Oath of Fealty - Empires of The Dragon - Blood and Gold - The Lost Scrolls

Historical Overview Section

The Philistines occupied the five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, along the coastal strip of southwestern Canaan, that belonged to Egypt up to the closing days of the Nineteenth Dynasty (ended 1185 BC). The biblical stories of Samson, Samuel, Saul and David include accounts of Philistine-Israelite/Later Hebrew conflicts. The Philistines long held a monopoly on iron smithing (a skill they possibly acquired during conquests in Anatolia), and the biblical description of Goliath's armor is consistent with this iron-smithing technology.

According to the Bible, the Philistines made frequent incursions against the Israelites. There was almost perpetual war between the two peoples. The Philistine pentapolis were ruled by seranim ("lords"), who acted together for the common good, though to what extent they had a sense of a "nation" is not clear without literary sources. After their defeat by the Hebrew king David, who originally for a time worked as a mercenary for Achish of Gath, kings replaced the seranim, governing from various cities. Some of these kings were called Abimelech, which was initially a name and later a dynastic title.

The Philistines lost their independence to Tiglath-Pileser III of the Neo-Assyrian Empire by 732 BC, and revolts in following years were all crushed. Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon eventually conquered all of Syria and the Kingdom of Judah, and the former Philistine cities became part of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

The following battles are recorded in the Bible between Israel and the Philistines:

  • The Battle of Shephelah
  • Israel defeated at the Battle of Aphek, Philistines capture the Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 4:1-10)
  • Philistines defeated at the Battle of Eben-Ezer (1 Samuel 7:3-14)
  • Skirmish at Michmash, Philistines routed by Jonathon and his men (1 Samuel 14)
  • Near the Valley of Elah, David defeats Goliath in single combat (1 Samuel 17)

Using the army in FoG

  • include your tactical tips or advice in here
  • It looks neater if you do it with bullet points. Just put each new suggestion on a new line, starting with an "*"

Tournament Results with this army

Have a look for them on the Official FoG Database on the FoG site

User-contributed links about this army:

Allies

Put information on allied contingents here - including recommendations on which to use, and why.

Painting and Collecting the Army

  • Paint schemes, insignia, shield designs? Put it here.

15mm Manufacturers supplying figures for this army

You can see some of the figures in the Ancients Photo Gallery also on this site. Don't forget to look at the Sea People list too

Image Image

dedicated Philistine ranges

some broadly suitable Biblicals

Army Lists

Sample army lists for this army
Used by Lionel Colin in the 2010 edition of "Les Nerviens" tournament in Northern France (came 1st / 20).
List 790 BC – 800 points

  • 12 BG
  • 2 Philistine Generals TC
  • 6 LF Undrilled Average Unprotected Sling
  • 6 LF Undrilled Average Unprotected LS / Javelin
  • 8 HF Drilled Superior Armored Off. Spearmen
  • 4 HCh Drilled Superior - Bow
  • 8 MF Undrilled Average Protected Off. Spearmen
  • 8 MF Undrilled Average Protected Off. Spearmen
  • Phoenician Ally – 1 TC
  • 6 MF Drilled Average Protected Off. Spearmen
  • 4 HCh Drilled Superior - LS
  • 4 HCh Drilled Superior - LS
  • 4 LF A verage Unprotected Bow
  • Aramean ally – 1 TC
  • 4 MF Average Protected LS / Swordmen
  • 4 LCh Drilled Superior - Bow

The list was wrong because the Phoenician ally can have a maximum of 4 chariots. To get a correct list, change a BG of Phoenician chariots to Philistine HCh Bow and delete the BG of 4 LF.

Remember to leave a line before you copy the above section as a template for your own list

eBay Listings

UK Bookstore