Sea Peoples Invasion

Egyptian records describe massive naval and land battles against a confederation of peoples arriving by sea from the west. Ramesses III defeats them around 1178 BCE but cannot prevent them from settling along the Canaanite coast. Among these settlers are the Peleset — the Philistines of the Bible — who establish a pentapolis of five cities including Gaza, Ashkelon, and Gath. The Philistines bring Aegean pottery styles and cultural practices, and they become Israel's most persistent regional rivals.