Philistia (Modern Gaza Strip and Southwestern Israel)
The coastal home of Israel’s enemies, the Philistines, included five major cities along the Mediterranean during Old Testament times. After the Assyrian conquests in the 8th century BCE, the name gradually transformed as the Romans introduced “Palaestina.” The core region now falls within the Gaza Strip and southwestern Israel, though the connection to ancient Philistines remains mostly in historical texts and archaeological finds.
