Philistines

The Philistines were ancient people who lived in the south coast of Canaan during the Iron Age in a confederation of city-states generally referred to as Philistia. They originated from the Greek immigrant group from the Aegean. The immigrant group settled in Canaan around 1175 BCE during the late Bronze Age Collapse. Over time, they intermixed with the indigenous Canaanites and assimilated elements of their culture. Around 600BCE they were vanquished by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Neo-Babylonian Empire. Like the kingdom of Israel and Judah Philistines lost their autonomy by the end of Iron Age. 

The use of the word by Liddy  Smallbury, the maid of Bathsheba Everdene in the novel Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy in Chapter 9 reflects the urban rustic divide in the society. It is also rooted in the biblical grasp of parish girl and the stratified society. 

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