An inscription for the reign of Thutmose I in the 16th century bc, includes a reference to the great circle: "(He) brought the ends of the earth into his domain; (he) trod its two extremities with his mighty sword, seeking battle; (but) he found no one who faced him. (He) penetrated valleys which the (royal) ancestors knew not, which the wearers of the double diadem had not seen. His southern boundary is as far as the frontier of this land, (his northern) as far as that inverted water which goes downstream in going up-stream. The like has not happened to other kings; his name has reached as far as the circuit of heaven, it has penetrated the Two Lands as far as the nether world ... Subject to him are the isles of the Great Circle (Sn[w].wr, Okeanos), the entire earth is under his two feet, bodily son of Re, his beloved, Thutmose, living forever and ever ... " BAR II 73 (emphasis added)
Thutmosis III boasted that he had "trussed… the Haunebut" and struck those that lived "in the midst of the Great Green Sea" (the Mediterranean Sea). In a single year, he claimed to have collected 36,692 deben of gold from his conquered subjects – the equivalent of three metric tons – of which 27,000 kilos is specifically said to have come from the Asian provinces and the Isles in the Midst of the Great Green The Asian provinces were in Canaan. It doesn’t seem likely that an Egyptian king would cross 500 miles of rough sea in a river boat to shut up a people that couldn’t possibly have had any effect on Egypt. It wouldn’t have been for the gold, which was more abundant in Egypt than any part of the known world at that time.
Some historians use the term Prst/Plst as if the inscription can be interpreted either way. The inscription was written with a 3 which is the Semitic equivalent of R, not L. For lack of any group of people that could be equated with Prst, it was decided the 3 could also be rendered L. Critics may not realize that the relationship with the R was due to the Biblical Philistines. Using the Bible as a reference for translating an Egyptian inscription seems to be a contradiction for those who believe the Bible was fabricated. If we must consult the Bible to find a people that could possibly have been the prst, why not the Perizzites? Prst could just as easily have been rendered as Przt. The truth is that there is no evidence of who the Prst actually were or even if they had customs similar to the Philistines or the Mycenae. It's probably safe to say that no vizier, governor or treasurer would have been sent to the Aegean to quell a revolt by a people that were not subjects of Egypt. There seem to be several interpretations of Hau-Nebu, one of which is my sun-god. Although Neb had to do with a god of the sun, a more accurate interpretation would have been the people of the sun god. Various other Egyptian inscriptions mention the god geb and seb in connection with the eastern edge of Egypt. They are variations of the god Osiris, who had a residence on the east of the Nile delta. He was also known as Onophris, whose residence the Hebrews called On. Osiris was also known as Pethempamentes, the Dweller in Lades. There are no references to Haunebu from Crete, or any other island, and the only Greek reference to them comes from the Rosetta stone, discovered in the Nile delta, and translated from Egyptian. The region east of the Egyptian border was referred to as the place of Henna, among other names, and Isaiah 30:4 refers to it as Hanes, which may have come from the more ancient name of Hau-Nebu, which was also known by the Egyptians as Hat-Nebes.
Amos 9:7 compares the Israelites to African nations and people. One of those is Caphtor and the Philistines. The Septuagint and other ancient translations of the Bible identify Caphtor with Cappadocia, indicating that the Philistines settled Anatolia long before they settled Crete. By studying the Amarna letters, the inscriptions of Ramesses II and III, as well as other texts, it becomes clear that the Kieftu were originally from the Mediterranean coast near or in Egypt, and migrated into Anatolia and eventually to the Greek isles. Egyptian records tell of Kieftu being a copper producing country, while copper is found on Crete in trace amounts only. Most of the people mentioned are from the same ancient Mitzraim (Egypt), where they began to disperse throughout the islands. Pathros is also mentioned in Egyptian texts as Patoris. The book of Jasher places the origin of the Philistines in the area between Egypt and Canaan, very near the river of Egypt:
Jasher 10:2 "And when the Lord had scattered the sons of men on account of their sin at the tower, behold they spread forth into many divisions,and all the sons of men were dispersed into the four corners of the earth.3 And all the families became each according to its language,its land,or its city.17 And the children of Dudonim are those who dwell in the cities of the sea Gihon, in the land of Bordna.20 All these went and built themselves cities as they found fit places for them,and they called their cities after the names of their fathers Cush, Mitzraim,Phut and Canaan.21 And the children of Mitzraim are the Ludim,Anamim,Lehabim, Naphtuchim,Pathrusim,Casluchim and Caphturim,seven families.22 All these dwell by the river Sihor,that is the brook of Egypt,and they built themselves cities and called them after their own names 23 And the children of Pathros and Casloch intermarried together,and from them went forth the Pelishtim, the Azathim, and the Gerarim, the Githim and the Ekronim,in all five families; these also built themselves cities, and they called their cities after the names of their fathers unto this day."
The book of Jashur claims they were children of Pahtrusim, Caphtorim and Casluhim came from an area near the Sihor, which the Bible calls the river of Egypt. The Bible also tells us the Philistines came from the same place: Genesis 10:13: "And Mizraim begat Ludim and Anamin and Lehabim and Naphtuhim."
Genesis 10:14: "And Pathrusim,and Casluhim,(out of whom came the Philistines) and Caphtprim."(Sandars 1985: 120).
A striking feature of the land battle scene is the imagery of ox-pulled carts carrying women and children in the midst of a battle. These carts seem to represent a people on the move. Archaeologists have now discovered evidence of a famine in Anatolia, prior to the reign of Ramesses III. It is believed that the multitude may have been going to Egypt to escape famine, as the Canaanites and Syrian had done for millennium. There is no doubt there was an invasion, but it may not have been according to the description of Ramesses III, and certainly not according to early interpretations by historians. The inscription covers battles in phases. One inscription covers a period from Ramses' 5th year to his 8th year and another is during His 11th year. Not all of the people mentioned were headed to Egypt at the same time and not all of them were part of an invasion. According to a translation of Breasted, one part of the inscription of Ramesses III one group of people referred to as the foe of Egypt had been trying to settle in Egypt:
"The foe had allied himself against Egypt ... They disregarded the beauty of this god [namely Ramses himself] who slays the invader of Egypt, saying .... `We shall settle in Egypt'. So spake they with one accord, and they continually entered the boundaries of Egypt. Then was prepared for them death ... The land re[joices] and exalts at the sight of his valor, the Lord of the Two Lands, Ramses III. Every ... is in his hand as far as the [southern] towns, as well as the northern marshes. .... fire, strong-armed, hurtling flame ."
Ramesses apparently didn’t want them to settle Egypt and either slaughtered them or ran them out. T. Dothan stated that there is some limited evidence that the Philistines did speak some indo-European. Some of their words were not Semitic. That is very likely if the Philistines were living along the Egyptian coast at or near the harbors where ships from Byblos and Cyprus would anchor. That is more likely how they obtained Mycenaean pottery or at least the knowledge for making it. Dothan also pointed out that the development of Philistine society in Canaan can’t be traced to Mycenae, it was not a local one.
