His synthesis of the Egyptian evidence, though limited by the state of knowledge at the time, gave scholars a vocabulary and a narrative to work with.

The limitations of that narrative — the monolithic “invasion” model that made the Sea Peoples the primary agents of the Bronze Age Collapse — became apparent only as more evidence accumulated.

Emmanuel Anati’s archaeological work on Nuragic Sardinia contributed to discussions of the Shardana connection, while Trude Dothan’s decades of work on Philistine archaeology — particularly at Ekron — established the empirical foundation for understanding Philistine material culture and origins.

Lawrence Stager’s leadership of the Ashkelon excavations produced the material that eventually allowed the ancient DNA study to be conducted.