The Philistines, in particular, have been associated with iron production in the archaeological record.

The Hebrew Bible describes the Philistines as controlling iron-working in ways that gave them military advantage over the early Israelites.

Archaeological evidence from Philistine cities shows iron production at a level not matched in contemporary Israelite sites, at least in the early Iron Age.

Whether the Philistines brought iron-working technology from the Aegean, where it may have been more developed, or whether they developed it independently after their arrival in the Levant is debated.

But the association between Philistine culture and early iron production in the Levant is real, and it represents one of the ways in which the Sea Peoples contributed to the technological transformation of the post-collapse world.