David & Goliath

The Shephelah is the band of low hills between the coastal plain, where the Philistine cities stood, and the highlands of Judah. Its east-west valleys, like Elah, were natural routes into Judah, so they were contested ground.

The Philistines were a sea people who settled on the southern coast in five main cities (Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath) and were Israel's chief rivals in the time of Saul.

Single combat between champions was a known way to settle a battle in the ancient Near East. David refuses Saul's armour and goes with a sling, a weapon of skilled shepherds and soldiers alike.

The event is usually placed early in Saul's reign, before David became king, around 1025-1010 BC. These dates are approximate and scholars debate them.