The history of Philistia is the record of an immigrant society in transition as it struggles to survive, maintaining those features that gave it its own peculiar identity, while adapting to the continual impact of new political and cultural forces. By the beginning of the 10th century BCE, this dual process was well advanced, marked both by elements of continuity and new elements adopted from neighboring cultures. From the 10th century onwards, this process continued to be the primary dynamic which influenced the survival of Philistia as a separate regional unit until its demise at the end of the 7th century BCE. The collapse of Philistia was the cumulative result of an overwhelming process of acculturation, and the destruction of its cities and deportation of its population by the Neo-Babylonians. The process of acculturation was accelerated by the new economic patterns established when Philistia was integrated into the Neo-Assyrian Empire and became subject to a wide range of cultural influences from Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean basin. While material culture demonstrates the long-term regional character of Philistia, it is the historical sources that define it as a separate geographic, political, and demographic entity. These conclusions are based on the archaeological record, mainly represented by the excavations at Tel Miqne-Ekron, and the textual evidence, primarily from Neo-Assyrian sources.