(urth) "Sci-Fi’s Difficult Genius", Peter Bebergal

[Lee]

>Dan'l Danehy-Oakes: I've always wondered about that phrase, "unwashed Philistines." Is there
>any reason to believe that Philistines bathed less frequently than their neighbors?


Given the desert environment they lived in, bathing was probably a less frequent occasion than

for people living in areas with higher rainfall (and thus fresh water reserves).


Personal hygiene seems to have been a defining cultural feature of the Abrahamic religions which

(along with dietary restrictions) helped distinguish them from their "unwashed" neighbors.


Ritual bathing was a part of Judaism (pre-cursor to baptism) and Islam, and circumcision was a

related cleanliness-type practice also.