On the Pelasgians -- originally a Thracian tribe (Iliad, 2.841) possibly driven south to occupy the Troad (ibid), Ionia and the islands (Strabo 13.261) and Crete (Odyssey 19.177) -- see Burn, Minoans, Philistines and Greeks, 58-59. If the Pelasgians were non-Greek, a difficulty might arise if one wishes to maintain that the few "Philistine" names and words preserved for us are in fact of Greek origin. It should be noted that Xanthus (fifth century B.C.) claimed the Philistines to have been colonists from Lydia ...
