Dagon

Dagon was the most important god of the Philistines. He had a temple in Gaza and Ashdod (see Judges 16:23). The temple in Ashdod is understood to have existed until the second century BC (see 1 Maccabees 10:83-84).

Dagon is often equated with the Mesopotamian god Dagan. Dagan was the patron of the region around the Euphrates from the third millennium BC. He ensured the fertility of the land, brought military victory and protected the king. In Ugaritic texts, he is the father of Baal.

The Philistines most likely adopted this god from Mesopotamia.