Tel Ashdod

Location and Identification:

  • Tel Ashdod is located about 6 km south of modern Ashdod and is inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The mound rises about 15 meters above the surrounding area. Ashdod was a major city mainly during the Late Bronze and Iron ages.
מאת Engraver: Keith, George Skene, – Digital Public Library of Americahttps://dp.la/, נחלת הכלל, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49419452

History:

  • Ashdod and its inhabitants are first mentioned in several written sources from the Late Bronze Age II discovered at Ugarit.
  • Ashdod was known for trading purple dyed garments in the Late Bronze Age II.
  • Ashdod is mentioned in the Bible multiple times. For instance, the Ark of the Covenant was brought to the temple of Dagon at Ashdod.
  • The Assyrian king, Sargon, had conflicts with Ashdod. The city revolted against the Assyrians multiple times and faced military reprisals.
  • The city faced destruction during the Babylonian period, as mentioned by prophets like Jeremiah and Zechariah.
  • In the Persian period, Ashdod became an enemy of Judah. Some men of Judah even married Ashdodian women.
  • During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, the city was known as Azotus. Notable events include the demolition of the temple of Dagon by Jonathan the Hasmonean and the city’s association with figures like Alexander Jannaeus and Herod.

Excavations:

  • Nine seasons of excavations were conducted in Ashdod between 1962 and 1972.
  • The excavations were initially a joint project of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, the Pittsburgh Carnegie Museum, and the Israel Department of Antiquities. After 1965, the project was led by the latter two institutions.
  • The directors of the excavations included D. N. Freedman, J. Swauger, and M. Dothan. After 1965, Swauger and Dothan headed the project, with Dothan as the primary director of excavations.
  • During the initial season, excavations took place in four areas: A, B, C, and D. Area B is a continuation of area A, but at the start, area A was 6 meters higher due to the removal of the upper section of the mound by modern settlers.
  • In the second season (1963), excavations were conducted in areas A, B, D, and G. The third season (1965) saw excavations in areas D, G, H, and K. There were also trial soundings in areas E and F to determine the extent of the mound.
  • A small-scale sounding was done in area D in 1967.

Findings:

  • A cylinder seal and its impression from the Early Babylonian period, dating to the 16th century BCE, were discovered.
  • From the Persian period, remains were found in area A, including a few walls of buildings and a deep fosse. In area K, the stone foundations of a large public building were uncovered, which might have been an administrative center. Additionally, an ostracon with an Aramaic inscription describing the quantity of wine delivered in the name of Zebadiah was found.
  • In the Hellenistic period, a deposit of ashes that might relate to the city’s destruction by the Hasmoneans was discovered. Among the coins in this deposit, the latest was a coin of Antiochus VIII dated to 114 BCE.
  • During the Roman, Byzantine, and early Arab periods, Ashdod declined in importance. The remains from this period include houses, grain silos, agricultural installations, and a marble slab with Jewish symbols. Another marble fragment with the beginning of a Samaritan inscription and a Samaritan talisman indicates the presence of a Samaritan population in Ashdod during this time.