﻿THE 
  EXCAVATIONS 
  AT 
  ASKALON. 
  

  

  By 
  Prof. 
  J. 
  Gabstang, 
  D. 
  Sc. 
  

  

  [With 
  3 
  plates.] 
  

  

  Introductory 
  Note. 
  

  

  Askalon 
  (Hebrew 
  Ashkelon) 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  five 
  cities 
  of 
  the 
  Philistines 
  on 
  the 
  

   southern 
  coast 
  of 
  Palestine, 
  30 
  miles 
  southwest 
  of 
  Jerusalem 
  (Joshua 
  xiii, 
  3; 
  

   i 
  Samuel 
  vi, 
  17). 
  In 
  Egyptian 
  texts 
  it 
  occurs 
  as 
  Askarumi 
  among 
  the 
  cities 
  

   revolting 
  against 
  Rameses 
  II 
  and 
  Mereptah, 
  while 
  in 
  Assyrian 
  inscriptions 
  it 
  

   is 
  frequently 
  mentioned 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Iskaluna 
  or 
  Askaluna. 
  Askalon 
  

   was 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  worship 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  goddess 
  Derketo, 
  to 
  whom 
  fishes 
  

   were 
  sacred. 
  Herod, 
  who, 
  according 
  to 
  tradition, 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  Askalon, 
  adorned 
  

   it 
  with 
  baths, 
  fountains, 
  and 
  public 
  buildings. 
  But 
  the 
  most 
  flourishing 
  period 
  

   which 
  Askalon 
  experienced 
  was 
  under 
  Roman 
  control, 
  when 
  it 
  became 
  a 
  center 
  

   of 
  Hellenic 
  culture. 
  Under 
  the 
  Arabs, 
  who 
  called 
  it 
  " 
  the 
  bride 
  of 
  Syria," 
  

   Askalon 
  was 
  a 
  frequent 
  object 
  of 
  struggle. 
  It 
  was 
  taken 
  during 
  the 
  Crusades 
  

   by 
  the 
  Christians 
  in 
  1154, 
  retaken 
  by 
  Saladin 
  in 
  1187, 
  dismantled 
  and 
  then 
  

   rebuilt 
  by 
  Richard 
  Coeur 
  de 
  Leon 
  in 
  1192, 
  and 
  finally 
  demolished 
  in 
  1270. 
  It 
  

   is 
  now 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Askalan. 
  

  

  The 
  object 
  of 
  this 
  brief 
  report 
  is 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  resume 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  done 
  

   and 
  the 
  results 
  obtained 
  during 
  the 
  two 
  seasons 
  of 
  excavation 
  at 
  

   Askalon, 
  1921-22, 
  without 
  entering 
  into 
  a 
  discussion 
  of 
  detail 
  or 
  of 
  

   theories. 
  Further 
  evidence, 
  both 
  direct 
  and 
  comparative, 
  will 
  be 
  

   forthcoming, 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  anticipated, 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  year's 
  

   work 
  now 
  about 
  to 
  commence, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  fuller 
  discussion 
  can 
  only 
  

   be 
  profitably 
  undertaken 
  at 
  a 
  later 
  stage, 
  after 
  maturer 
  study, 
  with 
  

   all 
  the 
  facts 
  in 
  view. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  done 
  resolves 
  itself 
  readily 
  into 
  three 
  parts 
  : 
  

  

  I. 
  General 
  survey 
  and 
  exploration 
  of 
  the 
  site. 
  

  

  II. 
  Excavation 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  and 
  substructures 
  of 
  the 
  public 
  build- 
  

   ing 
  now 
  revealed 
  as 
  Herod's 
  Cloisters 
  (formerly 
  called 
  shortly 
  the 
  

   " 
  Tycheion 
  ") 
  , 
  with 
  the 
  adjacent 
  " 
  Basilica 
  " 
  and 
  the 
  later 
  theater 
  and 
  

   mosque. 
  

  

  III. 
  Search 
  for 
  traces 
  of 
  the 
  Philistines 
  and 
  other 
  early 
  settlers. 
  

  

  1 
  Reprinted 
  by 
  permission 
  from 
  Quarterly 
  Statement 
  of 
  the 
  Palestine 
  Exploration 
  F*und, 
  

   July, 
  1922. 
  

  

  509 
  

  

  