Ashkelon Uncovered: Israel Light to the Nations - Full Video in Description

Location
1. Ashkelon is located just south of Ashdod. It also is on the Mediterranean Ocean and was one of the five cities of the Philistines.

Historical Background
1. South of the modern city of Ashkelon is a large National park with ruins of the ancient city. It has a history of 4,000 years and was a port city located on the main trade route from Egypt to the North. It started as a huge fortified Canaanite city and continued as a Philistine city, turning into a thriving commercial center and independent city during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
2. The origin of the name Ashkelon appears to come from the word “shekel,” denoting a measure of weight – a fitting name for a commercial port city.
3. The specific name Ashkelon is mentioned in the Egyptian execration texts of the 19th century BC, and it appears again in other, later Egyptian inscriptions.
4. Ashkelon has the world's oldest Canaanite Gate in the world which dates back to almost 4000 years ago.
5. Ashkelon also played a part in the battle against the Assyrians. Zedaka, the ruler of Ashkelon, joined the rebellion of Hezekiah, king of Judah (701 BCE). In response, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, took over the city and replaced the treacherous ruler with one of his subjects.
6. The city changed hands many times after that, as Greeks and Maccabees and Romans and Muslims and Crusaders all had their turn. Some think that Herod the Great was born in Ashkelon; the fact is that he did build a palace and aqueduct there.
7. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who came to the city