Digging at Apollonia summer of 2010
Arsuf also known as Arsur or Apollonia, was an ancient city and fortress located in Israel, about 15 kilometres north of Tel Aviv, The city site, Tel Arsuf, was intensively excavated from 1994. In 2002 it became Apollonia National Park. The town was settled by Phoenicians in the 6th or 5th century BC, and named Arshuf after Resheph, the Canaanite god of fertility and the underworld. It was then a part of the Persian Empire and governed from Sidon. Phoenicians of Arshuf produced precious purple dye, . During the Hellenistic period it was an anchorage town, ruled by Seleucids and re-named Apollonia, as the Greeks identified Reshef with Apollo. Under Roman rule, the size of the town increased. It was an important settlement along Via Maris. In 113 AD, Apollonia was destroyed partially by an earthquake, but recovered quickly. The harbor was built, and trade with Italy and North Africa developed. During the Byzantine period, the town extended to cover an area of 70 acres . In the 5th and 6th century AD it was the second largest city in Sharon valley, after Caesarea, populated by Christian and Samaritans, having an elaborate church and a prosperous glass industry. In 640 AD, the town was captured by Muslims, and the Semitic name Arsuf was restored. In 1101 Arsuf fell In 1101 Arsuf fell to a Crusader army led by Baldwin I of Jerusalem. The Crusaders, who called it Arsur, rebuilt the city's walls and created the Lordship of Arsur in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1187 Arsuf was captured by the Muslims, but fell again to the Crusaders on September 7, 1191 after a battle between Richard I of England and Saladin. John of Ibelin, Lord of Beirut became Lord of Arsur in 1207 when His son John of Arsur inherited the title. The title then passed to John of Arsur's eldest son Balian ). From 1261, the city was ruled by the Knights 1265 sultan Baibars, ruler of the Mameluks, captured Arsur, after 40 days of siege. The Mameluks razed the city walls and the fortress
Size: 6144px × 4081px
Location: Apollonia,Arsuf ,Sharon Coastal Plain Israel
Photo credit: © moris kushelevitch / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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