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Apollonia-Arsuf

The excavations since 1996 were directed by
I. Roll on behalf of Tel Aviv University.

A Coastal Town of the Eastern Mediterranean Shore.

The ancient site of Apollonia-Arsuf is located on a sandstone cliff overlooking a natural haven on the shore of the modern town of Herzliya, some 15 km. north of Tel-Aviv. Since 1977 twelve seasons of excavations were carried out so far on the site by the author, the early ones - as rescue digs on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and later on - as university excavations on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Tel-Aviv University with support of the Municipality of Herzliya. The digs, which took place in ten different areas all over the site, have shown that the place was settled uninterruptedly for almost 18 centuries, from the late 6th cent. B.C.E. until 1265.
The earliest settlement there was a Phoenician foundation of the Persian period, which was confined to the cliff's western edge (areas G and H). Its name was probably Arshof, after the Phoenician god Resheph, as shown by the Arabic toponym Arsuf. As the Greeks used to identify Resheph with Apollo, the town's name was changed in Hellenistic times to Apollonia. In Roman times the city was expanded to the south (area E) where a well planned and carefully built villa maritima from the turn of the 1st to 2nd cent. C.E. was uncovered. Following the complete collapse of the structure caused by a devastating earthquake, the area was covered with garbage from surrounding (yet unexcavated) buildings, which included large quantities of imported ware from the main ceramic production centers of the Eastern Mediterranean, Italy and North Africa.
In the Byzantine period, the city, which apparently, was unfortified, reached its greatest prosperity and largest expansion, up to ca. 70 acres. It emerged as the chief commercial, industrial and maritime center of the entire Southern Sharon Plain. That large urban center included a commercial area in the center (areas B-D), a manufactural area in the North (areas a-c) where oil, wine and glass were produced, other manufactural installations in the South (area E) and in the west (areas G and H), and an anchorage along the shore.

Apollonia-Arsuf The excavations since 1996 were directed by I. Roll on behalf of Tel Aviv University. A Coastal Town of the Eastern Mediterranean Shore. The ancient site of Apollonia-Arsuf is located on a sandstone cliff overlooking a natural haven on the shore of the modern town of Herzliya, some 15 km. north of Tel-Aviv. Since 1977 twelve seasons of excavations were carried out so far on the site by the author, the early ones - as rescue digs on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and later on - as university excavations on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Tel-Aviv University with support of the Municipality of Herzliya. The digs, which took place in ten different areas all over the site, have shown that the place was settled uninterruptedly for almost 18 centuries, from the late 6th cent. B.C.E. until 1265. The earliest settlement there was a Phoenician foundation of the Persian period, which was confined to the cliff's western edge (areas G and H). Its name was probably Arshof, after the Phoenician god Resheph, as shown by the Arabic toponym Arsuf. As the Greeks used to identify Resheph with Apollo, the town's name was changed in Hellenistic times to Apollonia. In Roman times the city was expanded to the south (area E) where a well planned and carefully built villa maritima from the turn of the 1st to 2nd cent. C.E. was uncovered. Following the complete collapse of the structure caused by a devastating earthquake, the area was covered with garbage from surrounding (yet unexcavated) buildings, which included large quantities of imported ware from the main ceramic production centers of the Eastern Mediterranean, Italy and North Africa. In the Byzantine period, the city, which apparently, was unfortified, reached its greatest prosperity and largest expansion, up to ca. 70 acres. It emerged as the chief commercial, industrial and maritime center of the entire Southern Sharon Plain. That large urban center included a commercial area in the center (areas B-D), a manufactural area in the North (areas a-c) where oil, wine and glass were produced, other manufactural installations in the South (area E) and in the west (areas G and H), and an anchorage along the shore.		*CITY OF ARSUF* In those times, the name of the city was changed again to Sozousa, and it became an episcopal see of Palaestina prima. Three of its bishops are recorded in official lists of the Ecumenical Councils of the 5th and 6th cent. C.E., and their seat seem to have been the impressive Byzantine church, the remains of which were found in the southeast of the site. The Muslims get control over the Byzantine city peacefully, in ca. 640 C.E. and surrounded only a part of it (ca. 23 acres) with a fortified wall. The Crusaders captured the town in 1101 C.E., restored its fortifications, and erected in the north a formidable castle. That double stronghold was captured in 1265 C.E. by the Mamluk sultan Baybars, razed to the ground and left in ruins ever since.		The location of Arsuf castle in Israel