ASKELON ; Sept. 'Ao-xdX(4), a city of the Philistines, and the seat of one of their five states (Judg. xiv. 19 ; I Sam. vi. 17 ; 2 Sam. i. 20). It was situated on the Mediterranean coast, be tween Gaza and Ashdod, twelve geog. miles north of the former, and ten S. by W. from the latter, and fifty-five W.S.W. from Jerusalem. It was the only one of the five great Philistine towns that was a maritime port, and stood out close to the shore. Askelon was assigned to the tribe of Judah (Josh. xiii. 13 ; comp. Judg. i. 18) ; but it was never for any length of time in possession of the Israelites. The part of the country in which it stood abounded in aromatic plants, onions, and vines (Plin. xix. 32 ; Strabo, xvi. p. 759 , Dioscor. i. 124 ; Colum. xii. to ; Alex. Trail. viii. 3). It was well fortified (Joseph. De Bell Yud. ill. 2. I comp. Mela, i. i I), and early became the seat of the worship of Derceto (Diod. Sic. ii. 4). After the time of Alexander it shared the lot of Phoenicia and Judaea, being tributary sometimes to Egypt, and at other times to Syria (s Macc. x. 86 ; xi. 60; xii. 33 ; Joseph. Antig. xii. 4. 5). The magnifi cent Herod was born at Askelon, and although the city did not belong to his dominion, he adorned it with fountains, baths, and colonnades (De Bell. 7ded. i. 21. it); and after his death Salome, his sister, resided in a palace at Askelon, which Cmsar bestowed upon her (Angq. xvii. t t. 5). It suffered much in the Jewish war with the Romans (De Bell. yud. ii. 18. 5 ; iii. 2. I -3) ; for its inhabitants were noted for their dislike of the Jews, of whom they slew 2500 who dwelt there (ii. 18. 5 ; ill. 2. I).
After this Askelon again revived, and in the middle ages was noted not only as a stronghold, but as a wealthy and important town (Will. Tyr. xvii. 21). As a sea-port merely it never could have enjoyed much advantage, the coast being sandy and diffi cult of access. The town bears a prominent part in the history of the Crusades. After being several times dismantled and re-fortified in the times of Saladin and Richard, its fortifications were at length totally destroyed by the Sultan Bibars A. D. 1270, and the port filled up with stones, for fear of future attempts on the part of the Crusaders (Wilkin, Gesch. der Kreuz. vii. 586). This, no doubt, sealed the ruin of the place. Sandys (Travailes, p. 151, A. D. I6I0) describes it as now a place of no note, more than that the Turke doth keepe there a garrison.' Fifty years after (A.D. 166o), Von Troilo found it still partially inhabited. But its desolation has long been complete, and little now remains of it but the walls, with nume rous fragments of granite pillars. The situation is described as strong ; the thick walls, flanked with towers, were built on the top of a ridge of rock that encircles the town, and terminates at each end in the sea. The ground within sinks in the manner of an amphitheatre (Richardson ii. 202-204 ; Eli Smith, in Missionary Herald for 1827, p. 341).
The place still bears the name of Askulan —J. K.