Home > Sites > Sharon > Tell Aphek (Afek, Antipatris, Tell Rosh Ha'Ayin)

 

Contents: Background Aerial Map History Photos * General view * Fortress * Bronze Age digs * Roman Road * Roman city * British waters Biblical Links

Background:

 

   Tell Aphek (Afek) is strategically located on a pass along the north-south Via Maris, the ancient road that connected the regions north of Israel (Mesopotamia, Asia minor  and Syria) to the south (Egypt). This narrow pass of 2KM was an ideal location for the ancient city, since  the trade caravans had to pass at this site. The passage was blocked on both sides of the city:  eastwards to the sea was the Yarkon river and its marsh lands, and westwards are the hills of Samaria. Through the city also passed the main road from Caesarea, the large Roman city, to Jerusalem, and from Aphek to Jaffa and the coastal parallel road to Egypt.

 

    The fortified ancient cities stood here for more than 6,000 years on a hill overlooking the springs of the Yarkon river. The present fortress is from the Ottoman period. Inside the courtyard are reconstructed houses from the Bronze age. Outside of the fortress are ruins of the Roman city and its main road.

 

 

Aerial Map:

 

The following aerial view shows the points of interest around the site.  Tell Aphek is in the center of the aerial map, and is roughly 400M by 300M, oriented north-north-west.

You can point on the red  dots in order to navigate to the selected point.

 

 

 

    

History:

 

 

• Chalcolithic period

 

   The city was first settled during the end of the Chalcolithic period (4,500-3,150BC). The first walled city was established in the early Canaanite period (3,300-3,000BC).

 

• Canaanite (Bronze Age)

 

   The city expanded during the beginning of the early Bronze age (3150-2700BC) and was built over a high mound which defended the city, in addition to the water and muddy swamps that provided a natural protection to the city. It was abandoned from 2,700 until 2,000.

 

    In the 20th - 18th C the city was rebuilt, with massive earthen ramparts that increased its defensibility, becoming a major fortified Canaanite city in the middle Bronze (2200-1550BC) and late Bronze periods (1550-1200BC). It was located on the strategic main highway - the way of the Sea or King's highway (Numbers 21, 22: "Let me pass through thy land...  we will go along by the king's high way, until we be past thy borders").

 

   The city is referenced in several Egyptian sources, starting in the 19th C Egyptian (12th Dynasty) enemy-curse clay tablets as "Aphkm". The city is one of the cities that were conquered by Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III , just before the famous battle near Megiddo (1468 BC), which resulted in the Egyptian conquest of Canaan for 350 years. The Egyptians had to subdue some mutinies, such as in 1431 and 1429 by Amenhotep II, who listed Aphek among the cities he passed through.

 

   Excavations in the Egyptian Governor's house, on top of the Tell, are from the Late Bronze Age (1,550-1,200 BC). Additionally, 5 superimposed palaces from the Bronze age were excavated. They  revealed many findings, including seals and rare scrolls.

 

• Israelites (Iron Age)

 

   The excavations inside the fortress reconstructed an Iron age I (1200-1000BC) layer above the Bronze age layer. Aphek was one of the Canaanite cities that  yielded to the Israelites led by Joshua (as per Joshua 12).

   During the 12th C and 11th C, Aphek was part of the Philistine territory. The city  was also the site of the great battlefield with the Philistines at the times of the judges (about 1050 BC), with tragic results for the Israelites, including the loss of the sacred ark of covenant. 

   During the times of King Saul there were several attempts to kick the Philistines out of Israel. King Saul's fatal battle in Mt. Gilboa against them resulted in his death, and according to the Biblical description the Philistines assembled their forces in Aphek (1 Samuel 29:1: "Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek...").

   Only during King David's Kingdom, the Philistine's former ally, the attempts to push them back finally prevailed, and Aphek returned to Israel  (about 1000 BC) .  In 928BC the Kingdoms of Judea/Judah and Israel separated, and Aphek was part of the Israel Northern Kingdom.
     In the 8th C the Assyrians conquered  the Israel Kingdom. The intrusions of  Tiglath-Pileser III  (Kings II 15: 29, 734-732BC) and the intrusion of Shalmaneser V and Sargon II (Kings II 17: 3; 724-712) ended the Kingdom of the 10 tribes. Aphek is listed as one of the cities conquered and destroyed during the Assyrian intrusions, and their residents were exiled and replaced.

   Aphek is also listed in Assyrian sources in a description of their campaign against Egypt (Eserchadan; 669 BC). This was their peak in conquests, which lasted until 610 BC when the Assyrian empire finally ended.

 

 

• Babylonian and Persian

 

  Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar II intrusion (Jeremiah 34: 7; 587 BC) passed through the city of Aphek. In the summer of that year the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and exiled their residents, bringing the Judea Kingdom to an end as well. However, the Babylonian empire lasted another 50 years later, and the new power - the Persian empire - allowed the exiled Judea residents to return to Jerusalem and rebuilt the area around it. Aphek was still outside of the Jewish region.

 

•  Hellenistic and Hasmonean - Pegae

 

   During the Hellenistic period (4th-1st C BC) the city was reestablished and called Pegae ("springs" in Greek). It was a border city with Judea, and collected taxes from the traffic across the pass.

   In 133 BC the Judea Hasmonean Kingdom, under Hyrcanus I (134-104BC), finally conquered the city of Pegae.  The Greek Seleucids, however, tried to reclaim their lost territories.  In 94-84 BC the great Hasmonean King Alexander Yanai (Jannaeus, 103-76BC) fortified the line stretching from the hills east to Pegae/Aphek, along the Yarkon river, and all the way to the sea. Some of these fortifications were excavated in Tell Aviv. This "Yanai" line failed to hold against the Seleucids, but a truce was reached to end the battles in 84BC.

 

 

•  Early Roman period - Arethusa and Antipatris

 

    In 63BC the Roman Pompey the Great conquered Judea, and renamed the city to Arethusa (which is, in Greek Mythology, a nereid nymph who became a fountain). Thus started 400 years of Roman rule in Aphek.

   Herod the Great (37-4BC) expanded the Judah kingdom, under the Roman rule. He sided Octavian (Augustus) against Anthony and Cleopatra. Cleopatra controlled the city of Arethusa, after receiving it from her lover.  The victorious Augustus gave him the city and the area as a bonus (30 BC).  Herod expanded the city in 9BC, naming it after his father - Antipatris - which was his Greek name.  See text.

 

   Antipatris is not listed in Jesus travels, since Jesus traveled through the center and eastern side of the country.

However, the city is mentioned in connection with Paul's journey to Rome: in 63 AD the Romans led St. Paul through the city on the way to Caesarea, as written in Acts.

 

• The revolts against the Romans - Migdal Aphek

 

   The Jewish city, named Migdal Aphek, was damaged during the great revolt against the Romans (68AD).  The Roman general Vespesian pitched his camp on the hill and stayed there for 3 days (see text).

 

•  Late Roman period - Antipatris at its peak

 

   The city reached its peak during the late Roman period (132-324 AD). The excavated ruins along the Cardo, including the shops and public houses, belong to this period.

 

• Byzantine

 

  The city was damaged by a massive earthquake in 363 AD, when most of the cities in the Galilee and Israel sustained severe damages.  The city did not recover - during the Byzantine period (324-638AD) it was a small military station.

 

• Crusaders

 

   The Crusaders (1099-1291 AD) protected their pilgrimage route from Acre to Jerusalem with a series of forts and police stations. Aphek ("Mirabel") was one of these fortresses.

 

• Ottoman - Binar Bashi

 

  The fortified Khan (hostel) was commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Selim II (1566-1574), the son of Suleiman the Magnificent - the great builder of Jerusalem and other cities in the empire.  The castle was built during 1571-1574, on top of the earlier layers, and protected this important gateway. It was called "Binar Basahi" - the head of the springs. This castle is the structure that stands today on the top of the hill.

 

• British Mandate

 

    During the British Mandate (1920-1948) a large pumping station was built here on top of the hill. The station stored the waters pumped from the springs, performed filtration and chlorination. The water was stored underground, then pumped up to Jerusalem. The water supply operated from 1936 through 1939.

  In 1948 the Iraqi forces held the building and attacked the neighboring villages, but surrendered to Palmach forces. You can see the results of these attacks as bullet hole scars on the walls of British building.

Modern times - Tell Aphek       Today the ancient site is a large National park, a recommended archaeological, picnic and sports site.

 

 

Photos:

 

(a) General View:

 

   A view from the north side of the fortress is seen below. This artificial lake fills up from the Yarkon springs, which are located on the west side of the site.

 

Click on the photos  to view in higher resolution...

 

   Another north view of the Ottoman castle. The Bronze age fortifications extended along the Ottoman castle walls, from left to right, and were based on earthen ramparts. Perhaps the ancient site was also surrounded by water as part of the defense systems.

 

 

 

(b) The Ottoman Fortress:

 

The Ottomans built a large fortified Khan in the 16th C, which served as a hostel for the caravans that passed through the Holy Land. The south-east walls are seen in the photo below.

 

 

   The fortress is entered through the gate seen below, near the north-east side tower. The tower and the fortress were built over the earlier layers: on a lower layer, behind and below the green fence, is the north most section of the Roman road, which is seen extending behind the tower on the left side. The Ottomans reused the ancient stones to build the castle.

 

 

   This is a view of the Ottoman fortified Khan, looking towards north.

 

 

A view towards the south-west corner of the fortified Khan.

    Webmaster Rotem: My 13 year old cousin, Guy, is standing near the wall. This was a hot day in June,  and after the tour he gasped for a cool bottle of Coke, which he finally found it in a gas station nearby. So, although the park is surrounded by water, the heat dries you up pretty fast.

 

 

There is a gate that opens to the west side of the castle, where the view of the walls and the north-west tower are seen.

 

 

The photo below shows the south tower.

 

 

A closer detail of the north-west tower.

 

 

(c) Bronze Age excavations:

 

   On the north-west corner of the castle are reconstructed walls in the area which was excavated.  Excavations in the Egyptian Governor's residence, seen below, are from the Late Bronze Age (1,550-1,200 BC). They  revealed many findings, including seals and rare scrolls.  Two winepresses were excavated here, one of the earliest in the Levant. They were located near the Egyptian governor's residency.

 

 

 

   The archaeologists also traced 5 superimposed palaces.  Above the Bronze age layer was an Iron Age I layer (1200BC-1000BC).  The photo below shows a  view of the excavations on the north side of the court yard, where some of the MB/LB palaces were excavated. Parts of the excavated palaces are located on the other side of the Ottoman wall.

 

 

Beyond it, along the Ottoman walls, are traces of the Middle Bronze period fortifications, which line with the slopes of the hill.

 

(d) Cardo - Roman Road:

 

   The main Road in the Roman city was the "Cardo". Here in Antipatris, the Roman city established by Herod, the Cardo is oriented in a south-east to north-west orientation, on top of the Tell. The excavated road can be first seen under the south-east tower of the fortress, as in the photo below. The Roman layer is under the fortress, since it predated it by about 1300 years.

 

 

   The road then extends from the tower, seen in the center background below. A 40 m section of the Cardo, including curbstones and drainage channels, were excavated here. Some of its sections are in a good shape, and you can even see the grooves of the cart wheels that once moved over the road.

 

 

  The excavated Cardo extends for 300 M from the fortress. On both sides are traces of the ruins of the Roman/Byzantine city. Shops and public houses were built along the road. On the left side are ruins of a Roman villa, and in the center is the Forum - the city center.

 

 

Along the sides of the Cardo were columns, which stood above their bases. This is a similar design of Cardo, as seen in Jerusalem or Sepphoris.

 

 

The photo below shows one of the columns and its base.

 

 

(e) Roman city:

 

  Along the sides of the Cardo are excavated ruins of the shops and public houses that once serviced the residents of the early Roman city of Antipatris. The photo below shows an excavated Roman villa.

 

 

Other views of the ruins are seen below, including the base of the door to the house below.

 

 

On the other side of the Cardo are more excavations, with the walls of the fortress seen in the background.

 

 

(f) British water supply:

 

   During the British Mandate (1920-1948) a large water supply project was built here on top of the hill.  The photo below shows the view of the British concrete building and pools, located on the left (east) side of the ancient fortress. The waters were pumped up from the springs into the water pools.

 

 

   The pools seen in the photo below were used to store the waters pumped from the springs, perform filtration and chlorination. The cleaned water was stored underground, then pumped up to Jerusalem. The water supply operated from 1936 through 1939.

 

 

 

Biblical References:

 

Joshua 12:7, 18

 

"And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west...The king of Aphek, one"

 

1 Samuel 4:1-11

 

   A great battle between the Israelites and the Philistines was conducted here during the times of the judges. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer (unknown site near Aphek), while the Philistines camped at the city. The Israelites lost the first battle and 4,000 men. To reclaim their victory they brought in the ark of the covenant from Shiloh, but lost another battle, 30,000 men and the ark.

 

"And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men".

And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

    So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubim: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.  And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

 

  And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain".
 

(c) Acts 23: 31

 

St Paul was led by the Roman soldiers on his way to Caesarea, and stayed over night in the city.

 

"...Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.  On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:  Who, when they came to Caesarea and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him".

 

 

Historical References:

 

(a) Josephus Flavius, Wars 4, 8:1:

 

  This text, written by the Jewish general turned Historian Josephus Flavius, tells about the march of the Romans through Aphek towards Jerusalem during the great revolt. The Jewish city in Antipatris was wiped out by Vespesian's armies, who camped at the site and "settled the affairs of the city".

 

"...at the beginning of the spring he took the greatest part of his army, and led it from Cesarea to Antipatris, where he spent two days in settling the affairs of that city, and then, on the third day, he marched on, laying waste and burning all the neighboring villages.

 

(b) Josephus Flavius, Wars 1, 21:9:

 

The city was named after Herod's father, Antipatris.

 

"Herod was also a lover of his father, if any other person ever was so; for he made a monument for his father, even that city which he built in the finest plain that was in his kingdom, and which had rivers and trees in abundance, and named it Antipatris".

 

 

 

Etymology (behind the name):

 

• Aphek (Afek)- also Afik (Aphik) as in Judges. Afik  in Hebrew means the source of water (of the Yarkon river). There were other cities with the same name - such as Afek in the Galilee and Afek in the Golan (Ein Gev).

 

• Antipatris  - the city was established by Herod in20BC and was named after his father (his Greek name)

 

• Pegae The name of the city during the Hellenistic period (means "springs" in Greek)

 

• Abu Butrus - the Arabic name of the city, which preserved the name of Antipatris (Patris sounds as Batris in Arabic)

 

• Tell (Tel) - a layered mound (read about the story of the Tells, including our animation)

 

• Tell Rosh Ha'Ayin - the name is based on Arabic (Tel Ras El-A'yin)

 

• Rosh Ha'Ayin - in Hebrew: head, Ha: the, A'yin: springs.

 

• Binar Bashi - in Turkish - the "top of the springs". This was the name of the Ottoman Khan (hostel), based on the Hebrew name of Rosh Ha'ayin.

 

Links:

 

Yarkon National Park   IAA Tel Aphek - 2006 excavation of the Cardo   Tell-Aviv University: Tel Aphek Upper city excavations (M. Kochavi 1976-1985)   Governor's house (IAA article)

 

BibleWalks.com - walk with us through the sites of the Holy Land

 

 

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