Strata: Assyrians in Ashdod

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The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has uncovered what may be the administrative palace of the representative of Assyrian ruler King Sargon II (721–705 B.C.) in Ashdod. IAA archaeologists Elena Kogan-Zahavi and Pirhiya Nahshoni uncovered the palace when the IAA was called in after remains were found during work on the Ashdod light-rail project.

After excavating several areas, Kogan-Zahavi and Nahshoni found the palace and immediately identified it as Assyrian because of the distinctive way it was built, which was very different from local building practices. “The whole building was made from square mudbricks, which was typical for Mesopotamian construction,” Kogan-Zahavi said, whereas in nearby Tel Ashdod, the site of ancient Ashdod, “all the buildings are made from rectangular bricks.”