Azotus
- a city of Palestine, near the coast, the Ashdod of Holy Scripture, and now Esdud, Mel. 1, 10; Plin. 5, 13, 14, § 68; in Vulg., Asedoth, Jos. 10, 40; 12, 3.
AZO´TUS (Ἄζωτος: Eth. Ἀζώτιος),the ASHDOD of Scripture, a city assigned to the tribe of Judah in the division of the Promised Land (Josh. 15.47), but occupied by the Philistines, and reckoned as one of their five principal cities, where was the chief seat of the worship of Dagon. (1 Sam. 1.1--7.) It is celebrated by Herodotus as having stood a siege of 29 years from Psammetichus, king of Egypt (about B.C. 630), the longest of any city he was acquainted with (2.157). It was taken by the Assyrians under Tartan, the general of King Sennacherib (B.C. 713; Is. 20.1). It was taken by Judas Maccabaeus (1 Macc. 9.50), and by his brother Jonathan (10.77); restored by Gabinius (J. AJ), and given by Augustus to Salome (17.13.5). The ancient geographical and historical notices place it between Askelon and Jamnia, south of the latter, near the coast, but not actually on the sea shore. Its site is clearly identified by the modern village of Esdd, situated on a grassy hill, surrounded by wood. No ruins have been discovered there. (Irby and Mangles, pp. 179--182; and Richardson, as cited in Robinson's Bib. Res. vol. 2. p. 368; Reland, pp. 606-609.)
[G.W](Ἄζωτος). Ashdod or Ashdoud; a city of Palestine near the sea-coast. It was one of the five chief towns of the Philistines, and a seat of the worship of Dagon. See Herod. ii. 157.
A town in Philistia, whose Biblical name was Ashdod, one of the five lordships of the Philistines. To the NW of the ancient town a new, maritime town was built in the Hellenistic period, known as Azotus Paralios (coastal Azotus) while the other was then named Azotus Mesogeios (inland Azotus). Jonathan, brother of Judas Maccabeus, destroyed inland Azotus (I Macc. 10:77-8), and Jews settled there (I Macc. 11:4-5). During the reign of Alexander Jannaeus it was incorporated into the Judean kingdom (Joseph. AJ 13.395). Pompey restored its autonomy (Joseph. BJ 1.156). Herod seized it early in his reign, and maritime Azotus at that time became a Jewish town (Joseph. BJ 4.13), while inland Azotus was settled by Herod's veterans. It remained part of the domain of Herod's sister, and for some time it was in possession of Livia, wife of Augustus, and her son Tiberius (Joseph. AJ 17.189; 18.31, 159). During the Jewish War the city was conquered by Vespasian (Joseph. BJ 4.130). Azotus flourished in the Late Roman period (Eus. Onom. 20.18; 22.11). In the Byzantine period it was a bishopric and declined during the Arab period.
Extensive excavations have been in progress at inland Azotus since 1962. The remains of the two uppermost occupation levels (Byzantine and Roman) are poor, seeming to confirm that maritime Azotus was the more important town in this period. The towns of the Early Roman and Hellenistic periods are more important. On the acropolis, remains of large public buildings, probably in the agora, were unearthed. The finds, including official weights, marked with the names of agoranomoi, support this conclusion. Remains of private dwellings were unearthed on other parts of the mound.
BIBLIOGRAPHYM. Dothan & D. N. Freedman, “Ashdod I, the First Season of Excavations, 1962,” Atiqot VII (1967).
A. NEGEV- Hdt. 2.157