Ptolemaïs
Ancient Phoenician port city located north of
the Mount Carmel peninsula on a four mile wide plain at the foot
of the Galilean mountains. Akko was built
at one of the few natural harbors on the Palestinian coast. During
the Israelite conquest of Canaan [12th c. BCE], the tribe
of Asher failed to
conquer the city but instead melded with the Canaanite population
in the surrounding area.
After the Hellenistic conquest [4th c. BCE] it was renamed "the city of Ptolemy"
for Ptolemy II and retained that name through the period of Roman
occupation. It was a major base for Greek and Roman forces during
the series of Jewish revolts from 165 BCE to 135 CE. The
Greco-Roman citadel that the crusaders called "Acre" was the site of several key battles between Muslims and Christians
in the 12th-13th c. CE. Though this city was just 24 miles from Nazareth and was one
end of the route from Damascus to the sea that passed through Capernaum,
it is never mentioned in the gospels. But Acts
21:7 portrays Paul as paying a brief visit to local Christians
on his fateful final trip to Jerusalem [ca. 60 CE]. The ancient harbor eventually lost its importance
due to extensive silting and the city was abandoned in favor of Haifa a few miles to the south.
Sources: Into
His Own |