Akko 1

A K K O

A short history in antiquity. Part 1.

Name:

‘ k / ‘ k y  (ph) = Tall al-Fukhkhar

’ k (ugaritic)

K3 (Egyptian)

Akka/Akku (akad)

‘ a k k o (hebr)

Α κ η / Aké (gr)

Ace Ptolemais (lat)

Topography.

Acco lies on the northern edge of the by of Haifa. North of Acco the plain is 5-13 km wide. In the 19^th century AD there were still orchards. To the south of Acco there was in antiquity a swamp area (Cendebia), in which the rivers Na’amen (Belos?) and Hillazou flow. Now we find here fish ponds and around Acco beach resorts. The plain of Zebulon is now 6-9 km wide and 20 km long. Probably the alluvion amounted to 4 km along which the old settlements were located. Those old settlements were not very well protected. The hills north of Acco were in earlier times wooded with the Palestinian oak (Quercus calliprinos).

The initial town was situated on the Tell el-Fukhar (mooring pole) at the source ‘Ain as-Sitt.

The region.

Phoenicia forms the coastal region between Tell Suqas in the north to Acco in the south.

Acco seems to be a part of Phoenicia. Further to the south the region is called Syrian. Herodotos named it Syrian Palestine. Acco controlled the territory between the Ladders of Tyre and the Kishon (Nahr el-Muqatta, the Graeco-Roman Belos).

Plinius (36.190):

“In the part of Syria which is called Phoenicia and Judea borders lies at the foot of the mountain Carmelus a swamp, Candebia called. There springs, one assumes, the river Belus, which flows from a distance of 5 miles near the town of Ptolemais in sea ...”

Infrastructure.

Acco lies on a old trade-route along Megiddo and further on to the coast to the north. The other way around an important caravan-trail went through Galilea to the Jordan valley to the south and to Syria in the north. Joppe and Acco are the only excellent harbours along the Palestine coast.

 1839

 ncfps