Acco / Ptolemais (Tel Akko)
The Canaanite–Phoenician port Asher never took, where Paul spent a day with the believers
Found 1973 — Moshe Dothan (University of Haifa), 1973–1989; Tel Akko Total Archaeology Project, Ann E. Killebrew (Penn State) and Michal Artzy (University of Haifa), 2010 onward; harbor work by the IAA (2012)
Where Tel Akko (Tell el-Fukhkhar) and Akko harbor (Israel)
Dates from c. 2000 BCE – 1st century CE · Middle Bronze – Hellenistic (tell); Roman–Crusader (Old City) · Judges to Acts
Now at Finds in the Israel Antiquities Authority and University of Haifa; the tell is a public park; Old Akko is a UNESCO site (2001)
How Acco / Ptolemais (Tel Akko) was found
Dothan dug the 22-hectare mound of Tell el-Fukhkhar east of the walled city, revealing a Middle Bronze rampart and sea-gate, Late Bronze and Iron Age Phoenician quarters, and Persian–Hellenistic industry including purple-dye workshops. Killebrew and Artzy's project combines excavation with survey and conservation. In 2012 IAA divers found a Hellenistic quay with mooring stones in the modern harbor — the port of Ptolemais.
What it is
A large coastal mound with one of the earliest Middle Bronze earthen ramparts in Canaan, Phoenician houses and workshops, Persian-period warehouses, and Hellenistic fortifications. Shells of the murex snail, crushed for purple dye, litter later levels. The Roman and later city moved down to the peninsula where the Crusader and Ottoman town stands.
Why it matters for the Bible
Acco is the only city on the Phoenician coast that the Bible explicitly says Asher failed to conquer, and its excavation shows why — a strong walled port tied to Egypt and Cyprus. Renamed Ptolemais under the Greeks, it was the harbor where Paul landed on his last voyage to Jerusalem and greeted the brothers for a day. The purple-dye industry also illustrates the trade behind Lydia's business in Acts 16.
The Hebrew word: ah-KOH
עַכּוֹ
עַכּוֹ is pronounced ah-KOH and means Acco — the Phoenician port; Greek Ptolemais (Strong's H5910).
People this discovery connects to
- Paul (Sha'ul) — שָׁאוּל (shah-OOL) — asked for; Latin Paulus, 'small'
Places
- Acco / Ptolemais — עַכּוֹ (ah-KOH) — uncertain; 'hot sand' in folk etymology
Events
Asher's failure to take Acco · Paul's stop at Ptolemais
Acco / Ptolemais (Tel Akko) in Scripture
Judges 1:31 Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco; the excavated ramparts explain the city's strength.
Acts 21:7 Paul sails from Tyre to Ptolemais and stays a day with the brothers; the quay found in 2012 belongs to that harbor.
Questions people ask
What is Acco / Ptolemais (Tel Akko)?
A large coastal mound with one of the earliest Middle Bronze earthen ramparts in Canaan, Phoenician houses and workshops, Persian-period warehouses, and Hellenistic fortifications. Shells of the murex snail, crushed for purple dye, litter later levels. The Roman and later city moved down to the peninsula where the Crusader and Ottoman town stands.
When was Acco / Ptolemais (Tel Akko) discovered?
It was found in 1973 by Moshe Dothan (University of Haifa), 1973–1989; Tel Akko Total Archaeology Project, Ann E. Killebrew (Penn State) and Michal Artzy (University of Haifa), 2010 onward; harbor work by the IAA (2012), at Tel Akko (Tell el-Fukhkhar) and Akko harbor.
Where is Acco / Ptolemais (Tel Akko) today?
Finds in the Israel Antiquities Authority and University of Haifa; the tell is a public park; Old Akko is a UNESCO site (2001).
Which Bible verses does Acco / Ptolemais (Tel Akko) relate to?
Judges 1:31, Acts 21:7.
Related discoveries
- קֵיסָרCaesarea MaritimaHerod's harbor city, seat of the Roman governors and home of Cornelius and Philip
- חַלּוֹןAlexandria Troas and the Baths of Herodes AtticusThe port where Paul saw the Macedonian vision and raised Eutychus
- דֶּרֶךְAssos: Temple of Athena and the First American Excavation in the EastThe clifftop port where Paul rejoined his companions on foot
- אֳנִיָּהPuteoli and the Alexandrian Grain FleetThe Bay of Naples port where Paul landed and the giant grain ships he sailed on
- דֶּרֶךְVia Egnatia and the Port of NeapolisThe Roman highway and harbour that carried the Good News into Europe
- תַּרְשִׁישׁTarsus: The Roman Road and Cleopatra's GatePaved street and city gate of Paul's 'no mean city'
Sources
- Tel Akko Total Archaeology Project (Penn State / University of Haifa)
- Dothan, M., 'Acco', New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land (1993)
- Wikipedia, 'Acre, Israel' (archaeology)