Nehemiah, governor of Judaea during the Persian monarchy (5^th century BC), condemned the Jews of his time for intermarrying with the Ashdodites (Nehemiah 13). In Hellenistic times the city was known as Azotus. Pompey removed it from Jewish rule and annexed it to the province of Syria. In Byzantine times it was the site of a bishopric (4^th - 6^th century AD), but it declined to village status by the European Middle Ages. The ancient city, under the mound of Tel Ashdod, had outports at Ashdod Yam (Greek: Azotus Páralios; and the Castellum Beroart of the crusaders), south of the modern city, and at Tel Mor, within the present city limits.

In fact, archaeological excavations have revealed 22 strata, which testify to continuous settlement of Ashdod dating back to the 17^th century b.c.e. Among these finds are Canaanite and Israelite fortifications, a musicians' stand and a Hellenistic plant for extracting purple dye from murex, a purple shell. In the late Canaanite period, Ashdod served as an important harbor city as is shown by archaeological finds and references to its maritime trade in the archives of Ugarit.

Presently a modern industrial city and important seaport, Ashdod is also significant because of its rich past history. There are large synthetic-textile plants and a number of other industries. In addition, Ashdod has a petroleum refinery and one of Israel's major power plants. Pop. (1990 est.) 76,600.