A splendid harbor from 2,300 years ago

July 2012 - A splendid harbor from 2,300 years ago was uncovered on Akko’s seabed. It is considered the country’s largest and most important harbor from the Hellenistic period (3rd-2nd centuries B.C.). Incorporated in the quay there were discovered large mooring stones, used to secure sailing vessels. The harbor is considered the largest and most important in the country in the Hellenistic period. Among the finds there: large mooring stones that were incorporated in the quay, which were used to secure sailing vessels. This is probably a military harbor. In archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting at the foot of Akko’s southern seawall, installations were exposed that belong to a harbor that was operating in the city already in the Hellenistic period (third-second centuries BCE) and was the most important port in Israel at that time. The finds were discovered during the course of archaeological excavations being carried out as part of the seawall conservation project undertaken by the Old Akko Development Company and underwritten by the Israel Lands Administration.