Arsuf (Apollonia, Palestine) Post-Occupational History: The Biography of a Desolated Site

This study addresses the post-occupational history of Arsuf (Apollonia-Arsuf) on the Mediterranean coast of Israel. Archaeological excavations at the site have revealed its continuous occupation from the late sixth century BCE through to the mid-thirteenth century CE, when it was destroyed by the Mamluks and never properly resettled since. Although the site of Arsuf (Crusader Arsur) was razed to the ground and has remained a permanent ruin, human activity there is attested to in intermittent undertakings, such as scavenging for building materials and the encampment and training of British troops in WWI. The site’s post-occupational biography forms a test case of archaeological investigation of sites whose history does not come to an end after they are no longer occupied.