Excavations by the Tel Aviv Institute of Archeology revealed settlement and a harbor beginning with the Phoenicians in the 6th century BCE who named it Arsuf and ending with its abandonment after the Crusades.
Arsuf the town was renamed Apollonia in Hellenistic times, after Apollo. According to the ancient historian Josephus, Apollonia was captured by the Jews during the Maccabean revolt and was ruled by Hasmonean kings. Centuries later, the city flourished in Roman and Muslim periods and was home to a sizable Samaritan community. Walls were built for protection. In 1191, the Battle of Arsuf was fought here, between the armies of two legendary warriors: Richard the Lion-Hearted and Saladin.