 Between the 10th and 6th centuries BCE, it was a prosperous town, with public buildings and tombs with Phoenician inscriptions, attesting to the identity of its inhabitants at the time.Conquered by the Assyrians in 701 BCE and listed in Sennacherib's annals as "Ak-zi-bi", the continuation of Phoenician settlement through this period and during the decline endured during the Persian period, is evidenced in 5th and 4th century BCE Phoenician inscriptions that were found at the site.During the invasions of Sennacherib the Assyrians conquered the city.