According to legend, the mermaid Dekerto lived in Ashkelon, fell in love with a young man and bore him a daughter. Residents hunted mermaid ridicule, and she returned to the sea. The girl was nursed pigeons, and then it picked up the shepherd. When she grew up, in love with her Babylonian king Ning and took her to wife. At its board had built many irrigation systems and powerful defenses.
Perhaps the legend identifies her with the famous Queen Semiramis. Herodotus, the Greek historian, in his chronicle of the invasion of the Scythians in 633g. BC writes: 'Only a few of Scythian warriors were from Ashkelon, and plundered the sanctuary of Aphrodite Urania. This is how I learned the most ancient of all the sanctuaries of the goddess … Scythians same robber shrine in Ascalon, didst send a goddess, as well as all their offspring, women's diseases' (Herodotus, History).
When the Romans conquered Ashkelon, he was already a major city. It is believed that it was born in Ashkelon, Herod the Great, memorable stories, including a big builder. He settled down town built here bath, plumbing, home assembly and palaces. Construction was very active. But after the Jewish War, Josephus described in his book of the same name, the city's population thinned and Ashkelon itself fell into neglect. In what city fell under the power Muslims, who also tried to settle it, although progress in this was relative. It was not until the arrival of the Crusaders in the Holy Land.