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Biblical Ekron grew from a small, unwalled Canaanite settlement that the Philistines conquered and over time turned into a massive, 50-acre urban center with monumental buildings, temples, fortifications and industrial centers. (The excavation area at right center in the photo is marked Field III at bottom center in the plan.) The site, excavated by Trude Dothan and Seymour Gitin from 1981 to 1996, revealed an upper and lower city built by the Philistines on the remnants of earlier Canaanite cities. The artifacts uncovered there reflect an amalgamated civilization, with native Philistine aspects mixed with features from surrounding cultures.