An inland town about 8 miles east of Ashkelon, situated on a prominent hill (tel) overlooking the surrounding farmland. Tel Ashdod sits at the junction where the Inland Route meets paths coming from Ashkelon and heading toward the hill country.
Tel Ashdod is primarily an agricultural center, where farmers from the surrounding countryside bring their harvests to market. The town is built on the ruins of much older settlements, and ancient stones are frequently found when digging new foundations. Unlike the cosmopolitan coast, Tel Ashdod is conservative and traditionally Philistine in culture.
The people of Tel Ashdod are suspicious of foreigners and the newfangled ways of the coast. Greek merchants are tolerated but not welcomed. The town serves as a breadbasket for Ashkelon and other coastal settlements.