 The Philistine army assembled in Aphek for two major battles against the Israelites, including the slaughter of Saul and Jonathan on Mount Gilboa and the capture of the Ark of the Covenant (1066 BCE) ().From then on, the city is not mentioned in the Bible, but the Assyrians and the Babylonians mention it as a stronghold in the 7th century BCE.King Herod, who ruled the region on behalf of the Roman Empire between 37-4 BCE, renamed the city "Antipatris" to commemorate his father Antipater, choosing the site because it was in the "loveliest of plains... with an abundance of rivers and trees."