yrus ▁the ▁Great ▁in ▁ 5 3 9 ▁B CE . ▁The ▁Lev ant , ▁and ▁Y ok ne am ▁with ▁it , ▁came ▁under ▁Pers ian ▁rule . ▁ ▁Although ▁Y ok ne am ▁does ▁not ▁appear ▁in ▁any ▁sources ▁from ▁the ▁Pers ian ▁period , ▁it ▁was ▁an ▁un fort ified ▁city ▁at ▁that ▁time . ▁The ▁remains ▁of ▁a ▁settlement ▁from ▁the ▁Pers ian ▁period , ▁badly ▁dam aged ▁by ▁later ▁construction , ▁include ▁several ▁structures ▁built ▁on ▁terra ces . ▁ 7 0 % ▁of ▁the ▁pot tery ▁identified ▁there ▁consisted ▁of ▁storage ▁j ars , ▁indicating ▁that ▁the ▁area ▁studied ▁was ▁the ▁city ' s ▁storage ▁area . ▁A ▁compar ative ▁study ▁of ▁the ▁pot tery ▁from ▁this ▁period ▁indicates ▁that ▁the ▁site ▁was ▁settled ▁somewhere ▁around ▁the ▁late ▁ 5 th ▁century ▁B CE , ▁but ▁this ▁study ▁re lies ▁on ▁the ▁small ▁quantity ▁of ▁pot tery ▁found ▁in ▁Y ok ne am . ▁At ▁some ▁point , ▁the ▁structures ▁were ▁modified ▁and ▁the ▁terra ces ▁were ▁destroyed . ▁The ▁structures ▁featured ▁Pho en ician - style ▁architecture , ▁which ▁was ▁quite ▁common ▁during ▁that ▁period . ▁Personal ▁names ▁on ▁pot tery , ▁written ▁in ▁Ar ama ic , ▁include ▁names ▁of ▁Heb rew , ▁Pers ian , ▁and ▁Pho en ician ▁origin , ▁indicating ▁that ▁Y ok ne am ▁was ▁a ▁cosm opol itan ▁city ▁during ▁the ▁Pers ian ▁period . ▁Sign s ▁of ▁a ▁large ▁fire ▁are ▁seen ▁in ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁structures , ▁where