Climate change, including sea-level fluctuations and processes of erosion and sediment accumulation, has long affected coastal environments and shaped patterns of human settlement. Archaeological research on ancient harbour cities preserves material evidence of long-term environmental processes, enabling an integrated examination of landscape evolution, climate change, and settlement dynamics, and providing a framework for understanding societal adaptation to environmental change. The ‘Akko-Haifa Bay, extending between Tel ‘Akko in the north and Tel Abu Hawam in the south, offers a clear case study for assessing the impact of these processes on coastal settlements during historical periods, particularly in the Persian period.

Although both sites are located inland today, they functioned in antiquity as active coastal settlements and harbour towns. Since their initial occupation, the region experienced significant geomorphological changes, including sand influx derived from the Nile Delta, sea-level changes, and sediment accumulation, leading to westward shoreline retreat and the gradual silting of the bay. This study focuses on evidence from the Persian period (5th-4th centuries BCE), integrating data from archaeological excavations, cross-section and pit surveys, together with geological and geomorphological analyses.

At Tel Abu Hawam, ramparts, walls, and floors constructed above marine sediments reflect settlement construction and adaptive responses within a changing coastal environment, while at Tel ‘Akko, marine layers, abraded ceramic assemblages, and rampart remains indicate the close proximity of the shoreline to the slopes of the tell during the Persian period.