As'calon, a ruined town of Palestine, situated on the sea coast, 36 mi. w.s.w. of Jerusalem. Formerly it was a very important place, being the seat of the Philistine worship of Astarte, whose temple was destroyed by the Scythians, 625 B. C. In the seventh century A. D. the Saracens got possession of the city. In 1099 it was taken from the Egyptians by the Crusaders under Godfrey of Bouillon, and later it was destroyed by the Saracens, but was rebuilt by Richard Coeur de Lion. Finally, in 1270, Sultan Bibars destroyed it. It is now a small village and has massive ruins.