APHEK

Canaanite royal city near the present-day Israeli city of Petah Tiqwa (q.v.). Conquered by Joshua (Joshua 12:18), it became a Philistine stronghold in the period of the Judges. Its importance is attested by its mention among the cities conquered by the pharaohs Thutmose III and Amenhotep II. Much later, in the 1st century BC, the city of Antipatris was built on the site by King Herod the Great.