Ashdod, like its sister cities in Philistia, was founded by the Canaanites and became a Philistine city at the end of the 12th century BCE. In contrast to Ashkelon, the city was not located on the seashore and used ports in towns under its control: the port at Tel Mor, on the mouth of the Lachish River and later the port of Ashdod Yam. At the end of the 8th century BCE, Ashdod was enslaved by the Assyrians. After the fall of Assyria, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, besieged the city for 29 years but was unable to conquer it, attesting to its strength and robust fortifications. The city may have been conquered in the 7th century BCE by Josiah King of Judah but its final demise was at the hands of the Babylonians at the end of the same century.