The phenomenon of buried city gates in Palestine first seen in the excavations at Akko and Tel Dan and dating to the early part of the Middle Bronze age has now been augmented by the unprecedented sequence of four successive gates in Ashkelon. The burial of the Dan and Akko gates was not followed by the erection of new gates in the same location. Unique to Ashkelon is the continued use of the same area for passage through the rampart on the cities north-west side. Excavations over the course of the last ten years have revealed an exceptionally well preserved sequence of stratified gates. Their discovery has enabled us to examine the material culture of the city from its foundation to its maturity. While a measure of continuity is seen in successive rampart expansions: the architecture of each succeeding gate exhibit interesting developments that may reflect changes in the cities perceived defensive needs and in its available resources. Changes in the kinds of materials used and their quality of construction with each succeeding gate may in part measure the cities fortunes over the course of the Middle Bronze age!