Excavations at Meron found artifacts dating to the Hellenistic period at the foundation of the site. The economic and cultural affinities of the inhabitants of the Meron area at this time were directed toward the north, to Tyre and southern Syria in general. Josephus fortified Meron in the 1st century CE and called the town "Mero" or "Meroth"; however, Negev writes that Meroth, another ancient town, was located further north, possibly at the site of Marun ar-Ras (today in southern Lebanon).