The Philistines camped between the Ela Valley Sokho and Azekah prior to the encounter of David and Goliath. Rehoboam fortified the place. It was one of the cities occupied temporarily by the Philistines in the time of Ahaz. In that period it served as an administrative or storage center, being one of the four cities named on the la-melekh stamps of the Judean monarchy.

Water Cisterns

A Mishnaic Rabbi Antigonus of Sokho, mentioned in Ethics of the Fathers, likely came from the Hebron-region town. Rabbi Levi Sukia, of the first generation of Amoraim, also came from Sokho.

Wine press

In Byzantine times, Eusebius described Sokho (Σοκχωθ) as a double village at the ninth milestone between Eleutheropolis (Bet Guvrin) and Jerusalem , a center for pottery manufacture. The Madaba Map also depicts Sokho (Σωκω).