Goods arrived in the port on the backs of camels from Southern Arabia (the Kingdom of Sheba) through Petra, the Arava Valley and crossing the Negev Desert via Avdat.

[7][8] Alexander Jannaeus' conquest of Gaza that denied the Nabateans access to the port and trade with Rome led to Obodas launching a military campaign against the Hasmonean king.

[9] Maiuma was rebuilt after it was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 63 BCE under the command of Pompey Magnus and trade routes were reopened.

[11] During the reign of Constantine the Great, who granted Maiuma the status of a separate city, it received the name Konstanteia after the emperor's sister (or son).

John Moschus mentions a laura that might be that of Severus in the early seventh century, however, the exact location of the monastery remains unknown.

Remarkable archaeological findings from the site include the mosaic floor of the Gaza synagogue representing King David with a lyre, dated to the early 6th century AD and discovered in the mid-1960s.