Ancient Caesarea

Ancient Caesarea (also Caesarea Maritima), just south of the modern town was built by Herod the Great and named for Augustus Caesar. Begun by Herod in 22 BCE, construction continued until 9 BCE when he finished the harbor (called Sebastos) that was built from nothing. That is, there was no place along the coast usable as a harbor. When it was built, it was the largest artificial harbor of it's time, rivaling even Alexandria in importance.
Caesarea served as the provincial capital during Herod's reign and for some centuries thereafter. It was also an important place in the development of Christianity.
The 1st picture looks across Herod's palace. The palace was on 2 levels. This picture looks across the upper or public label of the palace. The 2nd picture looks down on the lower or private level of the palace. This was built around an open courtyard with a pool that can still be seen in the center. Towards the bottom of the picture are some of the mosaics still in situ.
The 3rd picture is the Roman theater, and the 4th picture is of some of the decorative elements from the original building.
The 5th picture is the Herodias hippodrome, taken from one end. The original was twice as wide, but the Mediterranean (just visible to the left) waves washed out that portion. The last picture is a portion of the original wall along the hippodrome racecourse that has been set up to give a sence of the opulence Herod was famous for.もっと詳しく