Caesarea (more)

I know I know... I already did a post on Caesarea but egad that was while I still in Israel and well gee... there was so little time and so much to tell.  I gave you a nice overview but there is so much more.  Does anyone mind if I expound further? I have more pictures too.  If you don't want to read it just skip it k?

Well, let's start with a little history of Caesarea from the brochure of the Israel Nature & Parks Authority.
The Phoenicians build a settlement on one of the bays during the Persian rule (586-332BC).  The village flourished during the Hellenistic period (332-37BC) then later was awarded to Herod in 30BC.

Herod built a large port city and called it Caesarea in honor of his patron Octavian Augustus Caesar.  He built a very impressive city.

A view of the wall of Caesarea and the dry moat looking from
both sides of the draw bridge.

A shot of the theater 

The statue at right below one of the statues found in front of the theater. This theater is the most ancient of all theaters found in Israel.

The remains of the swimming pool of Herod's Palace

Decorative stone from one of the buildings.

It took  twelve years to build and was finished in 10BC.  By 6 BC it had become the center of the Roman Government in Palestine.

The aqueduct that delivered water to Caesarea

The aqueduct brought water from Shuni springs about four and half miles Northeast of Caesarea. It was in Caesarea that general Vespasian was declared Caesar.  Later, in 640AD, the The Arabs conquered it after which it was reduced to a small forsaken village.

The sign about the public bathhouse along with some of the columns and mosaic floor of the entrance to the bathhouse.

Yes folks, this is the public latrine.   When you view the larger picture, the sign tells a little about the latrine.  The Romans had so many ingenious ideas with their ability to supply water.  Bathhouses, latrines.  All of the modern comforts of home.

To the left is inside the entrance gate to Caesarea.  This shows the fine brickwork done by the Romans.  What you can't see is that this gate is in an L shape.  From the drawbridge one has to make a right turn to go through the gate to the city.  This prevents armies from coming straight through.

This worked quite well until it was conquered by the Mamelukes led by Baybars in 1265.  The sheer number of the Mamelukes eventually overcame the Crusaders.  After it was conquered it was destroyed and deserted.

Even with all this, I didn't show you one of the private bathhouses, nor the Herodian ampitheatre with the hippodrome.  My goodness, one could spend a full day in Caesarea but alas, it's time to move on to a new place.


Stay tuned!