Caesarea Maritima

Qisarya / Keisarya

Israel · Haifa

HarbourIntermittent excavation
Approximate period400 BCE — 1,300 CEClassical Antiquity, Byzantine, Early Islamic and medieval periods See on the map ↓

In brief

Caesarea Maritima was developed into a major port city during Herod's reign. Excavations within the national park document Roman monuments as well as building development during the Byzantine, Islamic and Crusader periods.

What was found?

  • 1Roman theater

    The theater commissioned by Herodes was renovated and expanded during the Roman period. The elaborate architectural elements behind the stage show the character of the city's public entertainment buildings.

  • 2Seaside palace

    A palace was found on a rocky outcrop extending into the sea, alongside baths and a freshwater pool cut into the rock. The complex documents elite residential and administrative architecture on the coast.

  • 3Remains of the Temple of Roma and Augustus

    The Vanderbilt team uncovered well-preserved remains of the temple that Herodes dedicated to Roma and Augustus. The finds provided new evidence for studying the largely destroyed monument.

  • 4Hippodrome

    Horse races and athletic contests were held in the venue built during the reign of Herodes. The seating tiers and racing area reveal a public space designed for large crowds.

What does it point to?

The theater, hippodrome and temple reveal the port city's connection with the entertainment and displays of power of the Roman world. The seaside palace also shows that rulers' living quarters and public administrative spaces could be combined within the same complex.

What did it teach us?

  1. Documented that venues for spectacles and a temple dedicated to Roma and the emperor were included together in Herodes's building program.
  2. Showed that the palace accommodated both residential and public administrative functions.
  3. The expansion of the theater and its later use for different purposes revealed that urban buildings were transformed over time.

Images

Caesarea - Roman theatre (14) (37125049536)
Larry Koester · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Caesarea Maritima Hippodrome 01
Immanuel Giel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Caesarea maritima (DerHexer) 2011-08-02 098
DerHexer, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

In 2022, Vanderbilt University announced that recent excavations had uncovered well-preserved remains of the Temple of Roma and Augustus and finds relating to Early Islamic urban life.

Record

Culture
Roman; Byzantine; Islamic; Crusader
Team / historical
Joseph Rife and Phillip Lieberman; Vanderbilt University and Israel Antiquities Authority
Coordinates
32.5000°, 34.8917°

Sources

  1. en.parks.org.il
  2. as.vanderbilt.edu
  3. divinity.vanderbilt.edu
  4. en.wikipedia.org
  5. İsrail Doğa ve Parklar İdaresi — Caesarea alan rehberi

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