Originating as a Phoenician settlement in the 3rd or 4th century BC, Caesarea was inherited by Herod, who began building the city in 22 BC. The city was dedicated to the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar and was designed to be the most grandiose city in his honor, daring to challenge nature’s heavy Mediterranean storms and sands on the rocky shore.
The ancient harbor served as a major port, encompassing 40-acres and designed to accommodate 300 ships.
An amphitheater was constructed with a seating capacity of 3,500. According to Josephus, the theater is site of the death of Herod Agrippa.
The Promontory Palace served as a “magnificent palace” for Herod, jutting out into the waters with a nearly Olympic sized-pool filled with fresh water.
An aqueduct brought fresh water to the city from springs at the base of Mount Carmel, some 10 miles away.The ruins of this ancient aqueduct are still prominent along the beach leading the old city.
Following Herod’s death, the city became the local Roman capital.
Caesarea is a site known to Christians as the home of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect from AD 26 to 36. Pontius Pilate’s inscription can be found in the ruins of the theater. The ancient city is also recorded in the Bible as the site of the first converted Gentile, a Roman centurion garrison, baptized by Peter (Act 10). The Bible also notes Caesarea as the place of the Apostle Paul’s imprisonment before his trip to Rome (Acts 23:35).
After the First Jewish Revolt (AD 66 to 70) against the Romans, thousands of captives were executed in Caesarea’s amphitheater. The arena continued to be a place of cruel entertainment as 10 Jewish sages were tortured some 65 years later.
In 640 AD, the city was seized by Arabs, but the city was not maintained until 1101 when the Crusaders took Caesarea after finding a relic they believed to be the Holy Grail. The green-glass bowl was believed to be the vessel from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper, and is now kept a the Cathedral of St. Lorenzo in Genoa.
In 1251, King Louis IX of France captured the city, and during that year, he added most of the fortifications visible today. Only a decade later, the Mamluk sultan Beybars broke through the Crusader defenses and destroyed the city.
From this point, the city remained deserted and became subject to the shifting sands blown in by the Mediterranean winds.
More than 600 years later, groups of Bosnian refugees inhabited the area from 1878 until the Turks were driven out during the 1948 war.
The rediscovery of Caesarea is due thanks to the establishment of the Kibbutz Sdot Yam. The ancient fortifications were found by farmers while tilling the land. Soon, archeologist followed, rewarding local children with candy for finding valuable pieces.
Today, the foundations of Caesarea are open to the public for tours and leisure.
