What is Caesarea?:
Originally a fortified Phoenician port named Strabo’s (or Straton’s) Tower, Caesarea became part of the Roman province of Syria under Pompey and would serve as the seat of Roman government in Palestine for over 600 years. Herod the Great was responsible for expanding the city in 10 BCE and naming it Caesarea Maritima after Caesar Augustus (Octavian). The name Caesaria Maritima (Ceasaria on the Sea) was used to distinguish it from Caesaria Philippi, another of Herod’s cities.
Where is Caesarea?:
Caesarea is located on the Mediterranean coast between the ancient sites of Jaffa and Dor, halfway between the modern cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv (45km from each). Major archaeological excavations exist here, uncovering structures and fortifications dating back to the Crusaders, Romans, and beyond. During the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE it became one of the most important cities in the eastern Roman Empire.
Why is Caesarea important?:
Caesarea was renowned for its architecture and culture, as was befitting a Roman capital city of the age. Herod’s massive reconstruction of the site, much of which is still visible, took only 12 years. Because of Caesarea’s central important for Roman rule in Judea and the rest of the Palestinian region, it also became a central focus of Jewish resistance to Roman authority.
According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Romans executed 20,000 Jews here in a single day in 66 CE. This, in turn, caused an uprising that sparked the Great Jewish Revolt. This war between Jews and Romans eventually led to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Christianity also has a lot of history here. The gospels don’t mention Jesus traveling here, but his followers did. Acts says that Philip and Peter preached here; Paul was imprisoned here for two years. Christian Byzantine rulers later located their headquarters and Crusaders built a large fortress in Caesaria.
