Day 6 Caesarea and Megiddo

Herod the Great was the first to build Caesarea which after 70 AD became the largest city in the region for several centuries. Herod dedicated the city to his illustrious benefactor, Caesar Augustus, even installing a platform (and statue) of/to Augustus that greeted all ships that arrived at this port. This was probably a politically astute idea since Herod had sided with Marc Antony in the civil war between Augustus and Antony. Herod had some making up to do and building an entire city was a good start... The city contains a royal palace with a pool by the sea (see photo 1), an inscription naming Pontius Pilate and Tiberius Caesar, a theater, a hippo drome for horse racing, but lacked water which seemed to be no obstacle - Herod simply had a 14 mile long aquaduct built to bring water south from Carmel. (see photo 2). It also lacked a port so Herod built 2 large sea walls to create a harbor, the remains of which are still visible today.

Our second stop today was Megiddo where I completed my sunburn atop a tell that commands an expansive view over the large fertile Jezreel valley. The site is most likely the oldest inhabited site in the region with remains that go back at least to the early bronze age. Photo 3 shows a bronze age altar area and the fourth is the stairway down to the water supply. Megiddo's water source was a deep spring to which the citizens built a tunnel - 183 steps down. On a hot day it was perhaps a welcome chore to get the water - if, of course you survive climbing back out!