Caesarea Maritima

Herod the Great built Caesarea from nothing in the decades before the common era, including an artificial deep-water harbour created by sinking enormous concrete blocks into the open sea, a feat of Roman hydraulic engineering that had no local precedent. The city became the Roman administrative capital of the province and later a major Byzantine centre, then a Crusader port. What survives is spread along the shore: a Roman theatre restored and used for concerts, a hippodrome whose track runs beside the waves, the foundations of Herod's promontory palace with a swimming pool cut into the rock, Crusader walls and a moat, and the remains of the harbour visible underwater to snorkellers and divers.

History

The site was first settled in the 4th century BCE as a Phoenician colony and trading village, Straton's Tower, named after a ruler of Sidon, and it grew in the 1st century BCE under Hasmonean rule; Caesarea later became the capital of Roman Judaea (Wikipedia, Caesarea Maritima).

The main sights

• The Roman theatre - restored and still hosting performances above the sea.
• The hippodrome - the chariot track running along the shoreline.
• Herod's promontory palace - foundations and a rock-cut pool projecting into the sea.
• The underwater harbour - Herod's submerged breakwaters, explorable by snorkel or dive.

When to go

Spring and autumn are ideal; summer is hot and shadeless on the site. Late afternoon gives the best light on the stone and the sea. Check the concert schedule, since events close the theatre.

What to expect

The site is largely foundations and outlines rather than standing buildings, so it rewards a guide or a good audio tour. It is exposed with very little shade. The modern visitor complex includes shops and restaurants built into the Crusader port, which some find convenient and others find intrusive.

Nearby

The Roman aqueduct beach is just north; Haifa and Akko continue up the coast.

Key facts