Today was an adventure as my parents and I, who are in Israel together, went on a day trip through the Bible. We visited one of the most complete ancient Roman cities in the world, Beth Shean, which is 7000 years old. Located 17 miles (27 km) south of the Sea of Galilee, Beth Shean is situated at the strategic junction of the Harod and Jordan Valleys. The fertility of the land and the abundance of water led the Jewish sages to say, "If the Garden of Eden is in the land of Israel, then its gate is Beth Shean." It is no surprise then that the site has been almost continuously settled from the Copper Age (5000 BCE) to the present. Because this was a land of plenty, and plenty of water in fact and lots of fertile soil, it was the site of numerous biblical wars, one of the most famous biblical figures to fall in one of these wars was King Saul, the first King of Israel, who was killed in battle with his sons and their bodies displayed upon the walls of this Canaanite city.
Established in the 5th century B.C.E on a hilltop south of Nahal Harod, this park is one of the world’s largest archaeological sites containing an entire Roman-Byzantine city. Tell Beit Shean (Beth She'an) was a major Biblical city that was later was expanded into the large Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine city of Scythopolis. The large city was leveled by a massive earthquake in the 8th C AD, and was in ruins until recent archaeological excavations, which are unearthing and reconstructing this amazing city. Israel offers so many national parks like this one where one can walk through and touch antiquity and get a full 3D sense of what life was like millennia ago. Check out these great photos we took today, it was so fun.
Public latrine, bathrooms.
Canaanite ruins
Beth Shean old city of Scythopolis
I love old stuff
Egyptian stele of the Egyptian Governors house
Canaanite dwellings
Scythopolis from the top of the hill or Tell.
Mosaic of Tyche, Greek goddess of the city
My dad walking around the bible
Ancient Greek mosaics, so well preserved.
I love my momma
My beautiful parents on the amphitheater stage area
My father walking through a near complete 7000 person ampitheatre
These were the pillars that held up the heated tile floors in the main bathhouse
Amazing to be here
Vista of the town
The acoustics here are amazing.
No comments:
Post a Comment