Caesarea Hotels

Caesarea is an ancient city, now archaeological park, located on the Mediterranean Sea 33 miles north of Joppa and 60 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Constructed by Herod the Great between 22 and 10 BC and named for Caesar Augustus, Caesarea was one of the most splendid cities in Palestine and was the capital of the province for almost 600 years. Caesarea also figures prominently in the religious history of the area. Herod built a great Roman temple here dedicated to the Divine Augustus. Half a century later, Peter and Paul visited the city (as recorded in the New Testament book of Acts). And towards the end of the 1st century, mistreatment of Jews in Caesarea led to the First Jewish Revolt (66-70 AD). In the 3rd and 4th centuries, Caesarea became a major center of both Jewish and Christian scholarship, with several rabbinical schools and a great library founded by Origen of Alexandria. Eusebius, the first church historian, was bishop of Caesarea (315-30). In the early Middle Ages, the city traded hands between Muslims and Crusaders several times; much of what remains dates from the Crusader era. This place was initially a small Phoenician settlement in the 3rd or 4th century BC. Herod inherited the site and set about building his city in 22 BC. Dedicating it to his patron, the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar, Herod apparently aimed to build the most grandiose city imaginable. For several years, hundreds of builders and divers worked around the clock to complete the project. To create the two lofty breakwaters which stretched for 540m on the southern side and 270m on the north, stones of 230 cu metres were lowered into the open sea. In the pursuit of his desire, Herod became increasingly tyrannical and those who questioned, let alone disobeyed, his orders were often executed. Following Herod's death (sighs of relief all round, no doubt), Caesarea became the local Roman capital. Pontius Pilate resided here as prefect from AD 26 to 36, and his name appears on an inscription found in the ruins of the theatre. The Bible also records (Acts 10) that a Roman centurion serving at the garrison here was the first Gentile to be converted to Christianity, baptised by Peter.