Ceasarea Maritima, Megiddo and Nazareth (Israel)

Ceasarea Maritima

During our first full day in Israel, we left the hotel early to drive to Herod's city of Ceasarea Maritima. Herod was a demanding architect who had a large harbor built here. There is a theater and hippodrome remaining, which are both still in use today for events. Throughout the park, there are a variety of artifacts, including statue remnants and sarcophagi. One of the most interesting items excavated at Ceasarea Maritima was a stone with an inscription mentioning Pontius Pilate!

Chariot city of Tel Megiddo

Later, we drove to Tel Megiddo National Park. There are ruins on this site from the 3000 BCE! It has passed to many hands, including the Egyptian pharaohs, the kings of Judah and the Assyrians. Most of the excavations that we saw were from King Solomon's time when Megiddo was a chariot city. Some of the features included the three gate entrance and the throne at the entrance of the city so that the king could listen to and make decisions on issues presented by his subjects. Since it is a chariot city, there are also ruins of old stables. At the edge of the Tel, we walked down 184 stairs to a cistern that was formerly filled with a spring. Our tour guide said that Tel Megiddo was abandoned when the spring water dried up and the residents no longer had easy access to water.

Looking over Megiddo Valley

The Megiddo Valley stretches below the Tel. This is the valley where many wars have been fought. Some of the historically established wars include a 15th century BC war between the Pharoahs and the Canaanites as well as a battle between the Pharoahs and King Josiah.  It is also the root of the word "Armageddon".

Weaver spinning wool.
Plastic water bottle left by tourists.

Our final stop today was a park that is set up on part of the former town of Nazareth. At Nazareth Village, staff dress in costumes of 2000 year old style and demonstrate different aspects of 1st century life. An old, excavated wine press is still in use to make wine each year. It is a large rock with different depressions carved out. An olive press has been built to specifications from the 1st century AD. The olives grown on the terraced trees are harvested and pressed each year using the press. We visited a shepherd, weaver and carpenter. The carpenter even let us try out some of his tools.