CAESAREA

(Caes·a·reʹa) [Of (Belonging to) Caesar].

An important seaport city built by Herod the Great on the Mediterranean seacoast during the latter part of the first century B.C.E. The original site was previously known as Straton’s or Strato’s Tower, thought to be so named after a Sidonian ruler. The ancient name has been preserved in the Arabic name Qaisariye (today called Horvat Qesari in Hebrew). It is situated about 40 km (25 mi) S of Mount Carmel and about 87 km (54 mi) NNW of Jerusalem.

The Jewish historian Josephus is the prime source of information about the construction and early history of the city. Herod the Great had received the site along with Samaria and other towns as a gift from Caesar Augustus. After rebuilding Samaria, which he named Sebaste, he turned his attention to the seacoast and proceeded to build a magnificent port and city at Strato’s Tower, the construction covering a period of 10 to 12 years, and the time of its dedication coming about the year 10 B.C.E. (according to some scholars). These projects were named by Herod in honor of Caesar Augustus​—the city was called Caesarea, whereas its seaport was called Sebastos (Greek for Augustus). The city was most beautiful both in material and in construction, and it contained a temple, a theater, and an amphitheater large enough to accommodate a great crowd of people. An aqueduct supplied Caesarea with fresh water, and a drainage system underneath the city carried water and sewage out to the sea. The major feat, however, was the construction of the city’s artificial harbor.