Dates and Tells

All too often I forget that there are terms and expressions that I use all the time as a guide. I take for granted that my audience understands what I am saying, forgetting that they may not be so familiar with them. In fact it may be the first time ever they hear those expressions.

How do I know this? Often, I see it in the eyes. Like a blank expression.

So that you will not have that expression I will here explain some of these terms. If I forget some, remind me, and I will explain them another time.

Dating

Throughout the world it has been common to use the terms BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini – The year of the Lord) to designate dates.
In Israel, and in most of the academic world, two different terms are being used.
BCE (before common era) and CE (common era). Basically they say the same as the first two, but are to some more
“politically” correct, or maybe I should here say “religiously” correct.

I use these last two, mainly out of habit.

Tell

Tel Hannaton, courtesy biblewalks.com

This term is not related to Israel only, but to the whole Middle East, and maybe also other parts of the world. Tell is an Arabic word which means hill or mound, usually artificial, i.e. not a natural hill, but rather a hill that grew up through the development of history. It is very much an archaeological term.

A tell is a place where people have lived for centuries, often even millenia. The first settlement would be on a small hill for better defense, usually with easy access to water and agricultural land, even adjacent to a road . As time went on this settlement was destroyed, sometimes through natural causes, more often through war. In some instances it may have been abandoned for a shorter or longer period of time.

Whatever the reason, when the place was rebuilt, it was rebuilt on top of the remains of the previous settlement. Luckily for us they did not have bulldozers in those days. They would clear out the place, remove some of the building stones, and use them in the new structures.

A rough sketch of layers of a tell. Names have been inserted for clarification

This would continue again and again over the centuries. Since the new settlement was built on top of the old, it would now be higher. This process would cause the original hill to grow. Some tells can be very deep with up to 20 main layers, others may only have a few. They all usually have the same tell-tale signs of gently sloping sides and a relatively flat top.

For archaeologists a tell is a treasure trove. When opened up properly, the tell will show the strata (layers). Each strata belongs to a specific period, and through the artifacts and remains, even building structures, archaeologists can date each level. And through all these findings tell us how people once lived, what occupied their time, we can learn about their beliefs, and much much more.

The Roman Theater

roman theatre, roman theater, amphitheater, amphitheatre, Israel, ancient Roman citiesThe Roman theatre is found in all countries that were under Roman influence. It was one of the most important cultural and social gathering places. It was in the theater that Roman citizens could watch plays, pantomimes, choral events, and orations.   It was a place for politicians and officials to explain themselves and hopefully gain favor with the public.

The Roman theatre was built on similar principles as the Greek theatre. However, the Greeks built their theatres on slopes and mountain sides, while the Romans could build them anywhere due to the invention of the arch. [Read more...]

Herod’s Palace in Caesarea

Palace and hippodrome from the south

No tour through Caesarea is complete without a visit Herod’s palace. Although completely in ruins enough remains for us to see the enormous size of the largest of all the palaces built by Herod the Great. The partial reconstruction is an invaluable addition to understand what Herod’s palace must have looked like.

Caesarea was an impressive construction. As was Herod’s way he always chose the most impressive and often most difficult place for his own palace. In Caesarea he outdid himself.

The palace is situated on a promontory into the Mediterranean Sea on the south side of Caesarea, lodged between the theater and the hippodrome. In its final form it consisted of two levels, the lower, western level being earlier that the higher eastern level. [Read more...]

Beit Shean (Scythopolis) – A Gem

Overlooking excavations toward Tel Beit Shean

Beit Shean is located in the Jordan Valley, some 30 km south of the Sea of Galilee. It is considered one of the oldest towns of Israel. Archaeological excavations have revealed that the first human settlement took place in the Calcholitic period (4th millennium BCE). But it is most famous as the Roman city Scythopolis.

Origins and Name
As with many other ancient towns it was travel routes that determined location. Beit Shean is situated on the cross roads of the north-south route through the Jordan Valley and the eastern entrance to the Jezreel Valley at a point, where there is easy crossing over the Jordan River. It could therefore serve as a stop on the trading routes, as well as a buffer town and defense of the Jezreel Valley, the largest and most fertile valley in Israel. [Read more...]

Caesarea

Brief Guided Tour of Caesarea

portrait-2Caesarea is probably one of the most famous ancient cities of Israel, apart from Jerusalem.
It was founded around the year 22 BCE* by Herod the Great, and named in honor of Caesar Augustus.

Due to the great port built by Herod, the town becomes one of the hubs of the country. It remains one of the main port cities until its final destruction by the Mamelukes in the late 13th century.

From the creation of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in its various developments, Caesarea has been one of the most visited sites.

Parts of the ancient Roman city have been partly reconstructed, especially the theater, which is used every summer as one of the most spectacular outdoor stages for all the performing arts. [Read more...]