On the weekend the group took a field trip to Caesarea Maritima, on the Mediterranean Sea. This is where Paul was brought to appear before King Agrippa as described in the book of Acts.
The site of King Herod's harbor, which included engineering feats such as underwater concrete.
King Herod built up Caesarea as a major city with a commercial port, his own palace, temple to Caesar Augustus, hippodrome for horse racing, and theater, among other features. He completed it in 10 BC.
It later became a fortified Arab medieval city.
The theater at Caesarea is the oldest of any theater in Israel, with a gorgeous backdrop of the Mediterranean. It's beautifully well preserved but has also been reconstructed in parts so that it can still be used today.
The acoustics are phenomenal. When I was here with BYU Jerusalem years ago, the professor asked a student with a great performing voice to stand on the stage and offer us a demonstration.
We are required to wear wide-brimmed hats (one person is being sent home for refusal, among other things, to wear a hat), and it was windy, so I have my silly little cowboy-hat drawstring in place.
This stone, situated near Herod's erstwhile palace, reads
It's significant because it mentions Pontius Pilate's name and confirms that he was a real person. He was prefect (a sort of governor) of the Roman province of Judea from 26 to 36 AD. It seems likely that Pilate lived in Caeasarea since it was the headquarters of Judea, and that he traveled to Jerusalem just when necessary.
After our archaeological tour we had a little time to swim at the adjacent beach. It's unlike any other beach because it's got a 2000-year-old aqueduct!
Since Caesarea doesn't have any natural springs, water was brought via aqueduct from several miles away, even passing through a specially-hewn tunnel en route. To ensure that the water flowed in the right direction, the aqueduct was designed to slope 20 cm for each kilometer. Amazing.
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