The town of Caesarea began as a small Phoenician port called Stratton's Tower. At the end of the 1st century BCE, a large and well-planned city was built on the port by Herod the Great and was named Caesarea in the honor of the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar, his patron. Herod built a classical Greek city, with an amphitheatre and a stadium.He also constructed an artificial harbor by being the first in history to use concrete piling under water.
Caesarea is an important site in Christian history. It was the place where Pontius Pilate governed during the time of Jesus. This was where Simon Peter converted the Roman, Cornelius, the first non-Jew to believe in Jesus. Paul was also imprisoned for two years in Caesarea. During the 3rd century, Caesarea was a center of Christian learning. In the 4th century, the site converted to Christianity and became a major center of the Christian Roman Empire.
Today Caesarea is well-known as an archaeological site preserving the original theatre built by Herod, replica of the Pontius Pilot inscription, Byzantine Archive Buildings, Cardo Maximus as well as bath-houses, warehouses,hippodrome considerably smaller than the great Circus Maximus in Rome, still held 20,000 spectators for chariot races at the harbor. The city's rich archaeological heritage also includes the remains of Roman architecture notably a large aqueduct.
The town of Caesarea began as a small Phoenician port called Stratton's Tower. At the end of the 1st century BCE, a large and well-planned city was built on the port by Herod the Great and was named Caesarea in the honor of the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar, his patron. Herod built a classical Greek city, with an amphitheatre and a stadium.He also constructed an artificial harbor by being the first in history to use concrete piling under water.