figure 1: the aqueduct. 

Caesarea Maritima



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​Today most people live in cities. Most of these are products of a slow process of growth and development. But there are some rare cases that cities were constructed at once. These planned cities were the vision of great builders. The most famous planned city  is probably Washington DC. But history offers more case studies of planned cities. One of them is Caesarea Maritima on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in modern day Israel.[1] When Herod the Great (30-4BC) decided to build Caesarea, he intended to build a perfect city in accordance with his visions. But why did Herod the Great go through all the trouble and expenses of building an entire new city? And what was his perfect city?
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HISTORY
​Before Herod the Great became king of Judea, he supported Mark Antony and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra. But as history tells us, they were defeated by Octavian Caesar, also known as emperor Augustus. Herod the Great shifted alliance and could rule Judea from 30 BC until his death in 4 BC.[2] Herod the Great was not only king of Jewish people, many Greeks, Samaritans and other Hellenised people lived in his land as well. When Herod shifted alliance, his kingdom was enlarged by Augustus. Among these additions were the ruins of Straton Pyros, an old Phoenician town.[3]  Here Herod began to build his new capital in 22 BC, and he named it Caesarea in honour of the Roman emperor.[4]
WHY DID HEROD BUILD CAESAREA?
Herod the Great had several political and economical reasons to build this new capital.[5] Each of these reasons had their own effect on the city that Herod built. Herod had two political motives. First, by naming his city after his patron. the emperor Augustus, he dramatically announces his loyalty to the emperor.[6] Herod’s second motive was to prove to his Hellenized subjects that he was not a Jewish king, but a Hellenised king. It was part of being a Hellenised king that one patronized the arts and built cities. He built Caesarea in Greco-Roman style, in contrast to the Jewish city of Jerusalem, so thatr his Hellenized subjects would feel at home in the new city.[7]
The fact that the emperor enlarged Judea was essential to Herod’s economic program.[8] When Herod became king of Judea, Judea had no sea port. The province of Judea was rich in olive oil, wine, dried fruits, balsam oil, salt and bitumen, but non of this could be exported.[9] At Caesarea Herod built a harbour into the open sea. It was a huge building project never done before.[10] But the result was that Judea now had a port that connected the region to the Mediterranean world. Judea grew richer and the income from the port for Herod was enormous. With this income Herod financed the buildings of many other projects like the construction of Temple Mount in Jerusalem. 

THE RESULTS: HEROD'S PERFECT CITY AT CAESAREA MARITIMA
By building many fortresses, palaces, temples, baths, the city of Caesarea and the harbour of Sebastos (harbour of Caesarea), Herod the Great could show his talent as a royal builder. This was a quality every Hellenised king should have. Herod the Great did see him self more as a Hellenised king, rather then as a Jewish king.[11] So Herod chose to build Caesarea in a Greco-Roman style. Duane W. Roller argues that Herod chose to incorporate Roman elements as a pragmatic move, for the Roman emperor was Herod’s patron [12].
            Everything that Herod built, he built big and Caesarea had several very special buildings.[13] The result was a perfect Greco-Roman city placed in a Hippodamian city plan. The most we know about Caesarea is by way of archaeological finds from the past decades but there is one very important literary source. The Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus (37-100AD), wrote one century after Herod the Great about Caesarea. Josephus describes amongst other things how big and special the harbour of Caesarea was. He also is very elaborate on the modern and very effective sewer system that Herod built at Caesarea.[14] 
THE HARBOUR
The most important and impressive building at Caesarea was its. It was the front door of the kingdom for every traveller by water.[15] In honour of Augustus, Herod named the port Sebastos, Greek for Augustus.[16] The port was the first manmade harbour in the open sea. It became the third biggest port in the Mediterranean Sea only second to the ports of Alexandria and Piraeus.[17] The cost to build such a port were huge and Herod paid for it himself. After his death the community at Caesarea could not afford to maintain the port so it fell into decay. By building the harbour, Herod sparked economic growth in Judea and he fulfilled his economic motifs for building Caesarea.[18]
THE MASS ENTERTAINMENT BUILDINGS
Standard at Greek poleis were wooden theatres, popular at the Romans were circuses or hippodromes for horse races. Herod had a hippodrome constructed romantically on the beach; the theatre  he built with a view over the sea.[19] Here the masses of the city came together to enjoy the entertainment of games and festivals.[20] These games and festivals played a major role in the public life and culture of Greek and Roman cities. The theatre and the hippodrome are built very close to the Promontory palace. Kenneth Holum, one of the leading archaeologist of Caesarea argues that Herod built these mass entertainment buildings so close to his palace because he used these building as a propaganda tool.[21] Often Herod would appear in royal regalia to be cheered by the people as patron of the festivities. 

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Figure 2: areal view of the harbour.                                          Figure 3: the south side of the hippodrome.
THE PROMONTORY PALACE
On a promontory in the Mediterranean Sea, Herod built his own palace. The palace can best be compared to a Roman villa, for Herod loved the Roman villa style.[22] Typical for Roman villae Herod built two courtyards surrounded by colonnades, baths, and a pool. The promontory palace became famous as official residence for Roman governors, among them Pontius Pilate.[23]  
THE TEMPLE
High on a rock, overlooking the harbour and the city Herod built in Greek style one of the biggest temples of that time. The temple was dedicated to Augustus and Roma. Hereby Herod introduced the imperial cult to the city. [24]
PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND DE DECORATION OF THE CITY
Beside these special buildings mentioned above, the city had of course an agora, which is still unfound today. Mentioned and praised by Josephus, Herod built an elaborate sewer system under the entire city which was cleansed by the sea.[25]  To supply the city, the fountains and the gardens with water Herod had  a 10 miles long aqueduct constructed. The main street and side streets, the cardo maximus and the decumanus maximus was decorated with colonnades. Typical is that Herod built mostly with the local kurkar​ stone. When the Romans came, they transformed the city in to a marble city. 

As perfect city, Herod built a Greco-Roman city. By building a Greco-Roman city Herod hoped to appeal to his Hellenised subjects. By naming the city after the emperor Herod dramatically showed his loyalty. With Caesarea, Herod gave Judea the port it needed and Herod proved to be a master builder.
            None of the traditional elements of a Greek poleis or Roman city were absent in Caesarea. The harbour was a masterpiece and no effort was spared for the temple and palace either. 
figure 4:       A RECONSTRUCTION OF CAESAREA
THE AQUADUCT OF CAESAREA
THE CRUESADERWALLS AT CAESAREA
THEATRE AT CAESAREA
figure 5: the aqueduct                                               figure 6: the crusaders walls                                  figure 7: the theatre
REFERENCES
  • Artzy, M. Goodman, B. Gal, Z. The harbour of Sebastos (Caesarea Maritima) in it’s roman Mediterranean context. Oxford: Archeopress, 2009.  
  • Bull, J. Caesarea Maritima: The search for Herod's city.  Biblical historical society,1982.
  • Burns, Thomas S. & Eadie, John W.  Urban centres and rural context in late antiquity.  East lansing: Michigan state Univeristypress, 2001.
  • Donaldson, Terence. Religious rivalries and the struggle for succes in Caesarea Maritima. Waterloo Ontario: Wilfred Laurier University Press, 2000.
  • Fittschen, Klaus. Foerster, Gideon. Judea and the Greco-Roman world in the time of Herod in the light of archaeological evidence. Göttingen: Van Den Hoeck & Ruprecht, 1978.
  • Holum, Kenneth G. Caesarea: Herod and beyond: buildings of power. Biblical historical society, 2004. 
  • Lehman, Clayton Miles. Holum, Kenneth G. The joint expedition to Caesarea Maritima: Excavation reports: The Greek and Latin inscriptions of Caesarea Maritima. New York: American school of oriental research, 2000.
  • Patrich, Joseph. Archaeological excavations at Caesarea Maritima: volume I: the objects. Jerusalem: Jerusalem exploration society, 2008.
  • Patrich, Joseph. Studies in the archaeology and history of Caesarea Maritima: Caput Judea Metropolis Palistina. Leiden: Brill, 2011.
  • Roller, Duane W. The building program of Herod the Great. Berkley Los Angeles: University of California press, 1998.  
  • Vann, Robert Lindley. Caesarea papers, Straton’s Tower, Herod’s harbour and roman and byzantine Caesarea. Ann Arbor: Univeristy of Michigan, Department of Classical Studies, 1992. 
NOTES
[1] Donaldson 2000, 11.
[2] Roller 1998, 45.
[3] Artzy 2009, 15.
[4] Vann 1992, 268.
[5] Artzy 2009, 53.
[6] Roller 1998, 91.
[7] Fittschen 1978, 10.
[8] Donaldson, 12.
[9] Artzy 2009, 49.
​[10] Vann 1992, 76. 
[11] Artzy 2009, 10.
​[12] Roller 1998, 90.
[13] Bull 1982, 2.
​[14] Artzy 2009, 51-53.
[15] Holum 2004, 4-6.
[16] Roller 1998, 134.
[17] Artzy 2009, 61. 
[18] Donaldson 2000, 239.
[19] Burns 2001, 92. 
[20] Patrich 2011, 29.
[21] Holum 2004, 2-9.
[22] Patrich 2011, 24.
​[23] Donaldson 2000, 28.
[24] Holum 2004, 7.
​[25] Burns 2001, 83-96.
Figure sources:

figure 1: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bigluzer/2290456524
​figure 2:http://web.uvic.ca/~jpoleson/ROMACONS/Caesarea2005.htm
Figure 3: ​http://www.urantiabook.org/photo-galleries/life-of-jesus/caesarea-maritima/content/_4148873_HDR_web_large.html
Figure 4: https://www.pinterest.com/alkkndr/ancient-world-map-caesarea-maritima-israel/
figure 5: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/lost-places-gallery/#/cesarea-maritima-lost-worlds_45947_600x450.jpg
figure 6:https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g297742-d379315-i65149681-Theatre_at_Caesarea_National_Park-Caesarea_Haifa_District.html
figure 7:​http://www.arqueologiabiblica.tv/
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