Beth Shean

On the way to Galilee (Kinneret), there were some interesting sites we wanted to show our family. The first place we stopped was Beth Shean.  It is located 17 miles south of the Sea of Galilee.  The land in this area is very fertile and because there is a river and spring nearby, it has been called Israel's "Garden of Eden."

This is a model of Beth Shean as it was in the Roman, New Testament and Byzantine ears.

Beth Shean is situated on a hill  and was an important crossroad city in ancient times.

As we walked through this city, G'pa Garth explained what happened here.
This city guarded some major trade routes and dates back to the 3rd century BC.

We stopped at the ampitheater.  

This ampitheater could seat thousands of people.  

The acoustics are wonderful!  You can stand in the middle of the stage area 

and talk and everyone can hear you.  

Adam looks so small standing at the lowest level of the ampitheater.

Excavations were conducted in 1921-33 by the University of Pennsylvania. 
At that time, almost the entire top five levels  were cleared.   

Pompey and the Romans rebuilt Beth Shean in 63 BC and it was renamed Scythopolis or “city of the Scythians.”  The city continued to grow and prosper in the Roman and Byzantine periods until it was destroyed in 749 by an earthquake. We know this to be factual because excavations found dozens of columns toppled over in the same direction.

Basalt, limestone and marble was used in the construction of the buildings.

Egyptian and Canaanite temples were found here.

The kids couldn't wait to see this place:  Toilets used in Byzantine and Roman Eras

Mosaic sidewalk.  Can you imagine the time it would take to construct these walkways?

The rose colored marble columns came from Rome.  I cannot imagine how they could transport marble from one country to another to carve these columns.

Center of the city.  Shops would line this Cardo on both sides of the street.  

Original mosaic sidewalks excavated.  It is very possible Christ walked down this cardo.

Sidewalk from the cardo.

The bathhouse was huge.  Boiling water from a furnace flowed 
among these pillars which supported a tile floor.

This city was important during the Old Testament era.  Egyptian temples have been discovered and the Israelites controlled Beth Shean during the reign of David. There was a synagogue, a basilica church and a monastery built here.

Claire loves cats and wherever she goes, she points them out.  However, this poor cat was really mangey looking.  For some reason, people have cats and you seldom see a dog.

This is Hannah's dream car when she is old enough to drive.   We had many other places to visit so we were off to another adventure with G'pa as our tour guide.  Tomorrow is our Sabbath and we have just one more day with our family from California.