Illustration
As part of Herod the Great's building program, besides the unattached edifices at the entrance to Herod's Harbor, there is material evidence for two other unique structures. One was a low-lying breakwater south of the harbor’s tower-and-wall system called the Procumatia or "the first breaker of the waves." The added mention by Josephus of “buildings before it in order to break the force of the waves” is indicative of the modern-day use of baffle blocks to mitigate erosion. (Wars, 1.21.6) The other structure, called a harbor-divide, with its diameter route, indicates a causeway used to expedite goods and troops across the harbor.
Using archaeological reports by Avner Raban, John Oleson, Robert Hohlfelder, and others, along with comparative analysis of known Roman construction techniques, Josephus' eyewitness descriptions, and Herodian fortification work at Jerusalem and Masada, the image you see is part of the collaborative creation of Lithodomos and Patrick Scott Smith.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
A., P. S. S. M. (2025, July 17). Unique Structures at Herod's Harbor. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20681/unique-structures-at-herods-harbor/
Chicago Style
A., Patrick Scott Smith, M.. "Unique Structures at Herod's Harbor." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified July 17, 2025. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20681/unique-structures-at-herods-harbor/.
MLA Style
A., Patrick Scott Smith, M.. "Unique Structures at Herod's Harbor." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 17 Jul 2025, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20681/unique-structures-at-herods-harbor/. Web. 18 Jul 2025.
