What is Caesarea Maritima known for?

Caesarea Maritima was an important trade center in antiquity, known for its colossal harbor built by Herod the Great. After the second Jewish Revolt, also known as the Bar-Kochba Revolt (132-136 CE), Caesarea became the capital of the Roman province of Syria-Palestina. By the early 3rd century, the city became an important center of Christianity.

Where is Caesarea Maritima today?

Caesarea Maritima is in modern-day Israel. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, the municipality of Caesarea was moved approximately 2 kilometers to the north of the old ruins, and nowadays, the original site by the sea, the Caesarea National Park is a major tourist destination.

Caesarea Maritima

Server Costs Fundraiser 2024

Help our mission to provide free history education to the world! Please donate and contribute to covering our server costs in 2024. With your support, millions of people learn about history entirely for free every month.

$3926 / $18000

❤ Donate

Definition

Caesarea Maritima was a city built over 2,000 years ago (c. 22-10 BCE) on the coast of the Eastern Mediterranean. With Roman engineering and largesse, Herod the Great (r. 37-4 BCE) accomplished this feat by constructing a whole metropolis with a colossal harbor that would make Caesarea the maritime trading oasis of its day.

More about: Caesarea Maritima

Timeline

c. 22 BCE - c. 10 BCE
Caesarea Maritima is built.