Caesarea

After our flat tire excursion we did head off towards Caesarea. This ancient city named after Caesar Agustus by king Herod was an important sea port for the Romans and a significant Crusader Fortress. It was also intersting to think about the Apostle Paul being tried before Felix, Festus and Agrippa here before being sent on to Rome. We spent about 5 hours here marvelling at the ancient ruins. We walked up the steps of the Theatre (seating for 4,000) and looked at remnants of remaining headless statues. I guess they made the heads separate so that if a new king came to power they could just switch the heads. The ampitheatre was a hug U-shape entertainment structure with seating for 12,000 spectators to watch chariot races, etc. We walked through what is left of the Public bath house complex and past the storage rooms used for grains and such. It was also amazing to see Herod's palace with the different rooms and one area that might have been an indoor fishpond or swimming area. The mosiacs on the floors in each of the rooms was very details and intricate. We also visited the aqueducts which were most impressive. I'll try and attach some pictures here.