| Transcript |
| 0:00 | · | [Music] |
| 0:02 | · | on the shores of modern day Israel |
| 0:06 | · | [Music] |
| 0:09 | · | lies the ruin a caesarea |
| 0:12 | · | this Roman city was positioned |
| 0:15 | · | dramatically on the wavy Coastline it |
| 0:17 | · | had a massive Chariot racetrack |
| 0:19 | · | [Music] |
| 0:22 | · | eater |
| 0:26 | · | bath houses and markets |
| 0:31 | · | cut into the Raw oh |
| 0:34 | · | aqueduct |
| 0:36 | · | spring water |
| 0:37 | · | from miles away |
| 0:41 | · | and it's Crown Jewel |
| 0:45 | · | an artificially constructed Harbor |
| 0:49 | · | a Marvel of ancient engineering |
| 0:57 | · | caesarea is located halfway between Tel |
| 0:59 | · | Aviv and Haifa on a long straight |
| 1:01 | · | Coastline with very few natural Bays the |
| 1:03 | · | city was built by Herod the Great a |
| 1:06 | · | local ruler but a puppet of the Romans |
| 1:08 | · | who made him King of Judea in 40 BC |
| 1:12 | · | in the decades leading up to the year |
| 1:14 | · | zero Judea was technically not a Roman |
| 1:17 | · | province yet but a clan Kingdom meaning |
| 1:20 | · | that it was autonomous for its Internal |
| 1:21 | · | Affairs that had to serve the |
| 1:23 | · | geopolitical interests of Rome |
| 1:25 | · | [Music] |
| 1:26 | · | Herod was their yes man as he owed them |
| 1:29 | · | his power |
| 1:30 | · | settled to build a Monumental City Roman |
| 1:33 | · | style in order to demonstrate his |
| 1:35 | · | loyalty to Rome he dedicated his City to |
| 1:38 | · | Augustus whose official title was Caesar |
| 1:40 | · | Augustus |
| 1:41 | · | [Music] |
| 1:42 | · | and so the city was named caesarea |
| 1:46 | · | Herod was an Edomite from the tribovate |
| 1:49 | · | Doma which converted to Judaism a |
| 1:51 | · | century before but the Jews did not |
| 1:53 | · | consider him a true Jew and definitely |
| 1:55 | · | not their legitimate King |
| 1:57 | · | he was also very hellenized meaning that |
| 1:59 | · | he subscribed to Greco-Roman values just |
| 2:01 | · | like you should subscribe to my channel |
| 2:03 | · | if you like this type of content this |
| 2:05 | · | hellenized city did not look east of |
| 2:07 | · | Jerusalem as its guiding star but West |
| 2:09 | · | towards Rome Herod clearly looked up to |
| 2:12 | · | the Romans and wanted to impress them |
| 2:16 | · | so much so that he outdid them |
| 2:19 | · | and had the audacity to build the |
| 2:21 | · | largest artificial Harbor in the Roman |
| 2:23 | · | World directly in the open sea and he |
| 2:26 | · | did this in an unfavorable terrain that |
| 2:28 | · | long and unprotected Coastline that's |
| 2:30 | · | exposed to wind waves and shifting Sands |
| 2:33 | · | which would have made construction extra |
| 2:35 | · | difficult |
| 2:36 | · | these modern Harbor Jetties that you're |
| 2:37 | · | looking at are only a third of the size |
| 2:39 | · | of the ancient ones but they sit on its |
| 2:41 | · | foundations |
| 2:43 | · | the satellite image clearly shows the |
| 2:45 | · | massive ancient yetis crumbled and |
| 2:47 | · | submerged below the water |
| 2:49 | · | they would have looked like this more or |
| 2:51 | · | less as they crumbled into the sea over |
| 2:53 | · | time the debris spread out of the sea |
| 2:55 | · | floor and now sits five meters below the |
| 2:58 | · | surface |
| 2:59 | · | [Music] |
| 3:01 | · | but when they were still operational |
| 3:03 | · | they formed a huge engine Port that |
| 3:05 | · | could Harbor many large ships |
| 3:07 | · | [Music] |
| 3:08 | · | to give you a better idea of how big it |
| 3:11 | · | was a modern aircraft carrier of the U.S |
| 3:13 | · | Navy which is 1100 feet long or 335 |
| 3:17 | · | meters would be this big inside the |
| 3:19 | · | harbor this comparison is measured |
| 3:21 | · | accurately to scale |
| 3:23 | · | foreign |
| 3:26 | · | but will be kind of useless if it |
| 3:28 | · | couldn't get out |
| 3:30 | · | King Herod undertook many other |
| 3:32 | · | impressive Mega projects in Judea |
| 3:35 | · | including the herodium which was a |
| 3:38 | · | palace and fortress on top of an |
| 3:39 | · | artificial Mountain |
| 3:41 | · | talk about a mega project |
| 3:43 | · | the infamous Masada where he built |
| 3:46 | · | another massive Palace which later |
| 3:48 | · | became the last standoff in the war |
| 3:50 | · | between the Jews and the Romans |
| 3:53 | · | Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron which |
| 3:55 | · | is the site where Abraham Isaac and |
| 3:57 | · | Jacob are buried along with their wives |
| 4:00 | · | and he also upgraded the Jewish temple |
| 4:02 | · | in Jerusalem and built these huge |
| 4:04 | · | retaining walls around the Temple Mount |
| 4:05 | · | which enlarged the plaza around it and a |
| 4:09 | · | massive Fortress to protect it |
| 4:11 | · | today's Western Wall is a piece of that |
| 4:14 | · | herodian retaining wall because the Jews |
| 4:16 | · | despised him he built the religious |
| 4:18 | · | sites in order to win favor with them so |
| 4:20 | · | it can be said that he didn't do |
| 4:21 | · | anything for them as these buildings |
| 4:23 | · | still are incredibly important to the |
| 4:25 | · | Jewish faith and identity today |
| 4:27 | · | for the purposes of preserving his own |
| 4:29 | · | power and is linked to Rome the Harvard |
| 4:31 | · | caesarea was his greatest asset |
| 4:35 | · | sea travel was the fastest form of |
| 4:37 | · | travel |
| 4:38 | · | so having a solid Harbor on that |
| 4:40 | · | Coastline gave him fast communication |
| 4:41 | · | with Rome across the Mediterranean which |
| 4:44 | · | was the highway linking all the |
| 4:45 | · | important cities of the empire |
| 4:47 | · | caesarea was now Port City and it was |
| 4:49 | · | its harbor that put it on the map giving |
| 4:50 | · | it access to that well-developed trade |
| 4:52 | · | Network |
| 4:54 | · | it took him seven years to build the two |
| 4:57 | · | Jetties which is impressive for 2000 |
| 4:59 | · | years ago considering how difficult it |
| 5:01 | · | was to build in the open sea first he |
| 5:04 | · | needed to build underwater concrete |
| 5:05 | · | foundations to make Roman concrete a key |
| 5:08 | · | ingredient was put Solana a special |
| 5:10 | · | volcanic ash that was sourced from the |
| 5:11 | · | town of puts Wally in the Bay of Naples |
| 5:15 | · | this is the Roman Amphitheater of |
| 5:17 | · | patwali the rest of the ancient cities |
| 5:19 | · | covered up by the modern one |
| 5:21 | · | the volcanic ash Source from this town |
| 5:22 | · | was the secret to Roman concrete when it |
| 5:25 | · | was mixed with the other ingredients and |
| 5:26 | · | came into contact with water it would |
| 5:28 | · | Harden into a very strong and durable |
| 5:30 | · | material |
| 5:32 | · | could even solidify in the water what's |
| 5:34 | · | known as hydraulic concrete |
| 5:36 | · | archaeologists speculate the herod's men |
| 5:38 | · | constructed these wooden molds with |
| 5:39 | · | double walls which were floated into |
| 5:41 | · | position when the molds were above the |
| 5:43 | · | right spot they filled the double walls |
| 5:45 | · | with mortar to make them sink to the |
| 5:47 | · | Sandy floor |
| 5:49 | · | then it would pour the liquid concrete |
| 5:50 | · | into the rest of the molds where it |
| 5:52 | · | would settle and Harden underwater |
| 5:54 | · | they also estimate the hair needed to |
| 5:56 | · | import 50 000 tons of the spots on ash |
| 5:58 | · | in up to 150 ship loads all the way back |
| 6:01 | · | to caesarea |
| 6:03 | · | this shows how interconnected the Roman |
| 6:05 | · | world was where specific materials |
| 6:07 | · | needed in one place were sourced from |
| 6:09 | · | another thousands of kilometers away |
| 6:11 | · | true example of ancient globalization |
| 6:15 | · | it also demonstrates when an immense |
| 6:17 | · | budget haired had at his disposal for |
| 6:19 | · | just a small King |
| 6:21 | · | put in immense strain in taxpayer known |
| 6:23 | · | as people and only increase their |
| 6:24 | · | frustration towards him as a king who |
| 6:27 | · | doesn't truly look out for them but is |
| 6:28 | · | more concerned about preserving his own |
| 6:30 | · | power and his relationship with Rome |
| 6:33 | · | monuments like this Hippodrome in |
| 6:35 | · | theater which are ultimately built for |
| 6:36 | · | fun and entertainment must have been a |
| 6:38 | · | particular sore spot for the Jews |
| 6:40 | · | especially because the games held in |
| 6:42 | · | them were a Roman custom not a Jewish |
| 6:44 | · | one |
| 6:45 | · | but Herod was able to hold on to his |
| 6:47 | · | power until 4 BC when he fell ill and |
| 6:51 | · | died |
| 6:55 | · | the years that followed were marked by |
| 6:57 | · | turmoil and unrest until 6 A.D when |
| 7:00 | · | Judea was annexed as an official Roman |
| 7:02 | · | province so that Rome could have more |
| 7:04 | · | direct control over it |
| 7:07 | · | caesarea then replaced Jerusalem as the |
| 7:09 | · | official capital of Judea being more |
| 7:11 | · | strategically connected to Rome and |
| 7:13 | · | simply for being a new Roman style town |
| 7:15 | · | unlike Jerusalem which was an |
| 7:17 | · | established Jewish City already ancient |
| 7:19 | · | by those days |
| 7:21 | · | as a Roman provincial capital caesarea |
| 7:24 | · | became a large and bustling Cosmopolitan |
| 7:26 | · | city with a mixed population of Romans |
| 7:28 | · | Greeks Jews and other cultures from |
| 7:30 | · | around the Mediterranean while Jerusalem |
| 7:33 | · | was the spiritual heart of Judea |
| 7:34 | · | caesarea was the city of business and |
| 7:37 | · | commerce with the outside world |
| 7:38 | · | it was in the perfect position to |
| 7:40 | · | receive direct orders from Rome then |
| 7:42 | · | Implement them into the hinterland and |
| 7:44 | · | was the Roman headquarters at which |
| 7:45 | · | Pontius Pilate governed the governor of |
| 7:47 | · | Judea who gave the order to crucify |
| 7:49 | · | Jesus |
| 7:50 | · | interestingly in 1961 a limestone block |
| 7:53 | · | mentioning pilot was discovered at |
| 7:54 | · | caesarea providing the only |
| 7:56 | · | archaeological evidence for his |
| 7:58 | · | existence |
| 8:02 | · | all other mentions of him are literary |
| 8:04 | · | including the New Testament and a few |
| 8:07 | · | contemporary historians like Josephus |
| 8:09 | · | who documented the war between the |
| 8:11 | · | Romans and the Jews that was sparked |
| 8:12 | · | here in caesarea in 66 A.D |
| 8:16 | · | Josephus who was also a Jew sucked up to |
| 8:18 | · | the Romans and praised his ariane's |
| 8:20 | · | Harbor however it was this Harbor that |
| 8:22 | · | brought the destruction of his own |
| 8:23 | · | people as it would have been the key |
| 8:25 | · | entry point into Judea for the Roman |
| 8:27 | · | military used for shipping in troops |
| 8:29 | · | logistical support for the war and |
| 8:31 | · | receiving orders from Rome |
| 8:34 | · | this war resulted in the utter defeated |
| 8:36 | · | Jews by the Roman War Machine the |
| 8:38 | · | sacking of Jerusalem and destruction of |
| 8:40 | · | their temple in 70 A.D |
| 8:42 | · | and the deportation of much of their |
| 8:43 | · | population to the rest of the empire |
| 8:47 | · | the Coliseum itself was most likely |
| 8:49 | · | funded with The Spoils of that war as it |
| 8:51 | · | was built right after it |
| 8:53 | · | it was also likely constructed by Jewish |
| 8:55 | · | slaves brought over to Rome as captives |
| 8:58 | · | this was such a cataclysmic event for |
| 9:00 | · | the Jews the modern history of the |
| 9:02 | · | region is still being shaped by it two |
| 9:04 | · | thousand years later |
| 9:06 | · | [Music] |
| 9:12 | · | in the first century when Christianity |
| 9:15 | · | was spreading out from the holy land |
| 9:16 | · | caesarea's port again became a key |
| 9:18 | · | instrument in serving that wave of |
| 9:20 | · | History |
| 9:21 | · | it was that well-established Trade |
| 9:23 | · | Network that existed in the |
| 9:24 | · | Mediterranean under the Romans that |
| 9:26 | · | facilitated the fast bread of goods and |
| 9:27 | · | ideas and with it the new ideas of |
| 9:30 | · | Christianity Saint Paul himself left on |
| 9:33 | · | his famous voyages across the Empire |
| 9:34 | · | from this very port |
| 9:37 | · | Saint Peter also came through this city |
| 9:40 | · | historically it's always been Urban |
| 9:41 | · | centers especially port cities that have |
| 9:44 | · | been the key players in transmitting new |
| 9:45 | · | ideas and new trends of History |
| 9:49 | · | this is because they were the most |
| 9:50 | · | connected to the outside world and |
| 9:53 | · | influences from other port cities as |
| 9:55 | · | well as having the highest population |
| 9:56 | · | densities |
| 9:57 | · | more people living together and talking |
| 9:59 | · | to one another means that an idea can |
| 10:01 | · | spread faster and Christianity was no |
| 10:03 | · | exception |
| 10:05 | · | it was the key Urban centers of the |
| 10:07 | · | Roman Empire the first received |
| 10:09 | · | Christianity as well as other ancient |
| 10:11 | · | religions that came from outside Rome |
| 10:12 | · | like mithraism |
| 10:14 | · | to illustrate this The Great Fire of |
| 10:17 | · | Romans 64 A.D which Nero allegedly |
| 10:19 | · | started and then blamed on the |
| 10:20 | · | Christians was only three decades after |
| 10:22 | · | the death of Jesus |
| 10:24 | · | this means that just 30 years after |
| 10:26 | · | there were already enough Christians in |
| 10:28 | · | Rome that they were a well-known |
| 10:29 | · | minority used the scapegoats for the |
| 10:31 | · | fire |
| 10:34 | · | things took time in the ancient world so |
| 10:36 | · | for them to be this numerous by the time |
| 10:37 | · | of Nero means that the very first ones |
| 10:39 | · | must have arrived in Rome just a few |
| 10:41 | · | years after |
| 10:43 | · | and they would have left from caesarea |
| 10:44 | · | and traveled on that well-connected |
| 10:46 | · | trade Network which enabled Christianity |
| 10:48 | · | to spread quickly between all the |
| 10:50 | · | different ports |
| 10:53 | · | in fact the term Pagan which today means |
| 10:56 | · | the worship of many gods back then just |
| 10:58 | · | meant in Latin a person living in the |
| 11:00 | · | countryside |
| 11:02 | · | what this tells me is that when |
| 11:04 | · | Christianity must have already been well |
| 11:05 | · | established and replacing the old Roman |
| 11:07 | · | religion those who still continued |
| 11:09 | · | worshiping the old Roman gods were the |
| 11:11 | · | folks living in the countryside pagans |
| 11:13 | · | further indication that it was the |
| 11:15 | · | cities and ports that were spearheading |
| 11:17 | · | the spread of Christianity in the early |
| 11:19 | · | stages |
| 11:20 | · | [Music] |
| 11:22 | · | but back to our own beloved Port it did |
| 11:24 | · | not fare so well the test of time |
| 11:28 | · | archaeological analysis of the submerged |
| 11:30 | · | concrete indicates that it wasn't |
| 11:32 | · | actually the best quality compared with |
| 11:34 | · | other Roman Harbors in Italy |
| 11:36 | · | so though ambitious the harbor was a |
| 11:39 | · | little on the weak side |
| 11:44 | · | then in 115 A.D something big happened |
| 11:47 | · | to the north this is the Turkish city of |
| 11:50 | · | antakia |
| 11:51 | · | sits on an intersection of multiple |
| 11:53 | · | fault lines and has suffered from |
| 11:55 | · | earthquakes throughout all its history |
| 11:56 | · | it was one of the hardest hit cities in |
| 11:59 | · | the last massive earthquake in February |
| 12:00 | · | 2023 |
| 12:03 | · | which devastated Southeast turkey and |
| 12:05 | · | Northwest Syria |
| 12:07 | · | in Roman times antakya was called |
| 12:09 | · | Antioch one of the largest and most |
| 12:11 | · | important cities in the Empire |
| 12:13 | · | and the same thing happened in the year |
| 12:15 | · | 115 |
| 12:17 | · | a massive earthquake so devastating the |
| 12:20 | · | historians speculate a quarter million |
| 12:22 | · | people died |
| 12:23 | · | half the City's population |
| 12:26 | · | the earthquake triggered a tsunami that |
| 12:28 | · | traveled all the way down the coast and |
| 12:30 | · | is known to have hit the harbor at |
| 12:31 | · | caesarea |
| 12:33 | · | it probably didn't destroy completely |
| 12:35 | · | but would have seriously damaged it and |
| 12:37 | · | remember that its concrete was not the |
| 12:39 | · | strongest to begin with and so this |
| 12:40 | · | tsunami was the beginning of the end for |
| 12:43 | · | our beloved Harbor |
| 12:45 | · | they must have remained usable for some |
| 12:46 | · | time though because in later centuries |
| 12:48 | · | caesarea became an important Byzantine |
| 12:50 | · | City so surely would have had an |
| 12:52 | · | operational Port even if not as glorious |
| 12:55 | · | but by the 5th Century further local |
| 12:57 | · | seismic activity and the Relentless |
| 12:59 | · | waves of that exposed Coastline 808 the |
| 13:02 | · | weaken structure and the Jetties were |
| 13:04 | · | well on their way to the bottom |
| 13:07 | · | when the Crusaders conquered the Holy |
| 13:09 | · | Land in 1100 they needed courts along |
| 13:12 | · | that Coastline they recognized the |
| 13:14 | · | Strategic value of this place so they |
| 13:16 | · | rehabilitated the harbor albeit a |
| 13:17 | · | smaller version of it the modern Jetties |
| 13:19 | · | that you see today correspond somewhat |
| 13:21 | · | to the smaller Crusader Harbor |
| 13:24 | · | but after that wacky Endeavor came to an |
| 13:26 | · | end |
| 13:27 | · | and the monks kicked the Crusaders out |
| 13:29 | · | for good caesarea basically died as a |
| 13:31 | · | significant Port City and the site |
| 13:33 | · | slowly became a ruin |
| 13:36 | · | one that you can enjoy today if you go |
| 13:38 | · | visit Israel |
| 13:39 | · | a well-preserved Roman city that lived |
| 13:42 | · | through the turbulent events of history |
| 13:43 | · | and under the numerous cultures that |
| 13:46 | · | have controlled this fascinating region |
