Few ancient cities have been better preserved than the splendid Caesarea. Located an hour's drive from Tel Aviv, goods flowing from this once great entrepôt of the eastern Mediterranean reached as far as Bordeaux and Constantinople. Its commercial significance made it a desideratum of all the region's great conquerors, including the Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamluks and Ottomans. All have left their mark on the city, making it a beautiful amalgam of bygone ages.
Caesarea rose to prominence with the construction of a deep-water harbour, which began in 22 BC. Its architect, King Herod of Judea, was eager to propitiate the recently anointed emperor Augustus after supporting his deceased adversary Marc Anthony in the Civil War. The genesis for its inception is brought to life in a naff but thoroughly enjoyable rendition shown in the visitors' centre every half an hour. Whether it was the excited gesticulations of the Israeli actors, their poorly dubbed American accents or the allure of good air conditioning that kept me glued to my seat is difficult to say. Regardless, it was fun, reasonably informative and set us up perfectly for a pleasant amble through the ruins.
The day was rounded off with a fantastic lunch of fresh fish and sea views before heading to Netanya for a bit of beach action.
