Beit Shean, Scythopolis. Israel National Park,the tell seen from the theater
The excavations have revealed no less than 18 successive ancient Beit She'an is one of the most impressive Roman and Byzantine sites in Israel, settlement began in the Late Neolithic or Early Chalcolithic periods (sixth to fifth millennia BCE. Occupation continued intermittently up to the late Early Bronze Age I (3200-3000), according to pottery finds, and then resumes in the Early Bronze Age III. A large cemetery on the northern side of the mound was in use from the Bronze Age to Byzantine times. Canaanite graves dating from 2000-1600 BCE were discovered in 1926. An Iron Age I Canaanite city was constructed on the site of the Egyptian center .Textual evidence from 1 Samuel 31 states that the Philistines were present at the site and hung the body of King Saul on the walls of Beit She’an. During the Iron Age II period, the town became a part of the larger Israelite kingdom under the rule of the Biblical kings David and Solomon .Pompey made Palestine a part of the Roman empire. The town center shifted from the summit of the Tel to its slopes. Scythopolis prospered and became the leading city of the Decapolis, . Pax Romana favoured the city, evidenced by its high-level urban planning and extensive construction including the best preserved Roman theatre of ancient Samaria as well as a hippodrome, cardo, and other trademarks of Roman influence .
Size: 4608px × 6144px
Location: Beit Shean,Jordan River Valley ,Israel
Photo credit: © moris kushelevitch / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: age, canaanite, cardo, city, david, decapolis, greek\, hippodrome, israelite, king, kingdon, roman, saul, , solomon, theatre
