{N}THE COASTAL PLAIN{/}

{K}- ACCO{/}
Some twelve kilometers to the north east of Haifa, the Mediterranean coast outlines a sort of peak that points towards the south in the direction of Mount Carmel. A natural inlet, widthwise protected by this projection of the coast, has served as a port since antiquity, with the additional help of a sea wall that neutralizes the south east winds that produce a strong surf in the place.
In this way, nature itself had prepared this site to become a meeting point of the commercial activities of the region.
Products unloaded by marines coming from "the {N}islands,{/}" and merchandise brought by the caravans coming up the route from Megiddo to Asia Minor, all passed through Acco.
The city changed name several times: it was Acco, as a Canaanite city; {N}Ptolemais{/} in the Hellenistic period; Saint{N} John{/} of Acre during the crusades; the Arabs called it Akka; however, it has recovered its biblical name of Acco.

{K}TELL-ACCO{/}
The first inhabitants of the region settled on a hill situated 1500 meters to the east of the present port. This rural population has left traces of their passing in numerous fragments of ceramics, found in cavities made directly into the rock.
Around 2000 B.C., the inhabitants protected their city with walls which surround the hill and whose principal gate opens towards the sea. During this era Acco was mentioned for the first time in Egyptian curse formulae. One or two centuries later a wave of urbanization touched the Canaanite coast: the city developed thanks to its industrial activity and commercial relations, linking it with Asia Minor, Cyprus and Micenas. No doubt, by this time the city must have also suffered occupation by some of the peoples coming from the sea.
At the start of the New Bronze Age (1500-1200 B.C.) the Egyptians expelled the Hicsos and came to occupy the region. Nevertheless, the Egyptians kept the political structure of the city-states subjected to them.

{K}ISRAELITE PERIOD{/}
As Israel became stronger, it progressively managed to impose its authority over the Canaanite peoples. However, numerous cities managed to safeguard their autonomy: {C}Those of Asher did not expel the people of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik or Rehob. The tribe of Asher had to live in the midst of the Canaanites who occupied their territory, for they could not drive them out from that region. {/}[Jdg_1,31] - [Jdg_1,32].
After several centuries of decadence, Acco saw a new period of prosperity, in the VIII and VII centuries B.C. Tremendously coveted as a commercial and military bridgehead, the city suffered the assault of the Assyrians under the command of Sennaquerib at the start of the VII century, and later, in the VI century B.C., that of the Persians.

{K}PTOLEMAIS{/}
The death of Alexander left his vast empire abandoned to the greed of his friends and comrades-in-arms. In these pitiless battles, cities and provinces were disputed with an unequalled greediness by the successors of the Macedonian: The {C}Lagids{/} of Egypt dominated Palestine from 323-198 B.C. and were the first owners of Acco; they gave it the name of Ptolemais in honor of Ptolemy Philadelphus (285-246 B.C.) who considerably enlarged it. Conquered by Antiochus II, it passed into the hands of the {C}Seleucids{/}. When the Jews rebelled against the religious persecution promoted by Antiochus Epiphanes, the city took the side of the latter. It would then be here that Trypho would trick Jonathan into a trap [1Mac_12,39] - [1Mac_12,48].

{K}PTOLEMAIS VISITED BY PAUL{/}
On return from his second missionary journey, the apostle Saint Paul made a stop over in Ptolemais: {C}We continued our journey, sailing from Tyre to Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and spent a day with them. {/}[Acts_21,7].


{K}- AMWAS - EMAUS{/}
The first thing that comes to mind when the name Emaus is heard is without doubt the narrative of Luke, known as "The Pilgrims of Emmaus." Despite the importance of the episode, it is very difficult to establish with certainty the exact place where the two disciples ate with the Risen Lord. The city is known from the late texts of the Old Testament, but the distance that separates it from Jerusalem does not agree with the distance indicated by the best manuscripts of the gospel.
In the fifth century B.C., there was, to the northwest of Jerusalem, a hamlet called Hamtham, meaning "hot springs". This place was rebaptised in the Hellenistic period and named Emmaus, and with this name we find it in the first book of Maccabees. Judas took over the city after overpowering Gorgias, the chief of the Greeks [1Mac_4,1] ... [1Mac_4,14]. A little later the Syrian General Baquides would construct a fortress in Emmaus to block the passage to Judeah.

{K}IN SEARCH OF EMMAUS{/}
The similarity of names (Emmaus in Maccabees and Emmaus in Luke's text) led the old authors, among them Origen (185-254) and Saint Jerome (347-420) to place here the episode of the Pilgrims of Emmaus.
The site is to be found thirty kilometers to the west of Jerusalem; this distance coincides with enough exactness with the 160 stadiums (29.6 kms) registered in certain manuscripts of Luke; but not with the 60 stadiums (11.1 kms) mentioned in the majority of the old texts.
As a consequence, other sites have been proposed that correspond to the present-day cities of Abu-Gosh, El-Qubeibe, or even Mosa, all situated at a distance from Jerusalem that would better agree with the information supplied by the majority of the manuscripts. But this is of little importance, as the essential point goes beyond the geographic location of the place.

{K}THE NARRATIVE OF THE TWO PILGRIMS{/}
The narrative starts and ends in Jerusalem, and in this double journey, which passes through Emmaus, all would change for the disciples who had lost hope. Jesus explains to them the Scriptures and makes them pass along the path that leads from the faith of Israel to the faith in his mystery of Death and Resurrection. Thus, when they return to Jerusalem, their eyes have been opened and their hearts are burning: they have passed from the knowledge of Jesus of Nazareth to the acknowledgment of the Risen Lord.

{K}APHEK-ANTIPATRIS{/}
A memorable battle took place close to Aphek in the days of Samuel: Israel was broken to pieces by the Philistines and the Ark was captured. A thousand years later Saint Paul would make a stop over in this city, which at that moment was called Antipatris: he was led under escort from Jerusalem to Caesarea Maritima.
Situated over the north-south road axis, some fifteen kilometers from the Mediterranean, Aphek was located at the meeting point of two important routes: the "{N}Via Maris{/}", or Sea Route, which came from Egypt and went up towards the north, along the edge of the coast; and the ascent toward Jerusalem. It also overlooked the narrow pass between the fountains of Yarkon and the hills of the east; and profited from the commercial interchanges among the great ones of Egypt, of Syria, of Mesopotamia and of Anatolia. Administrative documents from the XIII century B.C. in Acadian, Egyptian and Hittite, bilingual and trilingual, illustrate the role the city played in the scheme of international relations.
Around 1230 B.C. the conquest of the country by the Egyptians put an end to the good times of independence and prosperity; the city was almost totally destroyed. All that remained was the fortress as a residence for the Egyptian governor.

{K}DEFEAT OF ISRAEL AND CAPTURE OF THE ARK{/}
Rejected by Ramses III, the {N}Philistines{/} (or Sea People) settled on the south of the coastal plain of Palestine. The conflicts between the newly arrived and the tribes of Israel started immediately, since the nomadic Hebrew tribes were also looking for a place under the sun. Probably by this time Aphek was already in ruins. The episode mentioned in the fist book of Samuel took place here: {C}So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated. Everyone fled to his home. It was a disastrous defeat; thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel were killed. The ark of God was captured and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. {/}[1S_4,10] - [1S_4,11].

{K}PAUL IN ANTIPATRIS{/}
In the Hellenistic period, the site took the name of Pegae, meaning "the fountains." Herod restored the city in 9 B.C. and gave it the name of Antipatris in honour of his father Antipater, minister of Hyrcan II. He established a commercial district around the principal street which, he had paved with tiles, thus constituting the jamb (principal axis), bordered by shops. The city would then serve as a stop over between Jerusalem and Caesarea, the new capital.
The book of Acts states that the Apostle made here a stop over during his transfer to Caesarea Maritima. {C}The commander summoned two of his officers and said to them, "Get ready to leave for Caesarea by nine o'clock tonight, with two hundred infantrymen, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen. Provide horses also for Paul to ride, so that he may be brought safely to Felix the governor."...The soldiers acted in accordance with these instructions. They took Paul and brought him to Antipatris by night. On the following day, they returned to the fortress but the horsemen continued journeying with Paul{/} [Acts_23,12] ... [Acts_23,32].


{K}- AZOTO (ASHDOD){/}
In the era of the Judges, this city was one of the five that formed the Philistine federation, famous for its temple dedicated to the god Dagon. This poor god had to suffer the humiliation caused by the presence of the Sacred Ark within the walls of his temple.
The fighting tradition demanded that sacred trophies be kept in the temple of the conqueror's god. The Ark of the Covenant had been captured and placed by the Philistines in the temple of their god Dagon. Was the God of Israel also a captive of the idol? But behold the Ark reverses the situation here: Dagon is ridiculed and the Philistines are upset. The Ark has been captured but God has not been conquered: He remains the Lord of history.
{C}The Philistines carried the Ark of God from Ebenezer to Ashdod. There they brought it into the temple of Dagon and set it up beside him. Rising up early the following day, the people saw that Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of Yahweh. So they picked up Dagon and put him back in his place. But when they rose the following morning, the people saw Dagon on the ground again, face downward before the Ark of Yahweh. His head and hands were broken off and lay at the threshold.. {/}[1S_5,1] - [1S_5,4].


{K}- ASHKELON{/}
Under the national park of Ashkelon (or Ascalon in other times), some twenty buried cities could tell us about five thousand years of occupation, from 3500 B.C. to 1500 A.D.
A Canaanite city, conquered by the people from the Sea in the XII century B.C., Ashkelon formed with Gaza, Ashdod, Akron and Gath a federation called the "Philistine Pentapolis." Decimated by the Chaldeans, besieged by Alexander the Great, embellished by the Romans and Byzantines, the city still gave a lot of trouble in the time of the crusades, before it disappeared under the sand.
The Bible only mentions Ashkelon to place there a very colorful person, Samson.

{K}THE FAMOUS SAMSON{/}
Memory still keeps the image of this legendary hero, whose prodigious strength was equaled only by his weakness for beautiful women, and what is worst, for the daughters of the Philistines, those "uncircumcised" people who continuously threatened the territories occupied by the tribe of Dan. Now then, Samson was a member of this tribe. Unlike other judges, Samson opposes only the Philistines.
Only at the moment of his death, in Gaza, did Samson reach the dimension of a religious hero of tragic destiny. Seeing himself a blind prisoner, after having lost his power together with his hair, Samson finally turned to God and asked Him to return his strength of days gone by. On the occasion of a feast in honor of the god Dagon in Gaza, Samson knocked down the columns that held up the building, and burieds himself together with the king of the Philistines beneath the rubble. He thus became a providential instrument of the liberation of Israel, {C}because Yahweh had handed them over into the hands of the Philistines...{/} [Jdg_13,1].


{K}- BETH-SHEMESH{/}
Located in the northern end of Sefela, it is called "House of the Sun." The Bible gives a serene and bright vision of it: {C}the people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley{/}  [1S_6,13]. The agricultural richness of the surrounding fields, along with the numerous wine and oil presses found in the area, ensured a long time of prosperity for this city, given as inheritance to the Levites at the time of the distribution of the land of Canaan. The city offered a resting place to the Ark on its way back to Jerusalem [2S_6,1].

{K}THE ADVENTURES OF THE ARK{/}
Going up from the coastal plain toward Jerusalem, most likely one would follow the same route taken by the Ark of the Covenant when it left the land of the Philistines towards the City of David. Today, the pilgrim passes in front of the Sanctuary of Qiryat Yearim, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, invoked by the Church under the title of "Ark of the Covenant." A creditable analogy that compares the Holy Ark with that Woman who carried in her bosom the Word made Flesh, born of her womb and of the Eternal Father, to be forever the Covenant between God and Man.
The Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh was the visible sign of God's presence in the midst of his people: it contained inside {C}the "Ten Words" written on stone by the very hand of God,{/} on mount Sinai. After the entrance into Canaan, Joshua installed it in Silo, thus turning this small hamlet into the central sanctuary of Israel.
After Aphek\u00b4s defeat, the Philistines took over the Ark. But, as soon as it entered into one of their cities, it brought them bad luck. The philistines then learned at their own cost that their gods were insignificant and impotent when faced with the God of Israel. First in Ashdod [1S_5,6], then in Gath and Akron. The Philistine priests discovered the origin of the evil and proposed the remedy: {C}The people carried out these instructions. They took two milking cows and yoked them to the cart and shut their calves in their shed. They then put the Ark of Yahweh on the cart, along with the box with the golden mice and the golden images. The cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along the way; they went mooing and they turned neither to the right nor to the left. Meanwhile, the chiefs of the Philistine cities followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. {/}[1S_6,10] ... [1S_6,12].
From Beth-shemesh the Ark was transported to the mountain, to Kiriath-jearim, a site however which never became for Israel a place of worship. In the books of Samuel the story of the Ark's adventures is narrated side by side with the history of Samuel and the process toward the monarchy. Thus, only with David (the king according to God's heart) does the Ark reach its final destination, since it is David who brings it to Jerusalem [2S_6,1].


{K}- MOUNT CARMEL{/}
{C}Your crowned head is Mount Carmel;
your flowing hair is royal purple,
which holds a king captive in its tresses. {/} [Song_7,6].
In the Song of Songs (which celebrates human love and the nuptials of God with humanity) the head of the beloved, fierce, proud and charming, is mount Carmel. This mountain rises like a figurehead over the Mediterranean, overlooking Haifa bay. The prophet Isaiah sings to its top, crowned with pines and green oak trees; to its slopes covered with vines and olive trees on terraces. 
This rocky crest of smooth tones that go from grey to pink, enhanced by the blue sky, still retains something of Elijah\u00b4s glory: {C}Then came the prophet Elijah like a fire, his words, a burning torch. He brought a famine on the people and in zealous love had them reduced in number. Speaking in the name of the Lord he closed the heavens, and on three occasions called down fire. How marvelous you were, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Who could ever boast of being your equal?{/} [Sir_48,1] - [Sir_48,4].
The western slope of this mountainous massif is grooved by numerous {C}wadis{/} that flow into the Mediterranean, between Haifa and Caesarea Maritima. Its sides are perforated with caves, some of which were already occupied from the Mousterian period (90000-35000 B.C.) and have given an essential contribution toward the knowledge of the relationship between the {C}Neanderthal man{/} and the {C}homo sapiens{/} (Cfr. Introduction, Prehistory).
A modest valley separates the Carmel from the mountains of Samaria. The very abrupt eastern slope overlooks the big Acco bay and the rich plain crossed by the Quison.

{K}MOUNT CARMEL: SACRED MOUNTAIN{/}
In the list of conquests by Tutmosis III, in the XV century B.C., Mount Carmel appears under the name of Rosha Qadesh (sacred mountain). Long before the biblical era, before Elijah and Elisha, his disciple, resided there, the majestic features of this promontory had already attracted the Pheonician navigators who constructed there a sanctuary dedicated to Baal.

{K}ELIJAH: THE PROPHET THAT ROSE LIKE FIRE{/}
In chapter 17 of the first book of Kings, Elijah rose against Ahab, king of Israel (875-853 B.C.), and declared to him, with the assurance that came to him from his ministry of the Word,: {C}As Yahweh, the God of Israel whom I serve lives, neither dew shall drop nor rain fall except at my command {/}[1K_17,1].
Ahab had taken as a wife Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon and high priest of Melkart, the Tyrian Baal who was likened to Heracles in the Hellenistic period. Instigated by his wife, Ahab began to serve Baal and bowed down before him, while she intrigued, killed the prophets of Yahweh by the sword, and used all kinds of trickery to substitute the Phoenician Baals, gods of the elements and of fertility, for Yahweh, the God of Israel.
Day after day the drought ravaged Israel with ever growing cruelty. Thus Ahab sent for Elijah. And so he presented himself again before the king: {C}Now, therefore, give an order for the Israelites to gather before me at Mount Carmel, together with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal who are sustained by Jezebel {/}[1K_18,17] - [1K_18,20].

{K}MUHRAQA: THE SACRIFICE OF CARMEL{/}
This is the traditional place of the sacrifice of Carmel. Despite the Covenant sealed with God at mount Horeb, the people of Israel adjusted themselves quite well to the religion they found in Canaan, the cult to the forces of nature. Baal was the god of storms and rain; Asera, his sister, who later became the Astarte of the Greeks, was the goddess of love and fertility.
Elijah was there, before the enemies of his faith, the 450 prophets of Baal: Which God will send fire from heaven over the sacrifice prepared for him?
{C}When the time of the evening offering came, Elijah the prophet came near and said: "O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant, doing all these things at your command. Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me so that this people may know that you, O Yahweh, are God and that you are turning back theirs hearts to you.
Then the fire of Yahweh fell and consumed the burnt offering, together with the wood, the stones also, and the dust; the water also dried up in the trench. All the people witnessed this. Then they fell on their faces and said: "Yahweh is God! Yahweh is God!" {/}[1K_18,22] - [1K_18,40].
The divine sign, that the children of Israel had just witnessed, justified Elijah's faith, confirmed him as a prophet, and brought the people closer to their God, the only one who wanted and was able to intervene in the history of mankind. But this divine intervention was lacking a conclusion, a sign that would reinforce the newly found faith: this sign would be the rain.
{C} Elijah then said to Ahab: "Go up, eat and drink, for the sound of rain is rushing in. So Ahab went up to eat and drink. Elijah in the meantime, went to the top of Carmel, bowed to the ground and put his face between his knees{/} [1K_18,41] - [1K_18,42].
Then, the clouds answered Elijah's prayer with such a downpoor, that the road to Jezreel is in danger of being cut off.
How could mount Carmel then be separated from the image of Elijah, chosen by God to be His witness? He became, at the risk of his own life, the champion of the unique God. This Tishbite, zealous for the love of Yahweh, foreshadowed the whole great prophetic movement. He was not only the fervent defender of the holiness of God; he, like so many other prophets, also experienced, in trials and abandonment, the tenderness of this God whom he served.

{K}I WILL CLIMB YOUR SACRED MOUNTAIN{/}
In the IV century B.C.. in the {C}Periplos{/}, or Guide of the Mediterranean for navigators and Greek geographers, mount Carmel is cited as the sacred mountain of Zeus.
A discovery made in the monastery garden of the Carmelites confirms the introduction of a pagan cult in the Roman era: a foot of monumental proportions, the remains of a colossal statue of the II or III century B.C., bearing an inscription, a votive offering dedicated to Zeus Heliopolitanus of Carmel. According to Tacitus and Suetonius the emperor Vespasianus (69-79 A.D.) came to consult the oracle of the god of Carmel.
Jewish, Christian and Moslem sanctuaries have appeared one after the other on the mountain. The feast of Saint Elijah gathers every year in the cave of St. Elijah, a variegated multitude of pilgrims: Latin, Greek and Orthodox Christians, Israelites, Moslems and Druses.


{K}- CAESAREA MARITIMA{/}
The city of Caesarea Maritima is mentioned fifteen times in the Acts of the Apostles. There, Peter baptized Cornelius, a centurion of the Roman procurator's guard; Paul spent several months there after his imprisonment in Jerusalem; Philip also returned there after his meeting with the Queen of Ethiopia's eunuch, on the way to Gaza; together with his four prophet daughters, Philip welcomed Paul and his companions in this same place on their return to Jerusalem after his third missionary journey through Acaya and Asia Minor [Acts_21,8].
Towards the end of the Roman period and in the time of Byzantium, Caesarea is characterized by the active presence of great figures of the Church: Origen and his school of theology; Pamphylus of Beirut with his remarkable library; Eusebius, bishop and author of the first history of the Church.
Caesarea would still enjoy some fame during the Crusades. A bridgehead between the West and the Latin states of the Holy Land, it will see the passage of innumerable knights, and lastly of St. Louis who will rebuild its walls for the last time. 

{K}CAESAREA SEEN BY FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS{/}
Let us hear what the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus tells us: "Caesarea is located in Phoenicia, was built on the site from where one would embark to journey to Egypt. It is situated between the two coastal villages of Jope and Dora, whose ports are not very safe as they are continually beaten by the wind called `Africus\u00b4. This violent wind blows such a large amount of sand against the shore that navigators are bound to cast anchor in the high seas. Thus, Herod had this port built in order to alleviate the situation. It was given a half moon shape with capacity to shelter a large number of ships" (Jewish Antiquities XV, 13). The commercial activity that was developing between Rome and Egypt on one side, and between Rome, China and India on the other, could only benefit from a port the size of Caesarea. Herod dreamed of turning Caesarea into an interchange port for all this traffic and so it was necessary to make it on a grand scale.
Flavius Josefus tells us that "Herod had noticed the existence along the coast, of a place called Straton Tower, that seemed to be a most suitable site. There he built a city with an extraordinary plan and elegance. Not only were the palaces lavishly built in white marble, but also individual residences were built with great refinement" (J.A. XV,13). And so that nothing were lacking in this new city, he set up a market that seemed to be the biggest in the world, a theatre and an amphitheater as majestic as the rest (J. A. I,16).

{K}THE PORT{/}
The jetties rested over a natural rock base, and were made of prefabricated materials. They consisted of enormous boxes submerged in the water, letting the swell to do the work of filling them with sand. Once the jetty infrastructure had been built, a wall and its towers facing the sea, houses and various warehouses facing the dock, were also constructed. The dike proper was reinforced along its whole length, on the external side facing the sea, by means of a breakwater wall. 
Archaeologists have been able to confirm the truth of Josephus' assertions: "Herod had stones of considerable proportions of 50 feet long, 18 wide and 9 high, some even larger, submerged. The length of this jetty was 200 feet. One of its sides served to contain the waves' violent action; the other supported a wall complete with towers. Herod dedicated the largest and most beautiful tower to Druso, son of the empress Livia, wife of Augustus. On the left side of the port entrance there was a tower built on a wide platform capable of resisting the waves' force. To the right, two great columns surpassed this tower in height" (J.A. XV,13).
Of the three docks that had been built, only one remains, as the fast sinking of the underwater base caused the jetties to crumble.

{K}THE CITY OF HEROD{/}
Near the shore, to the north of the quadrangle fortified by the crusaders, two wide towers can be seen of Herodian make; the one nearer the sea rests on a base of a larger diameter, and its bonding is coarser; this makes one believe that this base, like the neighboring half-submerged wharf, may have been a part of the famous "Straton Tower," which was the first harbour construction, doubtless much more modest, and built there by a king of Sidon in the IV century B.C.
A wall starting from these two towers delimited the urban center, leaving the hippodrome, the theater and the amphitheater outside. To ensure the city's water supply, an aqueduct was installed to bring in water taken from the south of mount Carmel. Its first section consisted of canals made with ceramic, supported by a small wall that reached as far as the coast. Then the aqueduct stretched toward the south, sustained by arcades. The instability of the ground and the passing of time damaged the work, which had to be restored and reinforced over the following centuries. Several wide arteries were constructed, parallel to the coast, from the theatre to the wall into which the arcaded aqueduct flowed, to the north of the city. These wide avenues were intersected by cross streets that formed blocks of 80 meters per side. This checkered plan is called "hipodamic" after the name of its creator, Hipodamus of Miletus, a town planner of the V century B.C.
An intelligently planned drainage system ensured the cleanliness of the city: "Beneath the floor, regularly space long underground passages were built, which led down to the sea, but there was another one that crossed them, carrying rainwater and all the city's sewage. Every so often the sea flooded these underground passages and thus ensured the cleanliness of the streets (J.A. XV, 13).

{K}THE CENTRAL PODIUM{/}
In the centre of the city a podium sits on vaulted rooms, perfectly visible from the seaside: "Behind the harbor there were great vaulted stockrooms for storing all sorts of merchandise, as well as several other vaults in the form of arcades, which served as lodgings for sailors. Opposite the harbor entrance a temple of exceptional grandiosity and grace was built in honor of Augustus. A statue of this noble emperor could be seen, as big as that of Jupiter Olympus after which it was built, along with a second statue of equal proportions, representing Rome" (J.A. 1,16).

{K}PILATE, PREFECT OF JUDEAH{/}
When the excavations of the theatre were made, to the south of the Roman city, at the foot of some steps a stone slab was found with an unexpected inscription. In effect, it was a slab of re-used calcareous stone that must have originally belonged to some public city building. On this stone could be read:
...S TIBERIEUM
...NTIUS PILATVS
...ECTVC IVDA...E
This slab is particularly interesting because it stresses the presence of Pontius Pilate as a Prefect of Judeah in this city of Caesarea, the see of the Roman government in Palestine; this corroborates the historical references found in the gospels.

{K}THE TEMPLE OF MITRA{/}
One of the beautiful vaulted rooms situated along the coast was transformed into a temple of Mitra in the II century B.C. This cult of Iranian origin saw a period of eclipse during the Zarathustra reform (VI century B.C.), but with the coming to power of the Aquemenides, and the rise of Cyrus to the Persian throne, it came out of the shadows. The cult rapidly spread through the Hellenistic world and later among the Romans, where it acquired an outstanding place among the {C}mysterical{/} religions. Those cults were at that time held in great esteem, as the official religion of Rome was incapable of satisfying the religious aspirations of the people. Exclusively reserved for men, the cult of Mitra recruited its supporters among the soldiers who were offered an initiation process of 7 steps to achieve salvation.
Commemorating the myth of the god who, after killing the bull, whose blood had fertilized the soil, ascended to heaven to protect his worshippers, the initiated in their turn offered a bull in sacrifice.
This cult attracted both soldiers and sailors to this place. The murals of the underground sanctuary portray diverse scenes of the myth of Mitra. The archaeologists have calculated that this place of worship dates from the II century A.D. It was therefore a little posterior to the Apostolic period.

{K}THE VISIONS OF PETER AND CORNELIUS{/}
These were then the main features (except the temple of Mitra), of the harbor and city of Caesarea during the time when Luke' account in the Acts of the Apostles took place. Here Cornelius, a centurion of the Italic cohort, received, together with the announcement of the Good News, the sacrament of Baptism at the hands of Peter [Acts_10,1].
The episode of Cornelius' conversion marks a decisive change in the life of the young Church. This place is rich in meaning: built on the Palestinian coast, looking out over the Mediterranean and towards Rome, the city of Caesarea Maritima was, since almost 35 years , the Roman capital of the province of Judaea. As a traveler advancing towards the coast, on reaching Caesarea, Peter could have chosen between turning back and enclosing  the Church within the narrow limits of the Jewish Palestine, or plunging into that sea that opened up in front of him and letting himself be brought to Rome, the pagan capital, "the New Babylon" that incarnated all the sin of the world [Rev_17,5]. The Spirit opted for the second choice: He descended upon the pagans gathered around Cornelius, and Peter was constrained to baptize them. 
{C}Peter was still speaking when the Holy Spirit came upon all who listened to the Word. And the believers of Jewish origin who had come with Peter were amazed. "Why! God gives and pours the Holy Spirit on foreigners also! For indeed this happened: they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. 
Then Peter declared: "Can we refuse to baptize with water these people who have received the Holy Spirit, just as we have?" So he had them baptized in the name of Jesus Christ {/}[Acts_10,1] ... [Acts_10,48].
Peter returned to Caesarea, perhaps for the last time, after his miraculous rescue during the persecution ordered by Herod Agrippa I (41-44 AD). The Acts tell us that {C}Peter, after his rescue, came down from Judeah to Caesarea and stayed there{/} [Acts_12,19].

{K}PAUL IN CAESAREA{/}
Finally, Paul stopped over there several times: when he returned to Tarsus after his conversion and his visit to Jerusalem [Acts_9,30]; on his return from his second missionary journey, on which occasion he {C}greeted the Church{/} [Acts_18,22]; also on his return from Miletus, after his third journey: this time he met Philip, one of the "seven," and his four "prophetess" daughters. He later returned to Caesarea under guard: he was a prisoner after his arrest in the Temple of Jerusalem. For two years he awaited there his transfer to Rome, because he had appealed to Caesar, as his Roman citizenship gave him the privilege to do.
{C}Some days later King Agrippa and his sister Bernice arrived in Caesarea to greet Festus. As they were to stay there several days, Festus told the king about Paul's case and said to him: "We have here a man whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews accused him and asked me to sentence him. I told them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over a man without giving him an opportunity to defend himself in front of his accusers. {/}[Acts_25,13] - [Acts_25,16].
Since Agrippa expressed an interest in seeing Paul, a royal audience was prepared with many invited, during the course of which Paul could explain himself.
It is here that Paul gave his testimony of how he met the Risen Lord: {C}As Paul came to this point of his defense, Festus said in a loud voice: "Paul, you are mad; your great learning has deranged your mind! But Paul answered: "I am not mad, Most Excellent Festus, but everything I have said is reliable and true. The king is acquainted with all these things, so to him I speak with such confidence. I am convinced that he knows everything about this case, for these things did not happen in a dark corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do{/}. 
{C}Agrippa said to him: "You almost believe that you have already made me a Christian!" Paul answered him: "Whether little or more, I would that not only you but all who hear me this day may come to be as I am - except for these chains" {/}[Acts_26,24] - [Acts_26,29].

{K}THE BYZANTINE CITY{/}
At the start of the Byzantine period, Caesarea saw an incomparable development. Some thermae have been discovered that date from this period, and were built to the north of the city in the classical style of the time: Frigidarium, Tepidarium, Caldarium and latrines. Synagogues also were rebuilt and a basilica was constructed, and a large administrative building was erected south of the central podium. The first excavations made there brought to light two mosaics that allude to a text of Saint Paul [Rom_13,3]. Now then, this is not a Christian place, but an administrative building. This poses an interesting question: Was this paragraph of the letter to the Romans so widespread a text as to find a place in the offices of the governor? Or was it on the contrary a popular saying inviting the tax payers who came to pay their taxes, not to cheat the treasury? Could it then be a sentence that Paul would have used in his letter to support his declarations regarding submission to civil authorities? 

{K}ORIGEN IN CAESAREA{/}
During this Byzantine period, Caesarea once again occupied an important place in the history of the Palestinian Church. First, there is Origen, who made the city famous with his presence and his works. He arrived for the first time in Palestine, coming from Alexandria. He had been invited by Alexander, bishop of Jerusalem and quite known to him, to write a commentary on the Scriptures. He returned for the second time in 230 A.D.  Teoctistus, local Bishop and friend of Origen, conferred upon him on this occasion the ordination to the priesthood. Furious, Demetrius, bishop of Alexandria, rejected Origen and forbade him to teach in the famous Egyptian metropolis.
Banished, he then definitely settled in Caesarea, where he remained until 250 A.D. During the persecution of Decius, Origen was arrested and tortured, and, according to his disciple Panfilus, perhaps died two or three years later in Tyre as a result of the torture he suffered.
During the twenty years he spent in Caesarea, Origen carried out a considerable work: exegetical works, homilies, a theological summa, and numerous polemic and apologetic treatises. It is to him that we owe the first work of textual critique of the sacred texts, "the Hexapla". In it he presented, in six parallel columns, the Hebrew text of the Old Testament transcribed by himself in Greek characters, plus the four Greek versions circulating at the time, that is, the "Seventy, Aquila, Simmacus and Theodotion."
Among his disciples, great spiritual masters like Gregory of Nice, Athanasius, or even Evaristus the Pontic, bear witness to the wealth of his mystical life. And great pastors like Firmilianus of Caesarea of Capadocia, or Gregorius, bishop of New Caesarea, studied under Origen in the school of Caesarea. However, it was Pamphylus of Beirut and Eusebius, bishop of the Maritime city, who became the figures more directly linked to Caesarea, since it was there that their biblical heritage flourished.

{K}PAMPHYLUS AND EUSEBIUS{/}
Pamphylus, of Phoenician origin, went to study with Pierius, one of the teachers of the famous neoplatonic school. He probably came to Caesarea attracted by the brilliance and the influence of Origen. Ordained priest by Agapius, bishop of the place, he assumed on his own the double work of the person he admired: thus he considerably developed the library founded by Origen and at the same time he opened a school of theology.
Eusebius was elected Bishop of Caesarea in 313 A.D. Taking advantage of the great number of works and documents compiled first by Origen and then by Pamphylus, he undertook the writing of a Chronological Chronicle of Universal History, as well as an Ecclesiastical History, which until today constitutes a source of capital information about the first centuries of the Church. When the Arianism crisis broke out, Eusebius of Caesarea, who had a conciliatory character, and was concerned above all for the unity of the Church, showed himself hospitable towards him who was persecutad by the Bishop of Alexandria. This madness caused Eusebius himself to fall under the vengeance of Macarius of Jerusalem. In the face of this growing agitation, Constantine convoked the Council of Nicea, which condemned Arius (325 A.D).

{K}- MEGIDDO{/}
Megiddo vigilantly guarded the pass that cuts across the last foothills of Carmel and the cross-road where it ends.
This stronghold occupied a strategic position of vital importance over the "way of the sea" cited by the prophet Isaiah [Is_8,23], which would be later superseded by the Via Maris in the Roman period. It was the only possible path for any commercial trade or military campaign between Egypt, Asia Minor and Mesopotamia. To the north, the path stretched toward Tyre, Sidon and Anatolia, which was the country of the Hittites for almost a millennium. Toward the east the path led towards Syria and Mesopotamia, bordering to the south the marshy plains of Jezreel; from there it passed along the foot of Bet-Shean up to Damascus, not without first crossing the river Jordan over the bridge  of the Daughters of Jacob.
Megiddo\u00b4s long history is explained by the privileged strategic position, and by the spring that flowed at its foot. This also explains the reasons behind so many destructions and reconstructions, and reveals to us at the same time why in the Bible Megiddo stands out as the symbolic place of all the great battles. Particularly in Revelation, Megiddo becomes the stage for the definitive triumph of God and his Christ over the powers of evil, vainly assembled in mutiny for one last battle [Rev_16,16].

{K}THE CITY OF CANAAN{/}
The city's history starts with the third millennium B.C., when a Canaanite population constructed the first temple on the eastern flank of the Tell. Very soon Megiddo (and all of Palestine) will be dragged along by the vicissitudes of a history in which its ambitious and warlike neighbors, Egypt and Mesopotamia, will be the orchestra conductors. Around 2300 B.C. the Acadian civilization developed in Mesopotamia, with its organization of city-states. Between the two empires of Acadia and Egypt, that divided the Near East between themselves, a number of small independent cities were born and developed, such as Ebla in Syria, or Megiddo, Gazer and Siquem in Palestine. These cities of Syro-Canaanite culture gave free passage to the nomads. The crumbling of the two great rivals at the end of the third millennium, benefited for a while the development of the Syro-Palestine states.

{K}UNDER EGYPTIAN DOMINATION{/}
From 1570 B.C., Egypt, after freeing itself from foreign princes, initiated a spectacular climb: for four centuries the country of Canaan lived under the Egyptian rule.
In 1468 B.C., Pharaoh Tutmosis III defeated in Megiddo the armies of the city-states of Syria and Palestine, who had been allies against Egypt. Seti I re-established the authority of Egypt after the crisis provoked by Akenaton; and his successors Ramses II and Merneptah continued his work.
Throughout this Egyptian period, Megiddo was an opulent city, enriched by its commerce and by the interest stirred up by the pharaohs.

{K}ROYAL FORTRESS{/}
When the Israelites imposed themselves in Palestine, in the time of Joshua and of the Judges, Megiddo was already a prosperous city that had taken advantage of the weakening of Egypt under the XXth dynasty,  to recover its independence. However, a fire destroyed the city during the course of the X century.
The vital importance of Megiddo for the defence of the kingdom did not escape Solomon\u00b4s attention, who had recently ascended the throne of Jerusalem. With Hazor and Gazer, this stronghold watched over and protected the access roads to the capital. Megiddo was, therefore, one of the cities built by the Israelite king, by means of forced labor [1K_9,15]. From then on, the city became the administrative center of the region of Jezreel and Bet-Shean. However, it was partly destroyed when Pharaoh Sisac invaded the kingdom of Roboam in 924 B.C.. The Egyptian monarch made of the city the strategic base for his attacks against the Palestinian cities. In order to immortalize his victory, the pharaoh left in Megiddo a stele bearing his name.

{K}THE FATAL ROAD{/}
Well fortified, Megiddo was a secure refuge in case of need. If Ahaziah had been faster than the soldiers of Jehu, he could have made use of it! {C}As for Ahazian, the king of Judah, he fled in the direction to Beth-haggan. Jehu pursued him, crying out: "Kill him, too!" And they shot him in his chariot at the slope of Gur near Ibleam. He reached Megiddo, took refuge there and died. His servants carried his body in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him with his fathers in the city of David {/}[2K_9,5] - [2K_9,28].
In 732 B.C. the two great fortresses of the north, Hazor and Megiddo, fell to the Assyrian king Teglalfalasar III. This king decided the imminent fall of the kingdom of Israel.

{K}JOSIAH AND NECO IN MEGIDDO{/}
In the seventh century B.C., Josiah, king of Judah, taking advantage of the weakening of  Assyria, attempted to conquer the kingdom of the north intending to reunite it to Judah, and re-establish the old kingdom of Israel, thus restoring the unity of the state around Jerusalem and its purified Temple. But this idea contradicted Egyptian politics. Day after day Babylon's power kept increasing in Mesopotamia, and Egypt was interested in maintaining a balance of forces between Assyrians and Chaldeans. In fact, in 612 B.C. Niniveh fell to the allied forces of Medes and Babylonians. For this reason, in the same year of his coronation (609 B.C.) Pharaoh Neco ran to the aid of Assyria, his former enemy. The possibility of an Assyrian rebirth, saved at the last moment by Egypt, worried king Josiah who had always pursued the dream of reconquering the ancient kingdom of Israel. Thus, he went up to Megiddo to try and block pharaoh's passage, but unfortunately he met his death at the very moment he met Neco.

{K}DEATH OF THE "RIGHTEOUS"{/}
{C}Josiah did everything that was right in the eyes of Yahweh, and followed in the footsteps of David, his father, without turning aside either to the right or to the left {/}[2K_22,2]. Thus begins the life story of Josiah in the second book of Kings. His reign was marked by the discovery of the book of the Law in the Temple, and by a profound reform: {C}There have never before been a king like him who returned to Yahweh with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his strength, observing all the Law of Moses, nor was another like him seen again {/}[2K_23,25]. Now then, {C}in those days, the Pharaoh Neco crossed the river Euphrates and went to join the king of Asshur. King Josiah set out to confront him, but Neco killed him in Megiddo when he saw him. Josiah's servants brought his body in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem, and they buried him in his tomb. {/}[2K_23,29] -[2K_23,30].
Thus, Josiah, who had always done what was right in Yahweh\u00b4s eyes, died young, while Manasseh and so many others had enjoyed a long life and a serene death after years of betraying the Covenant. Like the death of Moses within sight of the Promised Land, the death of Josiah in Megiddo seems like a denial of divine justice. On their return from captivity the priests tried to make both of them responsible for this punishment, reasoning out that Moses had doubted God and had beaten the rock twice, which manifested an ignorance of the earlier text of the book of Exodus (compare [Ex_17,1] - [Ex_17,6] and [Num_20,11] - [Num_20,13]). As for Josiah, {C}he would not listen to what God was saying through Neco! ({/}compare [2Re_23,29], and [2Chr_35,20] - [2Chr_35,24].) But was it necessary to appraise God's justice in the light of that of humankind?

{K}THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE{/}
The Tell of Megiddo that has about twenty levels, is a witness to an almost uninterrupted succession of inhabitants and civilizations. The great number of {N}ostraka{/} (pieces of ceramic) discovered by archaeologists, has enabled them to calculate the date [or antiquity] of the layers; the oldest of them goes back to the end of the Neolithic era (V millennium B.C.). Some silex utensils and bones were found in a cave at virgin soil level.

{K}THE SACRED SPACE IN THE EASTERN SECTOR{/}
The successive places of worship emphasize the permanence of the sacred at this site. A first temple dates back to the Chalcolithic period (3300-3200 B.C.). It was of rectangular shape, with a roof supported by two wooden columns that rested on some flat stones buried in the ground. Opposite the entrance a sort of adobe podium could have served as a pedestal for the statue of the Canaanite god honored here, or as a table for the offering.
At the start of the III millennium B.C., a magnificent altar was built a little higher, made of uncut stones, placed in such a way as to make a truncated cone. Seeing it, Yahweh's prescriptions to Moses come to mind: {C}Set up there an altar in honor of Yahweh, built with unhewn stones. Build the altar to Yahweh with uncut stones and on this altar offer burnt offerings to Yahweh, your God {/}[Dt_27,5] - [Dt_27,6]. For almost a millennium the Canaanites offered their burnt offerings on this altar as evidenced by the ashes and bones found in the sacred enclosure.
Towards 2300 B.C., three temples were established around the Canaanite altar. These sanctuaries were in use for a little more than ten centuries. Objects found at the site suggest the influence of foreign cultures, like Syrian, Anatolian, Mesopotamian and Egaean. Here, the piece that stands out the most seems to be a beautiful Canaanite altar, cut from one single stone, with four horns symbolizing the god's strength, capable of reaching to all four corners of the universe. It has been dated as belonging to the X century B.C., making it contemporary with  Solomon.

{K}THE "SINNOR"{/}
Megiddo enjoyed a privileged strategic position. However, they had to make sure that they could withstand a siege without having to surrender for lack of water. Therefore, the city architects built there a sinnor, as they did also in Hazor, Gazer and Jerusalem. Inside the city a wide square well was dug, with a stairwell that made it possible to reach a level halfway between that of the city and that of the water source. During that time a horizontal subterranean canal was opened that led from the source to the foot of the square well. This allowed the water to flow to the end of the canal. Thus, the people of the city only had to go down the square well to draw the water by means of pitchers. To complete the job, the entrance to the cave from where the water flowed was obstructed from outside.

{K}FROM THE HOLY WAR TO THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT{/}
Very often people confuse the holy war or religious wars with the spiritual combat to which the revelation invites us. In reality, violence lives in the human heart and all of God's patience as a Father will never be enough to lead mankind from the former to the latter, that is, from the so-called holy war to the spiritual combat. The innumerable wars that accompany the entire history of Salvation are the irrefutable proof of this. Megiddo, a several times conquered and re-conquered fortress, witness to so many battles and deaths, had to remain in Israel's memory as a hill at the same time strategic and symbolic: victories and defeats that were decisive for the kingdom of Israel were sealed there. There also John contemplated -in his Apocalypse- the forces of evil that will assemble for the last battle against God:
{C}The sixth angel poured out his cup on the great river Euphrates; then its water was dried up, leaving a free passageway for the kings of the east. I saw coming from the mouths of the monster, the beast and the false prophet, three unclean spirits which looked like frogs. {/}{C}They are, in fact, spirits of demons that perform marvelous things and go to the kings of the whole world to gather them for battle on the great day of God, the Master of the universe...  They assembled them at the place called Amageddon in Hebrew (or the Hills of Megiddo) {/}[Rev_16,12] - [Rev_16,16].
