Guide: Eyal Meiron, PhD

These excerpts primarily discuss the archaeological and historical significance of Caesarea, a city on the coast of present-day Israel. They highlight the construction and function of its water systems, specifically mentioning the lower aqueduct built in the Byzantine era and the artificial lake created to supply it. The texts also provide a concise historical overview of Caesarea, from its founding as the Phoenician city of Straton's Tower and its transformation into a major Roman city under King Herod the Great, through its role as the capital of Judea in the Roman and Byzantine periods, its decline under Muslim rule, its time as a Crusader city, and its eventual destruction by the Mamluks, concluding with efforts to drain the remaining lake in the 20th century. The importance of Flavius Josephus's writings as a source for its history and the dating methods used for the aqueduct are also mentioned.