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Since ancient times, the valley of
Beth Shean been a
crossroads connecting the vast east to west valley of
Jezreel and the Via Maris to the
Rift Valley Road to Jericho. Villagers who settled the valley,
which gets its name from the ancient city of Beth Shean, were blessed with
plentiful sources of fresh water from the adjacent springs of
Mt. Gilboa.
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Roman Cardo
with O.T city above
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The city is mentioned a number of times in the
Bible. The
fall of King Saul to the Philistines at
Gilboa is thus recorded: "The next
day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found
Saul and his
three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off his head and stripped off
his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the
Philistines
to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people.
They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to
the wall of Beth Shean" [1 Samuel 31:8-10].
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Pillar destroyed
in 751 A.D. strong earthquake
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Pompey and the Romans rebuilt
Beth Shean in 63 B.C. and
it was renamed Scythopolis ("city of the Scythians;" cf. Col 3:11). It
became the capital city of the Decapolis and was the only one on the west
side of the Jordan. The city continued to grow and prosper in the
Roman and
Byzantine periods until it was destroyed on January 18, 749 A.D. by an
earthquake. Evidence of this earthquake includes dozens of massive columns
that toppled over in the same direction. |
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Excavations have unveiled a remarkable city, one which
incorporated all the 'glory that was Rome' and the best of Hellenistic
culture. A typical Roman cardo, or main commercial thoroughfare, connected
the upper city with the forum, marketplace, Roman bathhouse, and theater.
This Roman theater dominated the city. Still in use, it is one of the most
impressive so far discovered in Israel. Adjacent to the theater is an
amphitheater, where gladiators fought their battles and men were thrown to
the lions. The entire city was destroyed in October of 749 A.D. by a massive
earthquake. There have been minor settlements on or around the fallen city
throughout the centuries. Excavations of the Roman ruins began in the 1920s. |
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