From Mt. Gilboa, we drove down into the Jezreel Valley on to nearby Beit She’an, the largest archaeological dig in Israel. This city was included in the Decopolis, a special league of enormous cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire.
Beit She’an is one of the most ancient cities in Israel. The ruins at Beit She’an are in excellent condition and are extensive. Archaeological activity has been dormant in Beit She’an for the past decade. The city extended over an area of some 370 acres, and you can still see the remains of the wall that surrounded it. In addition, several impressive buildings have been uncovered, including a theater (still used for events and shows), a public bath-house (the largest found to date in Israel), public toilets, two magnificent colonnaded streets, a Roman temple, a decorative fountain building (nymphaeum), a large basilica marking the center of the city, and the reconstructed mosaic on which you can see Tyche, the Roman Goddess of Good Fortune, holding the Horn of Plenty. On to lunch and our last tour site for the day!
Burt
