Caesarea Maritima —

He built Caesarea’s famous theatre that has been excavated and is still used today, a hippodrome for sporting events and numerous public buildings to support a grand lifestyle for Caesarea’s population. To facilitate a population a sea-flushed sewer system was constructed, along with massive aqueducts that carried fresh water from Mount Carmel to the city. This aqueduct was partially underground and famously, partially above ground. Its beautiful arches are still a major tourist attraction, though as it stands now, the aqueduct was expanded to carry a secondary channel of water built by Emperor Hadrian in the second century AD.

Not to be outdone by the beauty of his city, Herod also constructed a shoreside palace for himself (the promontory palace). Archaeologists have mused about how Herod seems to have enjoyed overcoming nature’s barriers to human construction, and this palace is a good example. Built on a cropping of rock extending into the sea, Herod’s palace had a large freshwater pool at its centre, fed by manmade underground channels. The pool is believed to have had a large statue at its centre, who it would’ve been of is up for debate. The pool was surrounded by walls of pillars to see out into the Mediterranean and with large flower baskets that would’ve made it seem like an oasis. Guests could come and go directly from their boats and the palace was no doubt decorated to inspire awe and wonder at the grandeur of Herod.

After Herod’s death and the creation of Judea as a Roman Province, the procurator or governor of Judea lived at Herod’s palace. Caesarea enjoyed life as the official Roman capital of Judea, a bustling economy, and all of the comforts any ancient city could offer.