Caesarea as near Sebastos
Caesarea was located on the Mediterranean coast thirty-three miles north of Joppa and sixty miles northwest of Jerusalem. The Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, gave the site to Herod the Great, who constructed his most extensive building project there, a city designed on the Roman model, which was named in honor of the emperor, and magnificent harbor befitting his kingdom. The harbor was built using materials that would allow the concrete to harden underwater. The forty-acre harbor would accommodate 300 ships, much larger than the modern harbor existing today.
Herod the Great also constructed a theater with a seating capacity of 3500. The theater was covered with a skin covering (vellum), and visitors probably brought cushions with them to soften the stone seats. Today, the amphitheater is not only a spectacular relic of the past, but a modern performing venue where concerts are frequently held.
