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Randy Sheridan: Experiencing history what a visit to Israel is all about
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Nov 17, 2009, 13:25
Our coach pulled into the once Roman controlled city, or perhaps I should say the vestiges of the city of Caesarea, just south of present day Tel Aviv.
The magnificent remains of one of Rome’s wonders, the aqueduct, stood proudly close by.
I could not help but become lost in the moment, thinking about the ability of the ancient Romans and their engineers to devise a way to bring in fresh water for King Herod and his loyal subjects.
After 2,000 years, time had obviously taken a toll on the massive waterway, yet its beauty was still intact.
Aqueducts are one of the wonders of the Roman Empire. These graceful structures are majestic, engineering marvels that survive to this day.
Walking beneath the amazing structure only served to increase my curiosity.
The old city, which was located in Samaria, was one of King Herod’s ambitious gems built for gentiles who boasted a magnificent temple in honor of Rome’s Emperor Augustus.
He attempted to promote fashionable Greek culture but was rebuffed by the Jewish influence that believed it threatened their culture and religion.
Modern aqueducts, although lacking the arched grandeur of those built by the Romans, whether in Rome or here in Samaria, greatly surpass the earlier ones in length and in the amount of water they can carry.
Aqueduct systems extending hundreds of miles have been built to supply growing metropolitan areas and crop-irrigation projects.
A prime example of this would be the largest city in America.
The water supply of New York City actually comes from three main aqueduct systems that can deliver 1.8 billion gallons of water a day from sources up to 120 miles away.
Although the Romans are considered the greatest aqueduct builders of the ancient world, quanta systems were in use in ancient Persia, India, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries hundreds of years earlier. These systems used tunnels tapped into hillsides that brought water for irrigation to the plains below.
Somewhat closer in appearance to the classic Roman structure was a limestone aqueduct built by the Assyrians in about 691 B.C. to bring fresh water to the city of Nineveh. About 2 million large blocks were used to make a water channel 30 feet high and 900 feet long across a valley.
This is not meant to be a written exposé of ancient aqueducts, but wonders of this magnitude are one of the reasons I will return to the Holy Land in the spring.
That should give you a little idea about one the amazing achievements of an ancient culture.
About a half of a mile east of the famed aqueduct system stood the ruins of the amphitheater.
Our guide walked us over, and we sat on some of the massive stones that made up the stadium environment.
Hundreds of years removed, and you realize we haven’t traveled too far away from the pastimes of ancient civilizations.
Nearby the locals, along with some visiting archeologists, were conducting a dig.
A couple of us in our group walked over to the roped off area for closer look of the painstaking work. No sooner had I arrived than one of the workers turned and gave me a broken piece of pottery from the dig and said, “It’s yours.”
You would have thought it was Christmas morning for a little kid waiting to receive his prized treasure. I was elated to have a piece of this sacred culture. It was the first of many relics I brought home with me.
Archeologists have discovered much of the street plans from their digs in and around the old city and the outline of the walls that guarded Herod’s once-renowned crown jewel.
Experiencing ancient history that time has not completely erased is what a visit to Israel is all about.
From there we made our way north to Mount Carmel, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee.
Few sites bring a sense of awe as standing on Megiddo and looking over the plain that will host the ultimate battle of Armageddon some day.
The view not only sends a chill up your spine but offers the visitor an unforgettable adventure.
Randy Sheridan of Burleson is a speaker, counselor and mediator. He can be reached at drsheridan@aol.com.
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