Bet Shean is the best-preserved Roman/Byzantine city in the country. This land was continuously occupied for nearly 6000 years. This Roman city was built upon a layer of 14 previous cities that had been destroyed, leveled and built on top of. It dates back to pharaoh Thutomse III. The last city declined after a major earthquake in 749. It was amazing!
Mosaic tile flooring that has survived.
Seth has become not only a lizard catcher but loves looking for pottery shards.
Courtney is one of Thomas's favorite fans.
The students were joking that this looked like a family portrait.
So here is the "open to all" restrooms. No women's or men's privacy.
This is the corner on the stage of the theater. Abby is in the center. It was beautiful!
A well preserved Roman bath house. A floating floor would lay on top of these pillars and ovens outside the walls would heat water to send steam under the floor to heat the room. Adjacent rooms were designated for warm and cold water baths. There was a gym nearby and rooms for lectures and learning.
Handsome John!
A beautiful old tree.
The "tel" or mountain in the background is actually one ancient city on top of another. There were Canaanite, Egyptian, Philistine, and Israelite cities here at one time or other. Saul, the first king of Israel, committed suicide in battle at nearby Mt. Gilboa. Philistines hanged Saul's body from the city wall here at Bet Shean (pronounced like bait shon), until men of Gilead retrieved the bodies and buried them properly across the Jordan valley in what's now Jordan (1 Samuel 31).
Here we have our little monkeys.
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