City of the Decapolis

This summer, help archaeologists excavate the Hellenistic and Roman site of Hippos (Aramaic Sussita) in northern Israel. Impressively situated on a high spur overlooking the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Hippos was founded shortly after 200 B.C. as one of the ten Decapolis cities of northeastern Palestine. In these cities, where the local population came to fully embrace Greek life and culture, Hellenistic values dominated nearly every aspect of civic and private life, including architecture, religion, literature and sport. Even after the Roman general Pompey established Roman control over the region in 63 B.C., the Decapolis cities retained their Hellenized traditions for several hundred years.

At Hippos, archaeologists have uncovered the extraordinary remains of a large, well-planned Greco-Roman city, complete with a massive monumental archway, a main colonnaded street (the decumanus maximus), a broad rectangular-shaped forum, luxurious public baths and major temples dating to both the Hellenistic and Roman periods. More recently, excavations have brought to light the remains of at least seven different churches built on the site during the Byzantine period. During the upcoming 2008 season, dig director Michael Eisenberg hopes to finally complete the excavation of the Hellenistic civic center and expose more of the Roman archway and temple precinct.