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Day 4 — Jordan Valley/Dead Sea
Our guide informed us that we have a full day and a lengthy drive ahead of us as we leave the Sea of Galilee and head south through the Jordan River valley and the West Bank to the Dead Sea region.
Bet She’an
Our first stop is about 30 kilometers south of the Sea of Galilee. Bet She’an, a modern community of 15,000 residents, boasts one of the most spectacular archaeological excavations of ancient civilizations in all of Israel.
Dating back to the 12th to 16th centuries B.C., this one-time Canaanite city was not immediately captured by the Israelites. As recorded in First Samuel 31, it was at nearby Mount Gilboa that King Saul was wounded in a battle with the Philistines. Rather than be captured by his enemies, he fell on his sword. The Philistines then cut off his head and hung his body and his sons’ bodies on the wall of this ancient city, then known as Beth Shan.
The city was later captured by King David and became the administrative center of the region during the reign of King Solomon.
In 732 B.C. the city was captured and destroyed by the Assyrians. In subsequent years it was rebuilt and became Scythopolis, the capital of the 10 Greek cities known as the Decapolis.
During the second century B.C. it was captured by the Hasmoneans and became a Jewish community until the Roman conquest of Israel in 66 A.D.
Much of the modern-day excavation is uncovering this period of Roman, and subsequently Byzantine, rule which lasted until the land was conquered by Arab Muslims in the seventh century, then destroyed by a massive earthquake in 749 A.D, evidence of which is still visible today.
While some excavations were begun in the 1920s, the major effort has been ongoing since 1986. Thousands of tons of dirt have been meticulously removed.
Among the finds are large bath houses with sophisticated heating systems, mosaic floors, public lavatories, a Roman temple, colonnaded streets, a most impressive Roman theater that was built around 200 A.D. to seat up to 8,000 people, and a Roman amphitheater or hippodrome used for horse and chariot races.
Today, the 400-acre site is a National Park and is open to visitors. The theater is also used for large outdoor events.
Qumran
After a picturesque drive that led us from fertile farms to the barren Judean desert and the northern shores of the Dead Sea, we arrived at Qumran.
In 1947 Bedouin shepherds stumbled upon ancient manuscripts hidden inside ancient pottery vessels located in caves overlooking the Dead Sea. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls ranks as one of the most prominent archaeological events of the twentieth century.
The manuscripts of many Old Testament scriptures, including much of the Book of Isaiah, were written by the Essenes, a strict Jewish sect that lived in a commune near the shores of the Dead Sea from the second century B.C. to the first century A.D. Their life was simple, austere and pious, and this particular community spent much of their time as scribes writing the scriptures.
It was quite fascinating to walk through the excavated ruins of their tiny village set among the desolate landscape.
Masada
Farther south and set high on a plateau overlooking the valley of the Dead Sea more than 1,300 feet below sits the fabled fortress of Masada—in my opinion, one of the most remarkable man-made sites in the world.
The ancient historian Josephus gives us the only account of the dramatic siege by the Romans against a remnant of Jews that took place in 72-73 A.D. After the Jewish revolt and subsequent defeat at the hands of the Romans in 66 A.D., Jewish rebels captured this fortress originally built by Herod the Great 100 years earlier.
But in 72 A.D., the fortress came under siege by the Roman army who encamped around the base of the mountain and began building a ramp up the short side of the plateau. Several months later they broke through the wall on top of the mountain only to find the nearly 1,000 Jewish residents dead as a result of a mass suicide during the night. They chose death rather than becoming slaves.
Modern excavations and partial restorations now provide visitors with an incredible perspective of what occurred on this desolate mountaintop 2000 years ago.
We chose the easy way of ascending to the summit by cable car instead of the 45-minute hike along the winding “snake path.” Even that was breathtaking as we tried to comprehend the enormity of getting food, water, supplies and construction materials up the sheer cliffs.
With an on-top-of-the-world sensation, we had the opportunity to try and imagine life in such a remote environment and to grasp the emotion that was likely felt by those held hostage by the Roman army knowing that their capture was imminent.
Stone walls on the valley floor that enclosed the army encampments surrounding the mountain are clearly visible. The monstrous earthen ramp is still there.
On the plateau many of the ancient buildings have been restored from their remains: Roman bathhouses, storehouses, a synagogue, houses of the Jewish rebels, and a remarkable partial restoration of Herod’s three-story palace built on the down the side of the mountain.
An elaborate system of channels and cisterns explain how there was enough water to last for months during the siege.
The entire experience was both exhilarating and sobering—one of those moments when one wants to stop for a solitary time of contemplation and reflection.
Dead Sea
On our ride back up toward Jerusalem, we stopped off at a resort on the Dead Sea. No trip to the Holy Land is complete without a chance to swim in the Dead Sea. Okay, it’s not really swimming—it is floating. With a 33.7% salinity, this body of water sits 1,385 feet below sea level and provides enough buoyancy to keep your body floating with no effort at all.
Our experience was accentuated by a spectacular sunset casting a sharp reflection on the water of the Jordanian mountains to the east.
As darkness fell, we began our ascent to Jerusalem up through the arid hills of Judea, past the city of Jericho. Before long the lights of the world’s holiest city shone before us. With great anticipation we entered the city marveling at the contrast of the ancient among the contemporary.
Another day has come to an end. We were tired but deeply enriched by what we had experienced. Yet we knew that best is yet to come.
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